When we purchased Sweet Tooth September 1, 1992 we didn't know one thing about managing a gift and candy store. In fact, I had never had a retail job...babysitting was my talent in high school.
Therefore as we moved from holiday to holiday to everyday ordering, we generally followed what the previous owner had done or what our sales reps advised us to do. We did tweak things a bit but not much the first year.
When it came to Easter, that same approach applied. That would have been Easter, 1993...20 Easters ago. That year, among other chocolate items, we had what we affectionately called "The Duck with the Hat." He was and still is a gold foil covered chocolate duck, with what appears to be a blue-ish hat on his head. I immediately loved that chocolate duck and he became my favorite Easter item.
Year after year, Duck with a Hat appeared in our order and was always the first Easter candy to sell out...well, that is until a few years ago when Duck with a Hat slowed down and occasionally some ducks were still on the shelf after Easter.
Duck with a Hat resembles the sort of duck you would find as a illustration in a children's book. He has that old-world look about him. As years come and go, candy manufacturers attempt to keep up with trendy looking chocolates and many of our chocolate rabbits have a more modern design about them.
European designs are not as popular or familliar to most of our customers. For example, for several years we attempted to sell the Perugina large chocolate egg filled with small toys...a popular item in Italy. Our customers simply didn't get the idea or perhaps didn't want to pay a few extra dollars to have a chocolate egg different from the standard American Easter candies.
So it is with Duck with a Hat. He may just be too old-fashioned in a world of Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer, Hello Kitty, etc. Many of those characters have been re-designed with tatoos and mustaches.
Nonetheless, I still love Duck with a Hat and this year I am hoping that more of our customers will see the value in a good chocolate with a nostalgic flair about him. I am hoping he flies off the shelf and ends up in lots of Easter basket. Join me in cheering on my old chocolate friend, Duck with a Hat.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Sunset on Valentine's Day
The sun is setting on Valentine's Day. Overall, it appears to have been a Valentine's Day like most have been for us in recent years.
Many of my earlier observations have been authenticated and I feel good about that.
I did overhear a few conversations that I have to put in this blog.
One of our favorite customers commented that coming to Sweet Tooth is "like therapy". He often tells us that we should charge him just for entering the store!! You can imagine that we like this customer very much.
The women standing behind him when he made that observation quickly agreed. What a special moment that was for all of us....to know that people feel better after shopping at Sweet Tooth.
It is a goal of ours to be a home away from home for our customers. We like people to think of our store as a happy place and one like the television show "Cheers".....where everybody knows your name.
Another customer commented that she really liked our choice of music playing in the store.
On the surface that may not sound like a big deal, but in fact, it really is. We spend a cosiderable amount of time choosing the music to play, what I called "Shopping Music". Have I written about that before?
It is the sort of music which is familiar to most people, upbeat, tuneful, a song or two that inspires you to hum along. Jeff has a rather large collection of C.D.s and even some cassettes!! He and I discuss what to put on if the music is new to the store. Jeff also creates tracks which are seasonal, not just Christmas music but Valentine's. Spring, Summer and so on.
To hear that a customer recognizes the effort we put into the music playing in our store is an affirmation that we are looking after what some might call the little things.
So as we come to the close of our Valentine's season and tomorrow put our Valentine candy on at half price, we will see if my other observation......that no matter what, people just don't always want to buy 1/2 price candy......comes true.
Many of my earlier observations have been authenticated and I feel good about that.
I did overhear a few conversations that I have to put in this blog.
One of our favorite customers commented that coming to Sweet Tooth is "like therapy". He often tells us that we should charge him just for entering the store!! You can imagine that we like this customer very much.
The women standing behind him when he made that observation quickly agreed. What a special moment that was for all of us....to know that people feel better after shopping at Sweet Tooth.
It is a goal of ours to be a home away from home for our customers. We like people to think of our store as a happy place and one like the television show "Cheers".....where everybody knows your name.
Another customer commented that she really liked our choice of music playing in the store.
On the surface that may not sound like a big deal, but in fact, it really is. We spend a cosiderable amount of time choosing the music to play, what I called "Shopping Music". Have I written about that before?
It is the sort of music which is familiar to most people, upbeat, tuneful, a song or two that inspires you to hum along. Jeff has a rather large collection of C.D.s and even some cassettes!! He and I discuss what to put on if the music is new to the store. Jeff also creates tracks which are seasonal, not just Christmas music but Valentine's. Spring, Summer and so on.
To hear that a customer recognizes the effort we put into the music playing in our store is an affirmation that we are looking after what some might call the little things.
