Month: July 2019

Nowadays if furniture vendors want to keep their sales going they need to reduce their selling prices. There is so much competition out there for your dollar that it’s a must to attract more customers. Having said that, discount or cheap furniture does not necessarily mean quality is being compromised.

Cheap furniture can be purchased from outlets or from wholesalers ready to sell to the public by eliminating the retail middleman. This process obviously benefits the customer because of the money saved. Some of the warehouses and stores also have their own online stores that deal in discount furniture. Online stores constantly update their designs and product lines and make shopping for cheap furniture easier and faster.

If your home is located in a new development, you can try checking out the developer’s model home for discounted furniture. The furniture here may be a little worn, but it’s a great way of getting coordinated discount furniture sets.

Another great source for cheaper home and office furniture is the flea market. However, finding one may involve a lot of time and effort. You’ll also need to pay particular attention to the quality of the furniture piece. Some damage can easily be repaired but others are too pricey to fix and not worth your time and expense. Another option is thrift stores and garage sales. Again quality can be an issue and you’ll need to invest a lot of time trying to find a good discounted furniture product.

With all the options available for getting reduced furniture products, your best bet is still online sites. With less time commitment on your part and a guarantee of a certain level of quality, you’ll easily find good cheap furniture online. One of the best resources for customers is still Ebay. Here you’ll find discounted products all the time and if you’re not crazy about auctions, you have the option of finding “buy it now” products. In many cases you can also find vendors who provide free shipping within certain locations. Read the item details to see what’s applicable to you.

In a competitive shopping market it is vital to your business not only to attract customers, but to keep them coming back. Lets face it, no one is being mandated to spend money in your store. However, by creating the right atmosphere you will be able to ensure that your customers will keep coming back, hopefully with friends. Here are a few tips for achieving that irresistible atmosphere for your store.

Create Your Stores Identity

First and foremost you need to determine your stores personality and the clientele you are trying to attract. People like places with a distinct style that appeals to them. Imagine your ideal customer, what would they like? Would they like to shop somewhere eclectic and funky or somewhere sleek and modern? Once you pinpoint the type of personality you would like to give your store you can move on to building that perfect atmosphere.

Its All In the Details

After you have decided on the feel that youd like your store to have its important to select fixtures and details that speak to that aesthetic. Investing in key pieces such as furniture, lighting and wall color that reflect your stores style will not go unnoticed by your customers. If you are trying to achieve an artsy and trendy space, go with vibrant colors on the walls like a bright green or blue. Pair that with vintage furniture and eclectic details like an oddly shaped mirror or pictures and paintings with unique frames. Unexpected details like a shag floor rug or mis-matched shelving is sure to draw in a funky crowd! If your ideal store is more modern and upscale, opt for strong, solid colors on the walls like a deep red or cool steely grey. Sleek furniture with clean lines and bold details like a striking light fixture or brushed chrome flower decanters will likely attract the crowd you are aiming for. Putting in the time to pay attention to the little details as well as picking out the perfect fixtures will speak volumes to your customers and will make them want to come back.

Sounds for Success

Just like the look of your store, the sound coming out of it can do just as much to attract or repel customers. If you are going to play music, keep it at a volume that is reasonable. Who wants to shop somewhere that they feel the need to wear earplugs? Also, consider the type of music that your target demographic wants to listen to. Older and more sophisticated clientele will appreciate soft rock and easy going jazz. Whereas a younger and more fun-loving crowd will be drawn to chart topping hits and funky indie music picks. Always keep your customers desires in mind when making your music selections.

The Face Of Your Store

No matter all of the elements you incorporate into your business, the key factor to its success is its staff. They are the face of your store! It goes without saying that your employees should be well trained and customer service oriented. Take into consideration the image that you want them to project. Uniforms are not necessarily required, but it is wise to enforce a strict dress code. You dont want your employees inappropriate dress to be what stands out in your store.
As you begin the process of creating the perfect atmosphere in your store, remember to stay true to your vision. You will know you are done when everything in your store seems to feel just right. Pay attention to the feedback from your customers in case there are any major adjustments that need to be made, or anything that definitely seems to be working. Working to maintain the atmosphere that is most appealing to your customer base will help to ensure your businesss success.

Owning your own online retail store has lots of benefits, so many its hard to write them all down. Even though the economy is in the tank, more and more people shop online for everything from cloths, sports equipment, healthcare products, even groceries. People rather shop in the comforts of their home, than to drive to the store themselves. Its very good for people that need an extra income, or full time income, even with the economy in a recession.

When searching online for an e-commerce business, be very careful, make sure you choose wisely, there are lots to choose from. Make sure you find a site that offers your own web-site that is already designed for you, especially if you are new to this type of business. This will help you with the success of your online business.

When your web-site is already designed for you, they (meaning the company or site you choose) will take care of a lot of the maintenance and the inventory for you. They will also take care of all your orders, and ship the products to your customers for you, this will make life easier and is one of the greatest benefits of e-commerce. Always make sure before you start that you know how you will be paid, because different companies have different policies on how you are paid.

