Tuesday, May 27, 2014

On My Soap Box

There are always burning questions in the world of Candy.
Here's one for you:  88.7% people who eat chocolate Easter bunnies eat the bunny ears first.
I am not sure how someone somewhere was able to obtain this information. 
I do know that Easter candy sales account for more than $2.25 billion.
For me the real question is:  Do you want to order your candy online and take a chance that it arrives melted, "old", "blooming" or just not what you wanted?
Would you rather come into a local store (let's say SWEET TOOTH), look at that candy, perhaps sample it, pick the exact number and kind you want in your own personalize selection, knowing that the staff at that store are experienced and knowledgeable about the candy they are selling?
Here's another burning candy question?
Are we going to be able to get candy from the movie FROZEN to satisfy the latest and perhaps the greatest animated film which is generating all sorts of interest?  We have had a number of people purchasing FROZEN type candy for FROZEN parties.  So far Rock Candy has worked well, but I am hoping for gummies, lollipops, characters, etc.
We are able to order locally made and superly delicious cookies which could be decorated with FROZEN characters.  And when we say "fresh" cookies, we mean exactly that!
So I say "boo" to all those stories about how bricks and mortar stores are on their way out.  Where else can you get the personal attention you need?  Where else can you actually see, in living color, the gift or candy items available?  And who actually stands behind online candy sales?  Not very many online candy retailers.
Am I on my soap box!  You are darn right I am.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Ordering Halloween and Christmas Candy

Monday was the 21st time we have met with one of our candy sales reps, Gary to order Halloween and Christmas/Chanukah candy.  Along with one other candy retailer in Oklahoma we may be the most consistent and one of the "oldest" stores which Gary has served.
We actually find that statistic amazing.  These days so many retailers have been lost to the internet, to bad planning, bad marketing, location-location-location.  We are still here and sometimes we find that amazing.
Let me give you a little insight into what a candy ordering day with Gary looks like.
In 1992, rookie me sat down with Gary to order candy for Halloween and Christmas.  It took us 8 hours to get through that order!  Yesterday Jeff, Gary and I finished in about 5 hours and that included a lunch break for barbeque sandwiches....Gary's favorite meal when he comes to Tulsa.
Halloween ordering was about 1 hour of that time.  Over the years Halloween has become more of a party/costume/group holiday and not so much the ole Trick or Treating that I remember as a kid.  So the candy we order is much different than the candy people give out to costumed kids who come to their doors.  Our Halloween candy is more "gifty", more specialty and not so much a big bag of candy for distributing.  As a consequence, it doesn't take as much time to look through Gary's samples and catalogue for Halloween goodies. 
My favorite (just to give you a heads up) is the plush Witch with the little Peep candy witches.
The rest of the time was spent looking through over 300 pages of Christmas and Chanukah candy, checking out some of the samples Gary brings in these big coolers including a little bit of tasting, going back and forth between me and Jeff as to what we agree upon and then turning to Gary for his opinion.
Christmas is the biggest candy season and it lasts a lot longer than Valentine's Day or Easter.  It begins with clients who want to purchase gift baskets (or hosting Candy Buffets) and need greater quantities of candy.  It goes on to marketing Advent Calendars with chocolate, games and sometimes music.
Then we hit the more serious days leading up to Christmas.....oh, about December 5 or so.  That is when individual customers come in to purchase Christmas or Chanukah candy before we start running out of seasonal candy.......which as you know cannot be re-ordered.
I will let you know some of my favorite Christmas candy in another blog...as you might imagine, 300 plus pages of a catalogue provides many wonderful candy possibilities.
I know it is only May 20 but retail is all about looking into the crystal ball for what lies ahead in the future.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Heart is Home

After 21 years of being in the Sweet Tooth business, we are more than ever dedicated to the idea that shopping locally is necessary for a robust economy.  In the last few months we have seen a number of local retailers shut their doors and these are retailers who have been in business for a number of years.  I am thinking of Steve's Sundries as an example.
On the other hand, while some stores have been closing, downtown is bustling with new restaurants and some new retailers.
For me, it is an odd coincidence since I grew up in Tulsa and remember the days before Tulsa Promenade and Woodland Hills and all of the development in south Tulsa, as well as the Tulsa Hills area.
My best friend and I would take the bus to downtown Tulsa where all the important clothing stores were located and we would spend the day going from store to store, browsing and attempting to find a little gift or two for our Moms.
Then came Utica Square and Southland and eventually the closing of retailers in downtown Tulsa. 
No one ever spoke about shopping locally...of course, except for a few catalogues, there was only one choice and that was buying what we needed in our own town.
The internet, as you know, has forever changed that scenerio and one by one local stores are closing their doors, unable to compete with the 24/7 ease of ordering on line.  And of course we can talk about no sales tax and free shipping....2 very alluring elements of online shopping.
For those of us still around, we are searching for ways of competing with the internet.  Recently we began carrying a line called the Heart is Home, developed by a local woman who truly believes that Oklahoma is in her heart.  The Heart is Home has sterling silver and gold Oklahoma state pendants, t-shirts, onesies for babies, Oklahoma shaped baskets and more. 
When we finished the display of these products we had such a sense of satisfaction that the Heart is Home not only looked great but made a statement about what is essential to keep local business and local entrepreneurs alive.
Come take a look.  I think you'll like the home-grown merchandise and find your heart is in Oklahoma too.