Here's what I was doing on Tuesday. I have been doing this same thing over 40 times in the last 20 years.
The first time I did this was in our original Sweet Tooth store right after we bought the store in September, 1992 and I have been doing the same thing 2 times a year since then.
It's no secret that I have a special relationship with our candy sales rep, Gary. We first sat down together at Sweet Tooth #1 to order candy for Christmas, 1992. Our back room which served as office and storage was so tiny that the back of my desk chair was up against the bathroom door. And I worked alone for those first few months, so sitting down to order candy was a real challenge.
It used to take about 8 hours to order Halloween/Christmas or Valentine's/Easter. We have gotten that time down to around 5 hours, 5 intense and sometimes humorous hours.
Gary brings his big catalogue binders and samples of candy. He spreads out the samples on the counter and we tenderly hold each one, while at the same time judging whether this candy item is going to sell in the store.
We go through our last year's seasonal order, telling Gary which items sold well and which were a big mistake. It is amazing that Gary is able to keep every comment in his head and remind me when I lose track of what happened a year ago.
We joke about some of the candy experiences we have had. We hem and hah and occasionally Jeff and I differ in our opinions. Just to be frank, I usually win the debate. Or sometimes when we each have such differing opinions we joke that one of our names is going on that item and if it sells, we get the credit. If it sits on the shelf and has to be put at 50% off after the holiday, then that person gets the ribbing and the blame.
The real trick, though, is that we have to think at least 6 months ahead. We are just getting into the Halloween season, but we are ordering candy for Valentine's and Easter/Spring. How do we really know what the trends and tastes will be 6 months from now??
For the past 20 Easter seasons we have ordered the same item every year: I call it DUCK WITH A HAT. It is a foil covered chocolate duck wearing a hat and it used to be the first Easter candy to sell out. Now my favorite duck sits quietly on the shelf, not attracting much attention anymore. It doesn't sell out, but there is a special sentiment attached to that Duck and we will keep ordering it until it is no longer made.
There is no crystal ball. There is no survey of candy favorites. There is no history of what sold which could guarantee us that certain candies will sell again. We pretend that what happened last year will happen again or be even better next year. And most of the time we get it right. But we couldn't do any of this without Gary whose years of experience, conversations with other retailers, sales meetings in Dallas and his own "gut feeling" that really counts the most as we go through each seasonal order.
So hats off to Gary, to the real work of ordering candy, the sampling (of course!!) and to 2013 when we will find out if we were right when we sat down on October 2, 2012 to place our seasonal candy order.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing
In the morning, getting ready for work, I listen to KWGS, the NPR radio station housed at the University of Tulsa. I'm not the sort who wants to know the weather for the day. I have taken care of getting that information the night before on the 10:00 p.m. news.
I do like knowing what is going on in the world. So KWGS gives me enough of a taste of world events and Tulsa events in the 30 minutes or so I have to listen in the morning.
This week I found out on KWGS about Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing. Who knew?
A guy down in Florida is hosting Gator Parties (for a fee) for kids' birthdays. Can you believe it? The idea is that kids come for a party, the owner of the alligators tapes the gators' mouths closed and kids can "play" with the alligators. Oh my gosh! I just don't know what to say about that, but I hope people come to their senses and go back to cake and ice cream and Pin the Tail on the Donkey!!
Now about Vanity Sizing. This is a clever, manipulative method for making all of us, men and women, believe that we are a size 8 when we are really a size 12 or as the reporter telling the story....was he really a size 36 waist or something like a 40 waist?.
It works like this. Clothing manufacturers have tagged clothes with smaller size tags although the piece of clothing itself is actually manufactured with larger patterns. The news story did not say which companies are doing this and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I want to know. Talk about vanity!! I have my share of it.
Being in the retail business, I am not certain whether I should praise the creativity of Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing or stand aghast at how clever entrepreneurs can pull the wool over all of us.
I just want to assure you that when you come to Sweet Tooth and you try on a Kameleon Ring or we weigh out a pound of candy, we are not "Vanity Sizing" your purchase. And Gator Parties are not going to become the latest and greatest theme for our Candy Buffets.
