Retail SOP

Certain principles of life and business never change. Like with the law of gravity, for example, its just plain better to know how it works even if youre not sure why.

I was reminded of this last week when the mens fashion clothing trade magazine Daily News Record (DNR) ran a story (Retail Graveyard, October 29) about a guy named Peter Divietro in Sloatsburg, N.Y., who annually for Halloween decorates his front yard with tombstones to commemorate dead retail stores.

That in turn reminded me of a failed chain of hip-hop clothing stores in Chicago called The Lark. Do you remember The Lark?

The owner was Lenny Rothschild. I met him on a sales visit at his suburban Chicago office one summer day in 2003 while my company was still making Black Fives throwback jerseys for wholesale distribution to stores. The Lark was an important account because it commanded the urban fashion retail market in Chicago.

FLYING HIGH; WITH AN UPSCALE APPROACH TO MERCHANDISING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE, THE LARK SOARS IN CHICAGOS URBAN MARKET, read a headline in DNR earlier that year. As Lenny Rothschild pilots his silver Mercedes-Benz coupe around Chicago, his love for the city is obvious, is how that article began (DNR, February 10, 2003).

If you wanted your goods in Chicago, you had to sell Lenny. All the biggest streetwear brands loved him, and Lenny was the gatekeeper who could make or break small, upcoming apparel brands like Black Fives. And he knew it.

Lenny was smart, and he wanted people to know it. His Harvard diploma hung prominently on the wall. Lenny delighted in explaining how to introduce new merchandise to coincide with welfare check and tax refund arrival dates, to maximize sales to his most faithful customer base, low-income inner-city residents. His stores were concentrated in those areas.

I showed and pitched my unique, attractive, high-quality, economically priced jerseys and matching fitted hats. Lenny looked them over and shrugged, and asked me how I expected anyone to know about the history of these Black Fives teams and players. I showed him some big press clippings and also explained that each jersey comes with its own informative hang tag, reminiscent of a collectible vintage basketball card, with images on one side and history text on the other. I handed him one of the cards.

This wont matter because black kids dont read, said Lenny.

Today, when I think of the immutable principles that work in life and in business, I think of two of them that applied to Lenny that day. One is that how you do anything is how you do everything. The other is that what you focus on expands. The trick is that these principles work the same whether in the negative or in the positive realm.

Lenny gave me an $8,000 order that afternoon. I shipped it, but what he didnt realize is that his loyal customers had already begun a quiet revolt. Instead of buying $300 retro jerseys like the kind The Lark was selling, his clientele had flipped the script, now buying plain white tee shirts to make the same fashion statement at three for $10. It was the revenge of the lowly urban consumer. It happened across the country. It was swift and it was bloody. Many urban retailers didnt make it.

Within two weeks, Lenny returned his Black Fives order unopened.

Whenever I shopped at The Lark, customer service didnt exist. Young African American employees were distant and resentful, usually the sign of low wages, cheap thinking, and lack of appreciation by management.

Not to pick on Lenny, because he wasnt alone in this approach to the so-called loyal inner-city consumer, but didnt you have that experience too, nearly everywhere you shopped?

By 2005, The Lark lay buried in the retail graveyard. AFTER THE LARK: MORE HIP, NO HOP; CLOSING HIS HIP-HOP APPAREL CHAIN, RETAILER OPENS ESSEX5, DEVOTED TO PREMIUM DENIM, SPORTSWEAR, read the DNR headline this time. The Lark is grounded, the article began. Lenny Rothschild has closed all 10 of The Lark stores he owned and operated, making the once-high-flying hip-hop apparel specialty chain a thing of the past (DNR, December 19, 2005).

What Ill always remember about The Lark are Lenny Rothschilds famous (last) words: black kids dont read.

The principles of life and business always work the same. Beliefs do become reality. Thoughts lead to feelings lead to actions lead to results. This works both ways, in this case to the advantage of the consumer and to the dismay of the retailer. Lenny couldve avoided it all if there had been any books like T. Harv Ekers brilliant Secrets of the Millionaire Mind available for him to read at the time. But there werent. And he didnt.

Thus, the Larks tombstone might have the epitaph, Gee, I guess black kids read after all.

Was Lenny right? Or do all kids read less? Or is it only online reading they do? Or something else? Whats your opinion?

There are designer handbags for every occasion, and women know they are always at their best when they go to all types of designer handbags shopping trip. The possibilities are large and bright and fun, especially when style and created by Gucci or Prada, Fendi or Kate Spade. These designer handbags are not like any kind of designer handbags shopping you could do in a mall, but the online ordering system is best for them first.

>

The design of the bagsalways designer brings the attention of every woman. Women also hold their eyesat the latest creations of designer handbags. Fashion designer Coach Handbags great and you can easily customize any type of necessary things in it. The designs of handbags are a fashion designer if women feel free to severalstuffs to acquire any type of Cheap HandBag in one place.

Each woman has her own sense of style and so they tend to handbags that reflect purchase. Handbags For some women, they buy only designer ladies. These types of handbags are made from the finest materials and carry the names of some of the most famous designers in the world. Designer handbags are very expensive, but many women see it as a fashion capital.

The size of handbags is really dependent on the preferences of each individual woman. There is a small woman, a handbag, oversized bear overwhelming. She had one wish, to select with respect to their size. The same applies to a woman when she is surfing the Department observes bag ladies. More style to complement the frame better. A night at the opera will require a more sophisticated choice in a purse, but to go to the movies.