So as we come to the close of our Valentine's season and tomorrow put our Valentine candy on at half price, we will see if my other observation......that no matter what, people just don't always want to buy 1/2 price candy......comes true.
Monday, February 11, 2013
We're Not Just a Hershey Bar!
This past week we had a mother and her 3 younger children come shopping in our store. We had a good time observing the kids who were walking around the candy section checking out all the candy we had.
The mom had apparently said each could spend a certain amount of money and when that happens, it is truly amazing how much time and thinking a kid puts in to not waste their "allowance"on just any ole thing.
These 3 kids were searching for the sorts of candy they were familiar with: Hershey bars, Snickers and so on.
Sweet Tooth just doesn't carry those brands of candy. We gently explained to them that Sweet Tooth attempts to offer all sorts of candy which cannot be found in drugstores and groceries.
All of that presented a problem for these kids and was just exactly what the mom wanted to see happen. It was her intention to bring her children to a store which wasn't part of the mainstream, didn't carry the "ordinary" chocolates and candies. In her world she wanted to broaden the awareness and the taste of what we at Sweet Tooth think of as "specialty candy and chocolates".
It was actually fullfilling to hear a customer comment that our store was different...that we had items not always available elsewhere, and that the "allowance" given to her children should be spent in a new world of confections.
Toeing the delicate line between very special candy and the perceived value of these confections is a tricky challenge. The media is full of warnings about unhealthy eating, about calories and weight. There is, of course, a great need for this information. Who has time to read all the labels and count calories and carbs? Those who make it a part of their shopping experience are fewer in number than those whose time is spent otherwise.
As a retailer, we want to adhere to many of the healthy guidelines while at the same time offering a special treat in our candy section for "just the right price and value".
It actually takes a lot of time, research and effort to make that happen. We attempt to know what candy might be gluten free (not too much yet), what will happen if someone eats a candy which has been manufactured in a factory where nuts are used (peanut allergies being very prevalent), how many carbs are in a Sugar Free chocolate for those who can't or don't want to eat sugar.
Not many people who work in groceries or drug stores can answer those questions for their customers. Being able to do that is what small specialty retailers like Sweet Tooth call "customer service". We are aware of the available information and want to provide it for our customers. Many times we hear from a new staff member that they never realized how much there is to know about candy or how many questions we will get from customers.
In the world of Sweet Tooth, we are both sweet and serious about the work we do.
The mom had apparently said each could spend a certain amount of money and when that happens, it is truly amazing how much time and thinking a kid puts in to not waste their "allowance"on just any ole thing.
These 3 kids were searching for the sorts of candy they were familiar with: Hershey bars, Snickers and so on.
Sweet Tooth just doesn't carry those brands of candy. We gently explained to them that Sweet Tooth attempts to offer all sorts of candy which cannot be found in drugstores and groceries.
All of that presented a problem for these kids and was just exactly what the mom wanted to see happen. It was her intention to bring her children to a store which wasn't part of the mainstream, didn't carry the "ordinary" chocolates and candies. In her world she wanted to broaden the awareness and the taste of what we at Sweet Tooth think of as "specialty candy and chocolates".
It was actually fullfilling to hear a customer comment that our store was different...that we had items not always available elsewhere, and that the "allowance" given to her children should be spent in a new world of confections.
Toeing the delicate line between very special candy and the perceived value of these confections is a tricky challenge. The media is full of warnings about unhealthy eating, about calories and weight. There is, of course, a great need for this information. Who has time to read all the labels and count calories and carbs? Those who make it a part of their shopping experience are fewer in number than those whose time is spent otherwise.
As a retailer, we want to adhere to many of the healthy guidelines while at the same time offering a special treat in our candy section for "just the right price and value".
It actually takes a lot of time, research and effort to make that happen. We attempt to know what candy might be gluten free (not too much yet), what will happen if someone eats a candy which has been manufactured in a factory where nuts are used (peanut allergies being very prevalent), how many carbs are in a Sugar Free chocolate for those who can't or don't want to eat sugar.
Not many people who work in groceries or drug stores can answer those questions for their customers. Being able to do that is what small specialty retailers like Sweet Tooth call "customer service". We are aware of the available information and want to provide it for our customers. Many times we hear from a new staff member that they never realized how much there is to know about candy or how many questions we will get from customers.
In the world of Sweet Tooth, we are both sweet and serious about the work we do.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Valentine's Day Observations: Part 2
We are 9 days away from Valentine's Day. I have been speaking to a few other retailers about the observations they have concerning buying habits for this holiday. So far we all agree on the ones I posted last time.
So what other observations can I provide?