I am now in the midst of researching one other news story I heard this week. What do you know about Doc McStuffins...a "doctor" doll which talks and diagnoses your symptoms. Where is House when we need a reality check on the world of medicine? When is a doll just a doll?
I do like knowing what is going on in the world. So KWGS gives me enough of a taste of world events and Tulsa events in the 30 minutes or so I have to listen in the morning.
This week I found out on KWGS about Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing. Who knew?
A guy down in Florida is hosting Gator Parties (for a fee) for kids' birthdays. Can you believe it? The idea is that kids come for a party, the owner of the alligators tapes the gators' mouths closed and kids can "play" with the alligators. Oh my gosh! I just don't know what to say about that, but I hope people come to their senses and go back to cake and ice cream and Pin the Tail on the Donkey!!
Now about Vanity Sizing. This is a clever, manipulative method for making all of us, men and women, believe that we are a size 8 when we are really a size 12 or as the reporter telling the story....was he really a size 36 waist or something like a 40 waist?.
It works like this. Clothing manufacturers have tagged clothes with smaller size tags although the piece of clothing itself is actually manufactured with larger patterns. The news story did not say which companies are doing this and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I want to know. Talk about vanity!! I have my share of it.
Being in the retail business, I am not certain whether I should praise the creativity of Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing or stand aghast at how clever entrepreneurs can pull the wool over all of us.
I just want to assure you that when you come to Sweet Tooth and you try on a Kameleon Ring or we weigh out a pound of candy, we are not "Vanity Sizing" your purchase. And Gator Parties are not going to become the latest and greatest theme for our Candy Buffets.
I am now in the midst of researching one other news story I heard this week. What do you know about Doc McStuffins...a "doctor" doll which talks and diagnoses your symptoms. Where is House when we need a reality check on the world of medicine? When is a doll just a doll?
Sunday, September 23, 2012
It's a Hard Knock Life
One of the biggest moments in retail is when an order of merchandise arrives at the store. That moment is so full of promise, unless, as you know, we have to "break up" eventually and put the merchandise on sale.
This past week we had at least 60 or 70 boxes of merchandise arrive at the store. That was a mountain of a project.
We had everyday candy, we had Halloween candy (from 2 distributors), we had Halloween gift items, Kelly Rae Roberts new merchandise, Halloween, everyday and Christmas Embellish Your Story and Lindsey Phillips shoes.
After getting over the quantity of arrivals, you might just want to know "What's the big deal?"
Among other things, retailers like Sweet Tooth are more than just purveyors of merchandise.
We also qualify to be Quality Control Managers.
When merchandise comes into the vendor, their staff simply logs it in and then their warehouse fulfills orders for stores like ours. Generally speaking, no one at the vendor ever opens a box to inspect the new merchandise.
So when it arrives at Sweet Tooth, we become the people who guarantee that the merchandise is in good condition, its quality is excellent and there are no defects or damages. We don't just slap a price on the items and put them out for sale. We inspect each piece for any problems. We want our merchandise to stand up to the quality which we would purchase ourselves if we were shopping in another store.
Sometimes the headache of following up with vendors who send us defective or damaged merchandise is really a pain the in the neck. I won't even go into what amount of patience that takes to get everything straightened out.
On the other hand, being the Quality Control Manager for a candy shipment is not such a bad job.. We take our job seriously. After all, if we don't like the candy we can't really stand behind it and sell it to customers. So we need to taste a bit of every candy to be able to answer that age old question: "Is this candy any good?" Or our other favorite inquiry, "Is this candy fresh?".
There's always the customer who says, "I couldn't work in this store....I would (1) gain so much weight (2) My whole pay check would go to buying everything in sight or (3) How do you all stand being around all this candy?"
Now you know: it's a Hard Knock Life having to assess the quality of gift items, jewelry and especially candy. But we can't think of a place which is sweeter and a whole lot of fun!
This past week we had at least 60 or 70 boxes of merchandise arrive at the store. That was a mountain of a project.
