Dallas Gift Market: The Aftermath

Here we are on July1, with catalogues from the Gift Market piled high on the table in my "office area".  This is the Aftermath of the 4 days we spent at the Market.
What's it all about (Alfie)?  Right now it is about straightening out the orders which we placed at the Market and then moving on to the orders we didn't place at the Market. 
Most of the time a few days after returning from Dallas we start to see a flood of orders come into the store.  Quite obviously manufacturers want to empty their warehouses and us retailers want to have something new to show our customers.  It generally works out just fine, although occasionally it doesn't.
Reasons for not working out: 
(1)  sales reps didn't give us copies of our orders and we have forgotten what we did
(2)  the people who pick the orders just go whacky and pick items we didn't order and then we have to make multiple phone calls, emails and faxes to straighten out that problem
(3)  manufacturers take orders at the Market for merchandise which they haven't actually manufactured.  We used to have just such a manufacturer.  When we'd see him at the Market, we'd say:  "Jack, are you just taking orders to see what people are going to buy?'  That was Jack's way of assuring himself that his stuff would sell....at least to retailers.
(4)  at the Market we are promised a certain date when merchandise will arrive and then it doesn't....or as is the case with one of our vendors, it takes about 6 months to get all the items we ordered...just in time for the next Gift Market!!
And then there are the manufacturers who are organized, got their stuff together and merchandise comes just as ordered, on time. 
Here's the really important thing:  we are so excited every time a new line arrives.  We can't wait to get it on the shelf, send out the email newsletter or post on Facebook, and then with an aniticipatory smile on our face, we watch the door for people to tumble in and buy it.  The term is "flying off the shelf".
The stack of catalogues is getting smaller, going into the recycle box and at this point we are getting closer to being done with the ordering phase. 
It's summer though and people are vacationing, going to the lake, working in their yards, or just plain taking it easy.  Hopefully people will eventually remember that retailers are waiting for them and like a horse race, we will be off and running.