Observation OneA: No matter what, chocolate is always high up on the list of gifts for Valentine's Day. Someone could be giving jewelry (a typical V Day gift) or clothes or hopefully not a vacuum cleaner, but just like Christmas, most folks want to add some truffles or other chocolates to the gift.
Observation TwoA: I remember when people used to wear Green on St. Patrick's Day and Red or Valentine's Day. I'm not so sure that coordinating colors with the holiday is as typical as it was years ago. The color Red is firmly associated with Heart Health for Women and Pink for Breast Cancer. We need to go around to apparel stores and see if the clothes departments are full of red.
Observation ThreeA: Jeff is bound to get out all his Valentine's Day ties to wear at the store. Think about it!! What accessory do men have to coordinate with holidays? Ties, of course and Jeff has a few very clever ones. On the other hand, I may be found wearing my Betty Boop jewelry because there is no other icon for Valentine's Day which equals America's Sweetheart, Betty Boop.
Observation FourA: I have absolutely no research or data to back up this observation, but I just bet that lots of couples get engaged on Valentine's Day. We have often been asked to hide an engagement ring in a box of chocolates or a bag of Valentine's candy. Or I've heard of putting the ring in a cocktail....how many have almost choked on that ring? This is the stuff that Trivia games are made for.
Observation FiveA: This observation is true for every holiday.....no one wants to buy Valentine's Day candy at half-price on February 15. Come on, peeps. It is chocolate and at half-price who cares if it says "Be Mine"???
Since Observation Five A is the truest of the true, all the Sweet Tooth staff are hoping to be Sold Out of Valentine candy on February 14. Don't wait too long to shop for your sweeties...what we have now is all we will have for Valentine's Day.
So what other observations can I provide?
Observation OneA: No matter what, chocolate is always high up on the list of gifts for Valentine's Day. Someone could be giving jewelry (a typical V Day gift) or clothes or hopefully not a vacuum cleaner, but just like Christmas, most folks want to add some truffles or other chocolates to the gift.
Observation TwoA: I remember when people used to wear Green on St. Patrick's Day and Red or Valentine's Day. I'm not so sure that coordinating colors with the holiday is as typical as it was years ago. The color Red is firmly associated with Heart Health for Women and Pink for Breast Cancer. We need to go around to apparel stores and see if the clothes departments are full of red.
Observation ThreeA: Jeff is bound to get out all his Valentine's Day ties to wear at the store. Think about it!! What accessory do men have to coordinate with holidays? Ties, of course and Jeff has a few very clever ones. On the other hand, I may be found wearing my Betty Boop jewelry because there is no other icon for Valentine's Day which equals America's Sweetheart, Betty Boop.
Observation FourA: I have absolutely no research or data to back up this observation, but I just bet that lots of couples get engaged on Valentine's Day. We have often been asked to hide an engagement ring in a box of chocolates or a bag of Valentine's candy. Or I've heard of putting the ring in a cocktail....how many have almost choked on that ring? This is the stuff that Trivia games are made for.
Observation FiveA: This observation is true for every holiday.....no one wants to buy Valentine's Day candy at half-price on February 15. Come on, peeps. It is chocolate and at half-price who cares if it says "Be Mine"???
Since Observation Five A is the truest of the true, all the Sweet Tooth staff are hoping to be Sold Out of Valentine candy on February 14. Don't wait too long to shop for your sweeties...what we have now is all we will have for Valentine's Day.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
We are rounding the corner on February and on Valentine's Day at Sweet Tooth. After working 20 Valentine's Days at our store, I do have a few observations which I am willing to share.
Number One Observation: no matter what, men wait until the last minute to shop for Valentine's Day. If there is any truth to retail, it is this observation. And strangely so, because Valentine's Day on the calendar is always February 14. I can't say that I know why men wait until February 13 or 14 to shop, but I just know it is true.
Number Two Observation: when men wait til the last minute to shop they will spend any amount of money to impress their sweethearts. One might think that some men consider the amount they spend gets them out of some fantasy dog house they are in. Or one might be more generous and say that some men just want to show their sweethearts that they are worth their weight in gold (or chocolate or jewelry!).
Number Three Observation: the word "LOVE' is to be avoided at all costs. This particular truth is really puzzling. On a holiday where LOVE is the goal, fewer and fewer people want to buy anything with that word on it. Just like witches on Halloween, we try to avoid buying very much Valentine merchandise or candy with LOVE spelled out.
