Almost Ready! November 6 2012
Well, tonight's the night! Yesterday Tina ran a test sale through the site and today we are going to review all the functions and then, if all goes well, we will be able to sell our taper candles on line! Woo-Hoo!
Meanwhile, the store is coming together. By the week-end the first round of stock will be in place. Our order of Scandinavian themed cookbooks and mugs will be in in about another week and the Norse jewelry should be in soon, too.
There has been a lot of media chatter about "Christmas creep"; that is, the idea that retailers are starting Christmas decorating and selling earlier and earlier every year... As someone who has worked in retail for well over 30 years (really?
Since I was 2?) I can say, with some authority, that while some retailers, usually the big box stores, have pushed the envelope, most of us still set up just as we always have. We begin to prepare in October, after Thanksgiving, by organizing and moving the stock into our Christmas format. Then we put up the trim and load the inventory. Because we are open seven days a week and like to serve our customers, it takes about two weeks to totally convert the store. The plan is to be finished for November 12th. Our store has followed this format for over 25 years and every year folks say the same thing: "What, already?" The interesting thing is that some people start to shop quite early and ask for things in October. Can't please everyone!
One thing, though, we can all agree on: No Christmas music until December 1st.
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