Retail Planning & Best Practices

Changable Message Signs are an Inexpensive Way to Advertise

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

I have been getting calls from all sorts of people asking if Specialty Store Services would like to advertise in their publications and ultimately the decision comes down to money. The only kind of advertising we like to do is low-cost advertising. With any print advertising you would do you are guaranteed not to have a good response with one ad run. The trick is exposure. That is why I am recommending Changeable Message Signs and Write On/Wipe Off Signs. Changeable Letter Messages Signs can be reused and they can keep on promoting your message day after day. With Write On/Wipe Off Signs your message can change everyday if you want. Outdoor Sidewalk Swinger Signs are perfect in getting your ads message across to passersby. And if your customers are speeding by in their cars then Roadside Signs are what you are looking for. These classic changeable letter signs are available in electric and non-electric version. Why stop there, why not turn your front windows into giant ads with our Reusable Static Cling Vinyl Window Lettering Kit. The Day-Glow letters are sure to grab anyone’s attention.

In these hard economic times it is more important now than ever before to spend your advertising dollers wisely. Let Specialty Store Services help find the right Retail Store Sign for you!

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Keeping Your Small Business Success Secure

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

You’ve worked hard to build your business. Whether you run a convenience store, an administrative company, a boutique, a small shop or restaurant, you have put in countless hours – and invested a sizable amount of capital – to turn your vision into a reality. And that was just too be ready for your grand opening.

 

We all know that any successful business builds its reputation on service and quality, but that reputation spreads by word of mouth from satisfied customers. When your patrons feel secure with your goods and services, they will tell others and build your business. But nothing can shake your customer’s sense of security like a robbery, or violent crime committed on your premises.

 

Don’t let a crime damage your business, and destroy all of your hard work. Let’s walk through a possible crime step-by-step, and look at a number of possibilities you can consider to keep your business – and your dreams – safe and secure.

 

 

Entry Alerts

 

The first, best defense when it comes to keeping your business safe is an entry alert. If you are informed by a distinct, non-intrusive sound every time a customer enters your place of business, you eliminate any sense of surprise the criminal may have. You’ll immediately be able to size up any customer, in terms of their potential threat to your business. Does the person seem intoxicated? Does the person seem overly aggressive? Is the person wearing unusual clothing that could be hiding a weapon? All of these questions can help you keep your business safe if you have the opportunity to ask them within the first few minutes when a new customer enters your business. Even a Magnetic Wireless Door Chime is a simple, functional solution, that can alert you to a promising new customer, or a dangerous threat.

 

 

Security Cameras

 

Security cameras provide two primary functions: they record the activity in your store and allow you to identify criminals after the fact, but they may also provide a deterrent, keeping would-be robbers and burglars from committing the crime in the first place for fear of being identified by the cameras. There are a number of solutions you can look to for security cameras for your business. A Color Dome Camera can provide you with vivid images and state of the art security. While there are also a number of simulated cameras on the market that can provide you with the deterrence of a video monitoring system, without the expense.

 

 

Counterfeit Money Detectors

 

Once a customer has made his way into your store, and completed a transaction for a friendly purchase, it may seem as if this was a non-threatening exchange. Think again. Due to the general stability of the U.S. dollar, it is one of the most widely counterfeited currencies in the world. According to the United States Department of Treasury, there are approximately $70 million in circulation at any given time, which translates to $1 counterfeit dollar for every $12,500 in circulation. Even when there has been no struggle, no violence, and no indicationof a crime, you may still find you have been a victim of fraud and theft, but there are ways to fight back. One of the best Automatic Counterfeit Detectors and Bill Counters on the market allows you to tally your till, while also protecting you from being conned.

 

The Safest Safes

 

After you’ve had a great day at your business, busily serving your increasing number of customers, you turn out the lights, flip the “closed” sign, and head home for much-deserved quiet evening. However, no matter how many precautions you take to keep you business and customers safe during your working hours, you have to keep on protecting your assets even when no one is on hand. The best safe for any business is one with proven security as well a fireproof qualifications. This type of safe will allow even the most nervous entrepreneur to sleep at night, knowing they are protected against the worst of both human nature, and mother nature alike.

 

Food Services – A Delicious New Revenue Stream

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

You know the feeling. You’ve built your business and a great reputation, but it feels like you’ve peaked. Not only does this turn running your own shop, store or service into same-thing-every-day kind of drag, but it limits your profits. Raising prices is never popular with customers, but with the costs of gas – and all transported items – rising, all business owners are looking for new, creative ways to maximize the output of their stores, and shops.

One fun, easy, inexpensive way to add a new revenue stream to your business is through food services. By providing everything from a tasty snack to a real meal for your customers on-the-go, you can bolster the amount of purchases per customer. You can even give people craving your newly-available goodies a reason to stop by your store in the first place.

 

The easiest way to test out the food friendly possibilities that may exist at your business is to begin by offering light snacks. These snack solutions require little investment or maintenance on your part, but can bring in super-sized profits for your business.