We had everyday candy, we had Halloween candy (from 2 distributors), we had Halloween gift items, Kelly Rae Roberts new merchandise, Halloween, everyday and Christmas Embellish Your Story and Lindsey Phillips shoes.
After getting over the quantity of arrivals, you might just want to know "What's the big deal?"
Among other things, retailers like Sweet Tooth are more than just purveyors of merchandise.
We also qualify to be Quality Control Managers.
When merchandise comes into the vendor, their staff simply logs it in and then their warehouse fulfills orders for stores like ours. Generally speaking, no one at the vendor ever opens a box to inspect the new merchandise.
So when it arrives at Sweet Tooth, we become the people who guarantee that the merchandise is in good condition, its quality is excellent and there are no defects or damages. We don't just slap a price on the items and put them out for sale. We inspect each piece for any problems. We want our merchandise to stand up to the quality which we would purchase ourselves if we were shopping in another store.
Sometimes the headache of following up with vendors who send us defective or damaged merchandise is really a pain the in the neck. I won't even go into what amount of patience that takes to get everything straightened out.
On the other hand, being the Quality Control Manager for a candy shipment is not such a bad job.. We take our job seriously. After all, if we don't like the candy we can't really stand behind it and sell it to customers. So we need to taste a bit of every candy to be able to answer that age old question: "Is this candy any good?" Or our other favorite inquiry, "Is this candy fresh?".
There's always the customer who says, "I couldn't work in this store....I would (1) gain so much weight (2) My whole pay check would go to buying everything in sight or (3) How do you all stand being around all this candy?"
Now you know: it's a Hard Knock Life having to assess the quality of gift items, jewelry and especially candy. But we can't think of a place which is sweeter and a whole lot of fun!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
You know, one of the most difficult things a retailer has to do is face the facts about a line of merchandise which isn't really selling or has somehow slowed to a snail's pace.
There are all sorts of retail scientific theories which tell us how long we should have a line of merchandise in our store before the axe falls. Some say 3 months, some say differently.
The real problem is that we get very attached to that merchandise and we just can't face the fact that our customers are (1) tired of that line (2) never liked it in the first place (3) think it is too expensive (4) all the above and more.
On the other hand, we are married to that merchandise line...it is so close to us, we loved it the minute we saw it in the showroom or the catalogue. We are happy to see it in our store every day. It appeals to our taste. We would even consider putting in our home.
And then reality sets in and it is now up to us to decide to put the merchandise on sale. Sometimes that is all that it takes. 25% or 50% off is just the right price for our customers. If they have waited to see if we would bring the price down, they are now ready to snap it up for a discounted price.
If only we knew from the beginning that this merchandise we truly love isn't going to make it in the store, we could have saved ourselves the anguish of letting it go.
Occasionally we pick through the shelves and find those special little pieces that most appeal to us. Where do they go? Well, usually they go home to the garage, stay in their boxes for year after year until we finally face the fact that we don't even have a space for them or (ugh?) we don't really like that stuff anymore!!
So, breaking up with an inanimate object like a figurine or a piece of jewelry is just about as hard as breaking up with a person.....cuz that person we are breaking up with is our old self that bought the stuff in the first place!!
There are all sorts of retail scientific theories which tell us how long we should have a line of merchandise in our store before the axe falls. Some say 3 months, some say differently.
The real problem is that we get very attached to that merchandise and we just can't face the fact that our customers are (1) tired of that line (2) never liked it in the first place (3) think it is too expensive (4) all the above and more.
On the other hand, we are married to that merchandise line...it is so close to us, we loved it the minute we saw it in the showroom or the catalogue. We are happy to see it in our store every day. It appeals to our taste. We would even consider putting in our home.
And then reality sets in and it is now up to us to decide to put the merchandise on sale. Sometimes that is all that it takes. 25% or 50% off is just the right price for our customers. If they have waited to see if we would bring the price down, they are now ready to snap it up for a discounted price.
If only we knew from the beginning that this merchandise we truly love isn't going to make it in the store, we could have saved ourselves the anguish of letting it go.
