It’s the start of day three at the Atlanta show; for the most part, it’s been a series of nice surprises.
Vendors are consistently reporting more buyers than expected, but just as quickly admit their expectations were pretty low, based on the results of 4Q. They also report that traffic seemed to drop a bit Saturday-—odd-—but that the average per-order total seemed to tick a bit higher. There are a lot of notes being jotted and “What’s your minimum?” discussions going on as buyers take a cautious approach to buying. Everyone recognizes that cash flow will determine if and when reorders are placed.
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Welcome to the first “RetailSpeaks IQ” blog post where retailers share their opinions about what’s really going on at the grass roots level.
Several weeks ago, stationery retailers received bone-rattling news: The Consortium, a collection of three major brands (Elite, Jansson and Chase), was closing the doors just as spring brides were beginning to select their stationery and invitations. Whether downmarket or upscale, those retailers felt the ground shake while watching up to 35% of their personalized selection disappear from the shelves on a moment’s notice.
Today’s question:
How concerned are you about the stability of your vendors in today’s financial climate?
Not a member of RetailSpeaks? Feel free to chime in. If you like the idea of discussing and learning about things that impact your business as an independent retailer, check out RetailSpeaks.com. Your aren’t alone out there.
I’m getting a lot of questions from vendors about what to expect at the Atlanta market this week. In a nutshell:
1. There are going to be a lot more lookers than takers this time. Retailers are taking notes then faxing orders from home. Means less paper written this week, but doesn’t mean the show’s been a flop. (Sound familiar? See my previous post here).
2. There will be a lot less traffic this time. Retailers that can make the trip are staying even fewer days than in July. Retailers that can’t make the trip are relying heavily on your road reps, catalogs, and websites. If any of those are out of sync, get them up to date, fast.
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Here we go. The start of the winter gift show season, which means I’m off to Atlanta for several days.
I’ll be there from Friday afternoon through Monday evening, so anyone not already on the schedule who’d like some one-on-one time, please email asap. It’s getting tight, but I’ll move heaven and earth to fit you in.
If you’re a current client, please feel free to call my cell.
Safe travels, everyone!
For the past three years, stationers have been wrestling with increasing losses as more customers opt into online photo services for printing their holiday cards. From Snapfish to Tiny Prints-—one of the latest entrants to the race-—they’re getting it from all sides.
Three years ago, retailers cut their boxed photo card inventory in half…and still had tons on clearance in January. Two years ago, they halved it again. Still clearanced a truck load. This past holiday season, they cut the total in half yet again. Yup. More clearance tables.
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Yes, 2007 stunk. At least it did for most retailers.
So what do you do now that the page has turned? How do you get out of the gate ahead of the competition?
You do it by thinking like a start up…like you did when you first opened your store. That other time it was all expenses with no income. That other time you had to wheel and deal or live on macaroni and cheese for six more months. [click here to continue…]
By Al Roker in this morning’s Today Show segment featuring the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas:
“This is called the Microsoft Surface…. It’s like having a giant iPod where you can play video and all kinds of stuff and get information on the side!”
That would be the iPod by Apple.
Pepcid, Bill Gates is calling.
