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U.S. NEWS A7
Monday 7 December 2015
US Financial Front:
Small retailers get creative when holiday sales turn slow
Rod Brown, left, and Ron Elkus, co-owners of The Shirt Box, pose for a photo in their store in Farm- Batch Nashville won’t need and calibrate for that,” she
ington Hills, Mich. With the start of the holiday shopping season behind them and the big final push to discount merchandise to says.
still to come, independent retailers have to get creative to bring customers in. The men’s clothing draw shoppers later in the The company has offered
store is holding events like bourbon tastings and giving lessons on tying bow ties on weekends season. He’s also optimis- special prices after Thanks-
during the holiday season. tic that higher-priced items giving, and plans to taper
like leather goods and jew- them off as the season
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) elry that it stocked for the progresses. If customers
holidays will sell well be- know prices will be going
cause the special events up, they have a sense of
are bringing shoppers in. urgency that encourages
The company also lures them to buy, Carr says. It
shoppers with services like also has product tastings
free gift wrap and packing and offers entertaining tips
and shipping gift boxes. like how to pair wine with
Rastelli Market Fresh, which holiday dishes — motivat-
operates food stores and ing customers to do their
caterers in Deptford and shopping before the final
Marlton, New Jersey, has days of the season. The
a lull in business between strategy helps Rastelli keep
Thanksgiving and the last its sales coming in through-
10 days of the season, out the season.
spokeswoman Andrea “You can’t just have a spike
Carr says. (in business) every now and
“You have to calculate then,” Carr says.q
JOYCE M. ROSENBERG tional chain stores because mood to spend, Allen says.
AP Business Writer the smaller players don’t
With the Thanksgiving have the big sales volume Smaller stores that provide
weekend behind them and that would allow them to
the big final rush of holiday absorb thinner margins gift boxes and free gift
shopping still to come, in- from the come-ons. But
dependent retailers have they can offer custom- wrap, saving their custom-
to get creative to bring cus- ers something most of the
tomers in during the slowest large stores like discounters ers time and money, are
part of the season. and big-box retailers can’t:
The Shirt Box, a men’s cloth- a warmer, more emotional also going to get more
ing store in Farmington Hills, shopping experience.
Michigan, is holding events “A lot of the independent business.
like bourbon tastings and and smaller retailers actu-
giving lessons on tying bow ally have an advantage if “That personal touch can
ties on weekends. The re- they really leverage their
tailer also uses giveaways strengths,” says Randy Al- make a big difference,” Al-
— co-owner Rod Brown is len, a lecturer in manage-
planning to offer free cuf- ment at Cornell University’s len says.
flinks when shoppers buy Johnson Graduate School
shirts with French cuffs, or of Management. Batch Nashville, which sells
scarves if they buy outer- Many smaller retailers are
wear. well acquainted with their food, clothing and oth-
Brown tries to be innova- regular customers, which
tive to get his customers to gives them the ability to er products made in the
shop at his store on slower create a more personal
days. atmosphere, Allen says. South, is getting through
“It’s make or break time for Those who serve shoppers
the independent retailers,” mulled cider or other sea- the slow time with Break-
Brown says. sonal drinks or use cinna-
Small and independent mon-scented candles give fast with Santa, extended
stores usually can’t offer their stores a holiday feel.
deep discounts like the na- That get customers in the shopping hours one eve-
ning and weekend tasting
events that let customer
sample different products.
The Nashville, Tennessee-
based company, which
also has a big online busi-
ness, is promoting in-store-
only special items via email
and social media, CEO
Sam Davidson says.
“We’re making them feel
like this is an experience,”
Davidson says.
Events like these were so
successful last year that
Davidson anticipates