Number Four Observation: less and less people each year tell us that they are buying a gift for their children. I remember that my Mom always bought us a chocolate heart or a box of chocolate covered cherries.We really looked forward to that. Now this doesn't mean that people are loving their kids less. It might just be that a tradition like my Mom had for us is not so much a tradition for others these days. Thank goodness for the grandparents...they always want to treat their grandkids!!
Number Five Observation: although Valentine candy features the colors red, pink and white, pink Valentine boxes of chocolate don't sell near as well as red boxes. In the earlier days of Sweet Tooth, we'd always have a smaller pink heart shaped box of chocolate, assuming dads especially would buy that box for their daughters. Nowadays, we pretty much avoid pink boxes...they just sit on the shelf.
Number Six Observation: chocolate manufacturers are not using heart shaped boxes as much as they used to. I suppose it is because the cost of making that box is greater than a square or rectangular box and shoppers don't want to spend the extra money to have a heart.
I'll probably have a few more Valentine Observations as the days go forward in February. There are always surprises each year, new people, new attitudes, new shopping truths. I look forward to seeing just what will show up this year.
Number One Observation: no matter what, men wait until the last minute to shop for Valentine's Day. If there is any truth to retail, it is this observation. And strangely so, because Valentine's Day on the calendar is always February 14. I can't say that I know why men wait until February 13 or 14 to shop, but I just know it is true.
Number Two Observation: when men wait til the last minute to shop they will spend any amount of money to impress their sweethearts. One might think that some men consider the amount they spend gets them out of some fantasy dog house they are in. Or one might be more generous and say that some men just want to show their sweethearts that they are worth their weight in gold (or chocolate or jewelry!).
Number Three Observation: the word "LOVE' is to be avoided at all costs. This particular truth is really puzzling. On a holiday where LOVE is the goal, fewer and fewer people want to buy anything with that word on it. Just like witches on Halloween, we try to avoid buying very much Valentine merchandise or candy with LOVE spelled out.
Number Four Observation: less and less people each year tell us that they are buying a gift for their children. I remember that my Mom always bought us a chocolate heart or a box of chocolate covered cherries.We really looked forward to that. Now this doesn't mean that people are loving their kids less. It might just be that a tradition like my Mom had for us is not so much a tradition for others these days. Thank goodness for the grandparents...they always want to treat their grandkids!!
Number Five Observation: although Valentine candy features the colors red, pink and white, pink Valentine boxes of chocolate don't sell near as well as red boxes. In the earlier days of Sweet Tooth, we'd always have a smaller pink heart shaped box of chocolate, assuming dads especially would buy that box for their daughters. Nowadays, we pretty much avoid pink boxes...they just sit on the shelf.
Number Six Observation: chocolate manufacturers are not using heart shaped boxes as much as they used to. I suppose it is because the cost of making that box is greater than a square or rectangular box and shoppers don't want to spend the extra money to have a heart.
I'll probably have a few more Valentine Observations as the days go forward in February. There are always surprises each year, new people, new attitudes, new shopping truths. I look forward to seeing just what will show up this year.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
We Came, We Saw, We Ordered
We have been back from the Gift Market since Monday and I am managing to clean up the overload of catalogues which we brought back and were everywhere in my so-called office. It normally takes me about 1-3 months to get that job done, but I have been more determined this time to deal with the mess. And I have learned to say "no" when someone at the Market pokes a catalogue in my face.
It was a good trip. I shouldn't really say this....after all, I am a retailer.....but I managed to avoid the knee-jerk, impulse purchases. At the June Market Jeff and I ordered some really cool overlays which you wear over your boots. We thought them cool, our staff and our daughter absolutely abhorred them. So we cancelled. And that was a good thing, too!
Our staff came for 2 days at the Gift Market. Oneday they focused on the Temporaries...vendors who have smaller booths on floors 12 and 13 of the World Trade Center. And they found us a good Fudge maker. We think that we will be ordering that yummy, soft, smooth and delicious fudge some time soon.
We debated over jewelry lines and like the Survivor show, we did vote some gift and jewelry lines out of our store. It is always necessary to re-invent yourself when you are in retail. And try to avoid being the 15th store on the block with the same gift line!
Soon we will be showing our new purchases on Facebook, website and email newsletter. It really is fun to open up a box of brand new merchandise.
One of our staff asked me what I thought the best "find" was at the Market. In addition to Fudge, I said RADZ...a new candy toy item which we all adored. I never thought I'd rank a candy item as the Number One Best Find for Sweet Tooth.
Stay tuned. I'll be writing more about our trip. I do want you to know that we had no horror stories about hotels, stolen cars or trips to the hospital. Uneventful in that way and yet a whole lot of fun.