Occasionally we pick through the shelves and find those special little pieces that most appeal to us. Where do they go? Well, usually they go home to the garage, stay in their boxes for year after year until we finally face the fact that we don't even have a space for them or (ugh?) we don't really like that stuff anymore!!
So, breaking up with an inanimate object like a figurine or a piece of jewelry is just about as hard as breaking up with a person.....cuz that person we are breaking up with is our old self that bought the stuff in the first place!!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Listen to the Retail Beat
Sometimes Jeff and I have a conversation about the music we play in the store. Sometimes I tell him that a few of his selections are not "walkin' around, shopping music". I think I have finally gotten through to him on this point.
Have you ever been in a store, ready to shop and all of a sudden you notice that something is missing? And what is often missing is MUSIC.
When that happens, I begin to feel a little wierd, like the air is stale, people are watching me, I don't feel "upbeat" and I sort of want to leave the store.
We are so accustomed to having a little white noise in our lives that when we find total silence, we just seem to be out of our element. The same thing happens when you are in the movie theatre and all of a sudden, there is no soundtrack. You begin to notice all the little people noises around you and it becomes very distracting.
Selecting "shopping music" is really a part of our job. It can't be music which is too somber and slow. It can't be music unfamiliar to most people. It has to be music that sounds familiar, occasionally makes you want to sing along, kind of puts a skip in your walk and the world seems brighter and happier.
There is one time of the year when music becomes a little intrusive. Holiday time, holiday music, right? And if stores start playing holiday music before "the right time", then we notice that someone has jumped the gun on holiday music.
And there are those holiday tunes that sort of get on your nerves. You've heard them over and over until you want to use ear plugs. Those are the lyrics and melodies that roll around in your head even hours after you have been shopping.
Jeff has the largest collection of Christmas music I have ever seen. He can't pass at $5.95 rack of Christmas C.Ds without stopping. We literally have to forbid him from buying any more Christmas C.Ds.
So when you are out shopping the next time, tune into the tunes playing in the store. Check the music against your own play list and see if that store has scored a few points with their choice of music.
At Sweet Tooth we are always trying to refine the Retail Beat!!
Have you ever been in a store, ready to shop and all of a sudden you notice that something is missing? And what is often missing is MUSIC.
When that happens, I begin to feel a little wierd, like the air is stale, people are watching me, I don't feel "upbeat" and I sort of want to leave the store.
We are so accustomed to having a little white noise in our lives that when we find total silence, we just seem to be out of our element. The same thing happens when you are in the movie theatre and all of a sudden, there is no soundtrack. You begin to notice all the little people noises around you and it becomes very distracting.
Selecting "shopping music" is really a part of our job. It can't be music which is too somber and slow. It can't be music unfamiliar to most people. It has to be music that sounds familiar, occasionally makes you want to sing along, kind of puts a skip in your walk and the world seems brighter and happier.
There is one time of the year when music becomes a little intrusive. Holiday time, holiday music, right? And if stores start playing holiday music before "the right time", then we notice that someone has jumped the gun on holiday music.
And there are those holiday tunes that sort of get on your nerves. You've heard them over and over until you want to use ear plugs. Those are the lyrics and melodies that roll around in your head even hours after you have been shopping.
Jeff has the largest collection of Christmas music I have ever seen. He can't pass at $5.95 rack of Christmas C.Ds without stopping. We literally have to forbid him from buying any more Christmas C.Ds.
So when you are out shopping the next time, tune into the tunes playing in the store. Check the music against your own play list and see if that store has scored a few points with their choice of music.
At Sweet Tooth we are always trying to refine the Retail Beat!!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
You Say It's Your Birthday
September 1, 1992: the day we bought Sweet Tooth. It was really my sister's idea. We already owned laundromats and why was that? Our dad started his own business and somehow once upon a time we thought it would be good for us to learn how to own and run a business. We are first generation Americans and America for our family was a "golden land".
After a few years of laundry, my sister thought we should buy another business....something near to where we both lived. At the time we lived on either side of Sheridan, about 2 blocks from each other. Sweet Tooth was in the Farm Shopping Center which was close to both of us. The asking price was right and we simply went ahead and did it.