Once you have everything in place you will need to promote your site, this can be done in many ways. One way is to advertise using Google Adwords, this will generate lots of traffic to your site. Another way is to tell all your family and friends, also you can put flyers on bulletin boards in your local grocery store, or any public bulletin boards. You can also advertise in newspapers, magazines, ect. Use your imagination on how you advertise, because it will only help you to succeed, the more you put into it the more profits you will make.

The benefits of owning your own online retail store are that you will be your own boss, you are in control, not like working for someone else. You can set your own hours, work as much or as little as you want. Take a vacation when you want, not when you are told you can take a vacation. You can spend more time with your family, because kids grow up so fast , before you know it they are all grown up and ready to leave the nest. So if this is what you choose to do, I think its a great idea, its virtually recession proof, because people will always buy products online. If you would like more information on how to start your own online retail store (e-commerce) see link bellow.

Shopping, the great British Saturday afternoon pass time. How many times have you wandered aimlessly with your loved one, when all you want to do is watch the afternoon’s sports? I thankfully tend not to risk life and limb shopping in the high street these days. On the occasions that I do though, I am always disappointed at the lack of sales skills that the retail staff posses. I find it unlikely that some of the biggest brands on the high street don’t offer sales training, so I assume that the workers choose not to use it. The result? A huge amount of sales opportunities lost.

We’ve all been there, we walk into a shop and almost instantly the sales assistant enquirers if he may “help you?” or if we “need any help?”. I am going to sound a little cynical here, but surely the response 9 times out of 10 will be a “no thank you” or a “I’m just looking”. The “just looking” response is a strange one…surely nobody looks at items for sale unless they are interested in buying them in the first place! This response is a British one, one which underlines our hatred or unwillingness to be open about our purpose.

The truth is also that we don’t like being confronted, being put under any form of pressure and we especially don’t like being “sold to”. The quickest way to avoid this is to respond with a “no” and quickly!

Some people may see sales staff as commission based vultures, sure some maybe, and it’s likely that some sales staff see customers as time wasters or an extra few pound. People working in sales’ success is dependent on the opening question. A closed question such as “can I help?” invited a “yes/no” answer, which is pretty difficult to move on from. If you work in sales, focus on using open questions, which invite conversation. For example, try “what kind of television are you looking for?”. This approach tells the customer that you know they are looking to buy and you are then inviting them to have a discussion about their preferences with you.

Yes it is simplistic, but this slight change in your approach is likely to have a huge impact in the number of sales that you generate on the shop floor.

Good Luck

Retail Stores Closing

Introduction Numerous companies have filed for bankruptcy, and thousands of stores across the United States are closing and liquidating their merchandise. Below follows a list of the chain stores and the extent of their closings for 2009.

Payless

This quarter 33 stores have closed and the company has announced that in the fiscal year of 2009, 143 more are anticipated to close

Zales

In the last quarter alone 118 stores have closed and 191 in the fiscal year 2009, 160 of which were stores and the remaining 31 were kiosks.

Blockbuster Video

Blockbuster has announced that they may close up to 20% of the stores before 2011, which is in between 810 and 960 stores.

Smith and Hawken

All of its stores are being closed down

Crabtree & Evelyn

The company has filed for bankruptcy and has announced that they will be closing stores in the near future.

Big 10 Tires

They have filed for bankruptcy and they have requested release from their leases on 32 stores.

Bank of America

The number of branches will decrease by 10%

Citigroup

The number of outlets will decrease and will be limited to the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

PacSun

40 of its 916 stores are going to close

Bulgari

Stores have already closed in Florida, Colorado, and New York, including its Madison Avenue store.

Sears and Kmart

28 more stores will be closing in 2009 in addition to the many that have already closed.

Samsonite

The company has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will be closing 83 of 173 stores.

Waldenbooks

The bookstore is part of the Borders Group and will be cutting its stores down by about 80%, from around 300 stores to 50 or 60.

Jo-Ann Stores

The company is undergoing reorganization and plans to open 20 new stores while closing 30 stores.

Rite Aid

The company has said that they will close up to 117 stores in the coming months.

J. Jill

Owned by Talbots, about 75 stores will close and the remainder will be sold to private owners.

Jones Apparel

First quarter profits were down by 98%. In response, they will shut 20% of stores, around 225 stores.

Whataburger

This year 12 restaurants in Florida have closed due to low sales.

Advanced Auto Parts

The company has announced that there are 55 unprofitable stores and they will close 40 of them.

Advance America Cash Advance Centers

60 centers have closed and 130 more are set to shut down

Ruehl Stores

Owned by Abercrombie & Fitch, all of the 29 stores will be closed.

Boaters World

Parent company Ritz Camera Centers suffered major loses due to the switch to digital photography and will be forced to shut down all 129 Boaters World stores