It was a good trip. I shouldn't really say this....after all, I am a retailer.....but I managed to avoid the knee-jerk, impulse purchases. At the June Market Jeff and I ordered some really cool overlays which you wear over your boots. We thought them cool, our staff and our daughter absolutely abhorred them. So we cancelled. And that was a good thing, too!
Our staff came for 2 days at the Gift Market. Oneday they focused on the Temporaries...vendors who have smaller booths on floors 12 and 13 of the World Trade Center. And they found us a good Fudge maker. We think that we will be ordering that yummy, soft, smooth and delicious fudge some time soon.
We debated over jewelry lines and like the Survivor show, we did vote some gift and jewelry lines out of our store. It is always necessary to re-invent yourself when you are in retail. And try to avoid being the 15th store on the block with the same gift line!
Soon we will be showing our new purchases on Facebook, website and email newsletter. It really is fun to open up a box of brand new merchandise.
One of our staff asked me what I thought the best "find" was at the Market. In addition to Fudge, I said RADZ...a new candy toy item which we all adored. I never thought I'd rank a candy item as the Number One Best Find for Sweet Tooth.
Stay tuned. I'll be writing more about our trip. I do want you to know that we had no horror stories about hotels, stolen cars or trips to the hospital. Uneventful in that way and yet a whole lot of fun.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Hotels We Have Known at Market
Going to the Gift Market also brings to mind the numerous hotels we have stayed in during Market and some of the unbelieveable things which have happened to us there.
Early in our Market career we found a hotel which is just across the street "on the back side" of the Gift Market. No need to travel, we just had to walk. We were there in January and it was cold and damp. We started out from the hotel with our daughter Sabrina trying to figure out how to get across the ditch which bordered the land on which the Market is built.
Encouraged by Jeff, we walked along the ditch, further and further and could find no way across. We eventually crossed over through the cold water, socks and shoes wet. Our first stop was the Russ Berrie showroom where we asked if we could take off our shoes and socks to let them dry out! Fun, huh?
That same hotel under different ownership gave us more disasters, like a door to the room which was off its hinges and wouldn't shut.
That reminds me of the hotel where the wall shook when we shut the door. We had just arrived in our room when we discovered that problem. We immediately walked next door to a nice hotel and asked to see a room. The staff member took us up to a very nice, comfy room which we instantly liked and said we would stay in that hotel, in that room only!
Finally the biggest and most traumatic experience for Sabrina was a June Market a few years ago. We were dressed and ready for a long day at the Market when we walked out the hotel's back door where we had parked our SUV. The 3 of us just stood there in silence, looking around as if we were on another planet. The spot where we parked our car was empty.
Of course you know the end of the story. Our car was stolen sometime during the night, right under a big spotlight and a camera which was pointed away from the car. No wonder that hotel was one of the few we stayed in over the years which had a car rental service in the lobby!
That car was found almost exactly 1 year later, in Irving, Texas.
Life is a journey, some say. Hopefully this time, as with most times, we will encounter no problems and come back with lots of new ideas and merchandise for 2013!
Early in our Market career we found a hotel which is just across the street "on the back side" of the Gift Market. No need to travel, we just had to walk. We were there in January and it was cold and damp. We started out from the hotel with our daughter Sabrina trying to figure out how to get across the ditch which bordered the land on which the Market is built.
Encouraged by Jeff, we walked along the ditch, further and further and could find no way across. We eventually crossed over through the cold water, socks and shoes wet. Our first stop was the Russ Berrie showroom where we asked if we could take off our shoes and socks to let them dry out! Fun, huh?
That same hotel under different ownership gave us more disasters, like a door to the room which was off its hinges and wouldn't shut.
That reminds me of the hotel where the wall shook when we shut the door. We had just arrived in our room when we discovered that problem. We immediately walked next door to a nice hotel and asked to see a room. The staff member took us up to a very nice, comfy room which we instantly liked and said we would stay in that hotel, in that room only!
Finally the biggest and most traumatic experience for Sabrina was a June Market a few years ago. We were dressed and ready for a long day at the Market when we walked out the hotel's back door where we had parked our SUV. The 3 of us just stood there in silence, looking around as if we were on another planet. The spot where we parked our car was empty.
Of course you know the end of the story. Our car was stolen sometime during the night, right under a big spotlight and a camera which was pointed away from the car. No wonder that hotel was one of the few we stayed in over the years which had a car rental service in the lobby!
That car was found almost exactly 1 year later, in Irving, Texas.
Life is a journey, some say. Hopefully this time, as with most times, we will encounter no problems and come back with lots of new ideas and merchandise for 2013!
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