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Here’s What INSTORE Readers Are Doing to Prepare for a Successful Holiday Selling Season

It’s everything from inventory to training to vacationing.

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Here’s What INSTORE Readers Are Doing to Prepare for a Successful Holiday Selling Season
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

question:

What are you doing right now to help pave the way for a successful holiday selling season?
  • Rearranging everything, brightening up cases, offering a free-gifts-with-purchase coupon; also removing old inventory and beefing up our estate case. — Ila S., Block Island, RI
  • Getting the staff up to speed on the features of our main product lines. — Bill E., Terre Haute, IN
  • Having a clearance sale in September. — Laura P., St. Robert, MO
  • Prayers? Stacey Horcher, Synergems, Lincolnwood, IL
  • Looking to freshen our inventory, stocking up on boxes, wrapping paper and looking for a fresh new holiday decor! Also talking to customers and asking them what’s on their wish list! — Mary Jo C., Rutland, VT
  • We are ready to go. Planned ahead this year. Have all categories and price points. — Rick N., Fernandina Beach, FL
  • To ensure a successful holiday season, we are prioritizing training and scheduling, planning events like Ladies’ Night and our annual Christmas cards, and refining our inventory to ensure it’s well-organized and stocked with the right items for the selling season. — Beth G., Endwell, NY
  • Setting up trunk shows, flash sales and Black Friday specials. We are already advertising December layaway. — Dorothy V., Tallahassee, FL
  • Taking a lot of time off to rest before the crazy season. — Krystal S., Plymouth, MI
  • I have eight pages of notes of things that need to be done in the next eight weeks for Q4! — Tom D., Warren, OH
  • Taking care of all the little things that can be done ahead so we can concentrate on the big things when they start! Check and order supplies, chains, and everything that we need so we don’t run out during the busy time. Set some of our colored gemstones now, so they will be photographed and ready by next month. — Nancy and Pierre P., Swansea, MA
  • Ordering stock, ordering pretty boxes, ordering holiday paper and bags, just getting the little bits done now so we have time for the big orders. Also, we have been too busy for a summer vacation this year, so we had more time for things like this. Vacation finally at the end of September — Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas with kids, grandkids, and even a son-in-law! — Jo G., Oconomowoc, WI
  • Planning digital, electronic, and print campaigns now so we can focus on sales goals closer to the holidays. Our season starts after our ski mountain opens and snow has fallen a good amount, so we run into being busy with no time to think about the building blocks. Best to plan and schedule far in advance. — Rebecca L., Ketchum, ID
  • Networking! Going to every event, making sure my face is out there to remind people where to come, as well as streamlining everything possible in the store. — Kim H., Sumter, SC
  • Making plans with the local business association to bring customers into town pre-Thanksgiving for a “shoppers stroll” weekend with entertainment, food vendors and a Christmas raffle kickoff. — Joe C., Bristol, RI
  • Modifying inventory to current trends. — Garry Z.
  • Retiring. — Joe D.,Ventura, CA

What’s the Brain Squad?

If you’re the owner or top manager of a U.S. jewelry store, you’re invited to join the INSTORE Brain Squad. By taking one five-minute quiz a month, you can get a free t-shirt, be featured prominently in this magazine, and make your voice heard on key issues affecting the jewelry industry. Good deal, right? Sign up here.

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After 139 Years, A Family Legacy Finds Its Perfect Exit With Wilkerson.

When third-generation jeweler Sam Sipe and his wife Laura decided to close Indianapolis’ historic J.C. Sipe Jewelers, they turned to Wilkerson to handle their retirement sale. “The conditions were right,” Sam explains of their decision to close the 139-year-old business. Wilkerson managed the entire going-out-of-business sale process, from marketing strategy to sales floor operations. “Our goal was to convert our paid inventory into retirement funds,” notes Sam. “The results exceeded expectations.” The Sipes’ advice for jewelers considering retirement? “Contact Wilkerson,” Laura says. “They’ll help you transition into retirement with confidence and financial security.”

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