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Episodes
Thursday Nov 21, 2019
Thursday Nov 21, 2019
Do you remember when McDonald's used to ask, "Do you want fries with that?" Back, 20 or 30 years ago, they knew that added on to sales pretty easily because once a customer says, "Yes," they're much more likely to say "Yes" to an add on. So here's what I want you to be thinking about today is for every shopper who comes in, certainly for the next six weeks, simply ask, "Who else gets a gift?"
You'll see people look up to the left and look at this imaginary list they have in their minds. I've said this once before on this flash briefing, but it is so important that I'm saying it again. By asking this one question, it will stop shoppers in their tracks and get them to consider their list. And if they say they don't have anyone, then you can simply say, "Oh, well, what about something for yourself then?"
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Wednesday Nov 20, 2019
Wednesday Nov 20, 2019
With Thanksgiving a week later, now is the time to make sure that you have to deck the halls correctly in your store. Shoppers buy more when you pull at their heartstrings, and that comes from holiday decorations. Now that means non-religious, generally speaking unless that's your store, but you want to make sure that you use lights and bright colors so that there's a festive attitude in your store. Don't just take the cheapest road, which is something you might've used from several years back that are torn and tattered. Use something new and make sure your windows look festive. Inclusive and nonreligious festive decorations should be up prior to Thanksgiving. So get going.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Tuesday Nov 19, 2019
Tuesday Nov 19, 2019
You know, the holidays are coming up and you better understand that you can't park where you used to. Now, if you work in a mall, you probably got some kind of a notice that you had to park far away or in the top part of the parking structure. It might even have to be several blocks around and have to wait for a mall shuttle. But when an independent starts thinking about parking, they got to think about downtown and using up all the metered lots. So, today I want you to make sure that you understand that employees parking close means your shoppers can't. You don't want employees taking up valuable space in front of your shop. So make sure you have that discussion with them today. And also with your other neighboring businesses as well.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Monday Nov 18, 2019
About 30 years ago when I worked retail on a regular basis, I was addicted to Diet Coke. And I remember going to a McDonald's one day and this girl's nose was running and she was going to go fill up my cup. And I said, "Don't fill my cup up, you’re sick." And she goes, "Well, I had to come in, they forced me to." And so that makes me ask you today, do you let your employees work when they're sick? The number one reason your whole staff gets sick is they were encouraged to work or somebody wasn't spoken to and said, "You know what? You should take the rest of the day off." So, today, I want you to make sure you explain your sick policy to everyone. What do they do if they don't feel well, et cetera? And stop your entire crew from being sick. You don't get bonus points for having people who are making other people ill.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
You know, big corporations have talked a lot about having the executives walk the plants or walk the manufacturing facilities with their management team. But when's the last time you walked your store with a staff member? And I just mean anybody. It doesn't have to be your assistant or someone else. If you take a staff member along with you and walk your store, you're going to notice things. But you know what? They're going to notice things as well. And the more they understand what is right and what is wrong, the more they can take ownership of keeping your store looking the way it should be, whether that's your merchandising or your supplies or your back room. So today I want you to look for things to be fixed as well as ideas to do better and that can be with your lowest part-timer who works a few hours to your full-time veterans.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Saturday Nov 16, 2019
Saturday Nov 16, 2019
You know, the holidays are coming and the pressure is on. So you might be thinking, oh, well I have to relax my standards for my employees. Look, even with the holidays, you still have to nip bad behavior in the bud. So, make sure you take that employee aside when something happens and don't be afraid to write them up. I had a guy that I had to fire on Christmas Eve and it was horrible, but I had written him up three times and said, if this ever happens again, you'll be gone. And what that did was, it gave him the chance to do his job and he chose not to do it. And ultimately my authority was being tested and while he walked out of the store and said, merry something Christmas, I won't put that word in there. He ended up going onto something much better.
And so, when the mind leaves, which is usually about six weeks before someone is let go or they've quit, the body has to follow. So don't put up with bad behavior this holiday season just because it's the holidays. That's why you hired more people than you first thought a few weeks ago.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Friday Nov 15, 2019
Friday Nov 15, 2019
Do you and your crew go out to lunch? Well, you know what, when the holidays hit, lunchtime can be a big-time suck, especially if they're going to get in their car and go somewhere with traffic and weather. So encourage your employees to bring their own lunches, especially when we start Black Friday. Long lunches can be avoided and should be if you don't want to cripple your store coverage.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
Have you started playing holiday music in your story yet? You know it is the season. Now, look, I know a lot of people who say they hate retail because they have to hear the same carols over and over again. And you know what, whether it's the holiday music or your holiday decorations, mind your attitude. Because when you go to work and you say, "I hate holiday music," and you open those doors, you know what kind of negative energy goes into your crew and your store? An awful lot. The energy you bring to your crew during the holidays can turn them one way or the other. Make sure you exercise that choice muscle and choose to embrace it. People who feel positive at the holidays and who can put that attitude across, make shoppers relax and they buy more.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Have you scheduled a holiday store meeting yet? You should. This is one last chance you have to get everybody on board. So that will be your one shot to be talking about, maybe you have layaway, maybe you have buy online pick up in-store. Maybe you have all kinds of different promotions and events coming up, but it's your chance to get all of their questions asked and to build a team around your sales. Having a meeting with food especially is a great way to bring your crew together and sharpen their focus for the next six weeks. So, make sure that you plan it and then make sure you have an agenda for your store meeting so you don't end up wasting their time.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!
Tuesday Nov 12, 2019
Tuesday Nov 12, 2019
You know one of the shoppers' pet peeves of the holidays is having to ask somebody how much an item is. Look, nobody wants to have to ask the price. So today I want you to think about price everything before it goes out or have a shelf tag that does the same. So many shoppers often misjudge how much something is when there is no price. And usually, they're expecting it to cost much more than it actually does. So the way around that is to make sure everything has a price so that nobody has to come up and ask that, "How much is this?"
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!