The owner at the time was moving to Houston. She had taken over the store from the original owner who had put the first Sweet Tooth in the back room of Baskin Robbins. She was a gourmet cook and the store had both candy, some greeting cards, a few gifts and a section of gourmet cookware.
We knew nothing about gourmet cooking so the next summer, during the sidewalk sale, we put all the cookware on sale and began a journey into the "Gift Industry".
You should have seen us at our first gift market that September of 1992. We wandered around in the Dallas Trade Mart and World Trade Center without a clue as to what we should do. Our first few years of purchasing gifts had both hits and misses.
We stayed with the candy, though, and with our first sales rep, Gary who sat with me in the tiny back room of Sweet Tooth, my chair up against the door to the bathroom and helped me order candy. The one line of candy we have carried for 20 years was already in the store....Sweet Shop Truffles. They remain to this day the very best chocolate for the price and our customers would pitch a fit if we decided to switch.
I really love Sweet Tooth...at this point I don't know what I would do without the store. It gives us the opportunity to meet new people, to hire good staff who are dedicated and knowledgeable and it is an outlet for whatever small amount of creativity I have.
On Saturday, September 1 we had a number of people come in to shop who remember the 2 stores we had in The Farm. They are all treasures to us because no matter where we are, they are still with us.
When we had the laundries we tried to make them the sort of place we would like to come to. And with Sweet Tooth, we have tried to create a home away from home for our customers. In your home, aren't you always re-arranging the furniture, buying new decorations, adding good food, greeting your friends and family? Well, that's what we do at Sweet Tooth.
You say it's your birthday....yep, our 20th and more to come!!
After a few years of laundry, my sister thought we should buy another business....something near to where we both lived. At the time we lived on either side of Sheridan, about 2 blocks from each other. Sweet Tooth was in the Farm Shopping Center which was close to both of us. The asking price was right and we simply went ahead and did it.
The owner at the time was moving to Houston. She had taken over the store from the original owner who had put the first Sweet Tooth in the back room of Baskin Robbins. She was a gourmet cook and the store had both candy, some greeting cards, a few gifts and a section of gourmet cookware.
We knew nothing about gourmet cooking so the next summer, during the sidewalk sale, we put all the cookware on sale and began a journey into the "Gift Industry".
You should have seen us at our first gift market that September of 1992. We wandered around in the Dallas Trade Mart and World Trade Center without a clue as to what we should do. Our first few years of purchasing gifts had both hits and misses.
We stayed with the candy, though, and with our first sales rep, Gary who sat with me in the tiny back room of Sweet Tooth, my chair up against the door to the bathroom and helped me order candy. The one line of candy we have carried for 20 years was already in the store....Sweet Shop Truffles. They remain to this day the very best chocolate for the price and our customers would pitch a fit if we decided to switch.
I really love Sweet Tooth...at this point I don't know what I would do without the store. It gives us the opportunity to meet new people, to hire good staff who are dedicated and knowledgeable and it is an outlet for whatever small amount of creativity I have.
On Saturday, September 1 we had a number of people come in to shop who remember the 2 stores we had in The Farm. They are all treasures to us because no matter where we are, they are still with us.
When we had the laundries we tried to make them the sort of place we would like to come to. And with Sweet Tooth, we have tried to create a home away from home for our customers. In your home, aren't you always re-arranging the furniture, buying new decorations, adding good food, greeting your friends and family? Well, that's what we do at Sweet Tooth.
You say it's your birthday....yep, our 20th and more to come!!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Let's Talk Trunk Shows
At Sweet Tooth we are entering THE retail season of the year....it's called 4th quarter. Along with all the new merchandise, we are planning lots of events at our store, including what we call TRUNK SHOWS.
My one and only daughter thought folks might be interested in hearing about what sort of planning goes into a Trunk Show....so here goes.