Because people love to shop, retailers are always looking for ways to sell their products and services, especially when trying to gain a competitive edge. When you use customer friendly and innovative retail displays, you will win over your customers and generate more sales. One way to attract and keep loyal customers is to use professional and engaging retail store fixtures. To make your store fixtures appealing and interesting, below is a list of tips to making the most out of your retail store fixtures:

Learn about the Various Store Fixture Designs: When you know all of the various store fixtures available, you can better create a professional and compelling retail display. Full store fixture designs include storefront signs, flooring, lighting, and much more.

Retail Store Fixtures that Attract Today’s Consumers: Using out dated store fixtures will not attract the attention of today’s consumer. You need to use innovative and professional strategies to attract customers. Retail store fixtures should be modern, target consumer shopping habits, appealing, and professional, in order to maintain customer satisfaction. Consumer shopping habits are always changing so it is important to keep up with changing consumer trends.

Retail Displays and Fixtures that Target your Specific or Niche Market: it is important to use retail displays and store fixtures that attract your targeted customer. It is important that your display and fixtures meet and are compatible with your customer preferences and needs.

Create a Retail Floor Plan for Store Fixtures: It is helpful to draw up a floor plan so that you can be better able to create your own retail store fixture layout for your store. When you create a floor plan for your retail display system, you will not have to move things around.

Retail Display System Should Be Non Intrusive: It is important to arrange your display and fixtures in a way that encourages people to continue shopping. Make sure it is not in their way when they walk around the store and is not blocking other products. The customer should be able to easily navigate throughout the store and be able to reach any product. As well, it is important to be aware that an average person’s field of vision is 170 degrees so keep that in mind when arranging your display system.

Retail Display System Aesthetics: When you create your display with the store fixtures, make sure that your space is designed so that it is friendly and welcoming. As well, use engaging and compelling store fixtures. The overall dcor should be attractive, send a positive message, encourages curiosity, and have a positive psychological impact on the customer.

Many of the store fixtures are designed to showcase merchandise to its maximum appeal. You can create a distinct look for your store to attract your targeted customer base. Creative retail displays and retail store fixtures are a great way to win over your customers, sell more products, and generate more sales. When setting up your next retail display, look for innovative ways to making the most out of retail store fixtures.

When it comes to furnishing your house, unfinished furniture stores just may contain whatever you are searching for. Not that many people have taken a trip to such stores yet they hold a treasure trove of wonders. You will discover pieces with the potential to be beautiful furniture at half the cost you would spend in an upper class home furniture shop.

When it comes to choosing furniture your own preferences must be considered. But don’t forget the style of home you reside in matters too. You can find both modern and traditional pieces in unfinished furniture stores. Traditional pieces are best suited to period homes leaving the contemporary look for new apartments. You may find it easier to build up some traditional pieces instead of trying to combine the old and new styles.

On the subject of wooden furnishings you will probably want the piece to last for years. Choosing simple but stylish pieces will pay off since they won’t go out of style as quickly as other modern pieces.

You don’t need to make the pieces seem like new. Some people will get bare wood furniture with a view to distressing it to make it look much older. There is a process in creating a distressed furniture piece usually involving specking, dry brushing and stenciling if the furniture isn’t too big. Not everyone likes the distressed finish but it can work very well in some homes.

Other people will buy furniture from the unfinished furniture stores and have it sanded and polished to look as if it was an aged piece. This is easier done with hardwoods such as Oak even though it is possible to make stunning pieces from pine as well. Always test your skills on an unnoticed piece first before you begin working on the part that everybody will see.

Find out more about unfinished furniture stores from an enthusiast who’s been working with bare wood furniture for more than ten years! Check us out at http://www.bare-wood-furniture.com/unfinished-furniture-store/

With the retail jobs one should understand that the job defines that category where you are supposed to sell something to the final customer irrespective of the fact how small is the amount. Retail jobs are a very new thing and many management students are opting for this very lucrative option. For those who are wary about the retail jobs you can even try the part time retail jobs.

There are two different types of retail jobs. The first is that of the purchase of the goods offered for sale and the secondly the selling of the products directly to the customer.

There are various avenues available to you if you are going for the retail jobs. These are the part time retail jobs, the fashion retail jobs and for the students of the MBA degree the retail management jobs. The retail jobs are increasingly becoming a force to reckon with in the employment market and they are providing a number of employment options to the Freshers and they pay quite well also. So you really do not have to worry about the future and the sustenance of you and your family.

You even have the option for going with the merchandising jobs which is an easier version of the retail jobs involving only the buying and selling of the goods.

This is well cut out for the students who want to go for the entrepreneurial profession and this is a very good career option for them.

With a very high pay this job option becomes even more lucrative due to the fact that the management institutes especially hones the young minds that will suite the retail management industry thereby making the job handling easier for the students who have just graduated.

The professional training, polished speaking skills that is involved in this particular job option makes the retail jobs the first choice for everyone and this will in turn help in the better living standards of the practitioners.

With the boom in the online retail industry the chances have also increased and people are likely to get more opportunities while going for the retail jobs.

MBA colleges all around the world specifically train the young professionals and encourage them to go for this particular option and this way they get more job opportunities in the fields of retail store manager, retail assistant and the various merchandising jobs.

The industry is worth around 24 billion is India itself and this shows the boom that is expected in the following years worldwide.

A large number of vacancies are available with all the leading MNCs all around the world thereby increasing the chances of you landing up with a job.

With so many professional coming into play you will know what is expected of you in the professional world and will make the option an easy one to go ahead with.

There are large numbers of MBA colleges as well that offer you with the guidelines for the retail industry.

With many companies offering you the chance to do an internship bolsters your chances as well.