No, a Trunk Show does not involve cars or lockers or big trunks. But once upon a time, trunk shows often did involve salesmen carting around trunks, opening them up for customers to pick through and find what they wanted. And in England I read that people pay a fee to get into an event where they do open their car trunks and sell whatever they have brought. It's like our flea markets, in a way.
At Sweet Tooth, a Trunk Show involves planning to bring in merchandise that we might not ordinarily carry in our store, making it available for a few days so that customers can see a greater range of items in a particular line. In our case, it is usually a Jewelry Trunk Show, but we have shown other merchandise lines.
We invite a representative from the company to be on hand, to talk to customers, answer questions, take special orders and generally represent the merchandise line.
And of course at our Trunk Shows, we MUST have yummy treats, sometimes even a glass of wine, occasionally a special order from our Sweet Shop Truffle company to "fuel" our customers who attend the Trunk Show.
We always have special offers, a gift with purchase, a drawing for an item from the gift line. Sometimes we have a Preview Day so that current customers of that line get a chance to see the Trunk Show first..
How early do we need to start planning? Most of the time we begin 6 months or so out from the date of the Trunk Show. Ordering the merchandise, designing, ordering and mailing the invitations, taking ads in monthly magazines, putting a "crawl" line on our television ad, getting refreshments and so on take lots of extra time.
In addition, retailers are always several seasons ahead of their customers. We began ordering Christmas and Chanukah candy and gifts in January. Very soon we will order Valentine and Easter/Passover. Why so early? Manufacturers need those orders so that they can produce and ship to their distributors and those distributors can ship to us retailers.
So if we greet you with a "Happy Valentine's Day" just know that we are already beginning our planning for spring 2013.
And if you see Sweet Tooth is having a Trunk Show, we hope you will attend. No special invitations are ever needed and we promise there is no arm twisting to purchase. You simply have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Trunk Show line, our sales representative and our staff. And YOU might just be the one who wins the drawing for a wonderful free gift!!
Mark your calendar: Elly Preston Jewelry Trunk Show on Saturday September 29!!
My one and only daughter thought folks might be interested in hearing about what sort of planning goes into a Trunk Show....so here goes.
No, a Trunk Show does not involve cars or lockers or big trunks. But once upon a time, trunk shows often did involve salesmen carting around trunks, opening them up for customers to pick through and find what they wanted. And in England I read that people pay a fee to get into an event where they do open their car trunks and sell whatever they have brought. It's like our flea markets, in a way.
At Sweet Tooth, a Trunk Show involves planning to bring in merchandise that we might not ordinarily carry in our store, making it available for a few days so that customers can see a greater range of items in a particular line. In our case, it is usually a Jewelry Trunk Show, but we have shown other merchandise lines.
We invite a representative from the company to be on hand, to talk to customers, answer questions, take special orders and generally represent the merchandise line.
And of course at our Trunk Shows, we MUST have yummy treats, sometimes even a glass of wine, occasionally a special order from our Sweet Shop Truffle company to "fuel" our customers who attend the Trunk Show.
We always have special offers, a gift with purchase, a drawing for an item from the gift line. Sometimes we have a Preview Day so that current customers of that line get a chance to see the Trunk Show first..
How early do we need to start planning? Most of the time we begin 6 months or so out from the date of the Trunk Show. Ordering the merchandise, designing, ordering and mailing the invitations, taking ads in monthly magazines, putting a "crawl" line on our television ad, getting refreshments and so on take lots of extra time.
In addition, retailers are always several seasons ahead of their customers. We began ordering Christmas and Chanukah candy and gifts in January. Very soon we will order Valentine and Easter/Passover. Why so early? Manufacturers need those orders so that they can produce and ship to their distributors and those distributors can ship to us retailers.
So if we greet you with a "Happy Valentine's Day" just know that we are already beginning our planning for spring 2013.
And if you see Sweet Tooth is having a Trunk Show, we hope you will attend. No special invitations are ever needed and we promise there is no arm twisting to purchase. You simply have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Trunk Show line, our sales representative and our staff. And YOU might just be the one who wins the drawing for a wonderful free gift!!
Mark your calendar: Elly Preston Jewelry Trunk Show on Saturday September 29!!
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