 

 

Fill Up On Snacks

 

 

Once you have determined the demand for your new foodstuffs, there are any number of items you may be able to offer in order to satisfy your customer’s taste, curiosity, and appetites. Who doesn’t love a big, chewy, fresh-baked pretzel? This is the kind of item that nearly any business could offer to the delight of customer’s young and old. Just the smell alone will bring customers in to peruse your goods and enjoy a delicious treat. These easy to use, point of purchase food displays are a winning way to increase your per-customer sales, as well as enticing new customers to examine your wares. If pretzels aren’t to your customer’s taste, what about nacho chip merchandiser, or popcorn popper machine? There are a number of ways that these simple snack displays can become a booming part of your staple business. Mobile popcorn machine and cart can be very effective for antique dealers, flea market sales, or any kind of mobile artisan looking for that extra something that will draw customers in.

 

 

An Appetite For Profits

 

Perhaps you’ve already had some success offering food services at your business or you are interested in diving head first into adding food items as an integral part of your business plan, what is the next step? There are a number of ways that you can take food services to the next level at your business, creating a substantial revenue stream that may have customers stopping at your business for a meal in addition to becoming active buyers of your primary products and services. Offering hot dog lunches is a great way to attract new customers while also satisfying the cravings of lunch hour customers running errands during their midday work breaks. Hot dogs can also be a fantastic late night snack for convenience stores, catering to the late night bar crowd.

Pizza can be a luxurious alternative to snacks and hot dogs, creating a real-meal following among hungry customers looking for something more substantial for their food-hungry dollar. These low-maintenance types of displays allow your customers the luxury of a hot meal with minimal upkeep and maintenance on your part.

 

Your business needs to make a profit at every point. No matter what your product or service, don’t send a customer away hungry! Food services are a simple solution to customer satisfaction as well as growing your business in a new exciting way.

Smoking Management Solutions & No Smoking Bans

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Times are changing quickly with the new smoking ban sweeping the United States. It used to be that you could smoke everywhere, and anywhere. Now most states have restrictions on were individuals can smoke. Restrictions range from no smoking anywhere in a public building, just in certain places, or within fifteen feet of a building. Many businesses are struggling to retain customer and comply with new laws. At Specialty Store Services, we know exactly how to keep your non-smokers, and smokers feel comfortable and still want to come back.

At Specialty Store Services we carry a wide range and variety of smoking managment solutions and outdoor ashtrays to keep you in compliance with the law and still serve your smoking and non-smoking customers. For starters we carry “no smoking” signs (item 6083) that can be posted in your store, restaurant, or business’ of any type to enforce, and remind your customers about the new changes. Secondly, we carry a full line of outdoor ashtrays and cigarette butt receptacles that invite your smoking customers to feel free to have a cigarette, but also keep the front of your business clean and maintained. We carry the popular “Smokers Cease-Fire” (item 8832), which quickly puts out the cigarette butts, is made of a tough plastic that’s flame retardant and it’s easy to clean. We also have a sleeker, Free Standing Smoker’s Station that fits in about anywhere. This angular receptacle comes in your choice of either a freestanding model (item 3488) or a Wall Mounted Smoker’s Station (item 3479) that is priced at $29.99.

So no matter if you need indoor or outdoor smoking managements solutions and ashtrays Specialty Store Services is here to help, because Service is in our name.

IL Smoking Ban Takes Affect January 1st – Be Prepared with Smoking Management Solution Stations

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

On July 23, Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) signed a statewide public smoking ban. As of January 1, smoking will be illegal in restaurants, bars, nightclubs, workplaces, and all public buildings. Smoking will also be banned within 15 feet of building entrances, exits, and windows.

What this means to all IL businesses is that there will no longer be ANY smoking inside buildings. Now there will be people crowded outside the doors of bars and restaurants at all times of the year. This also means butts and more butts snuffed out outside the entrances to stores and businesses. Save time and headaches with an outdoor ashtray.

Specialty Store Services has a wide selection of Smoking Management Solution Stations. From the ever-popular Smokers Cease Fire that comes in six colors and is now in stock at our Chicago area showroom. Our best deal on outdoor cigarette receptacle is the Wall Mounted Smoker’s Station. All steel construction and locking door is a steal at $19.99.

Remember Specialty Store Services is your Smoking Management Solution Headquarters. Our showroom is open from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM so come visit us and save on shipping!

 

How to “Turn Passion Into Profit”

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com


One of the local giants in the video retail business in the Chicago area, John Sarantakis, President of People’s Choice Video Express, has written a great article in the Video Business Magazine. It is about how video retailers can stay competitive in today’s market. Click here for the link.

In the article he refers to the IDEA Chicago which is a local chapter of the iDEA Group:

“The iDEA vision is to place independent retailers in control of our own destiny. The iDEA is going to empower the independent sector of our industry to grow our businesses through networking, communication, education, and business tools.”

Click here for link for that trade group’s website and where you can find out more information on their nationwide and local events..

A few weeks ago there had been an iDEA event at People’s Choice Video Express where more than 80 independent video store retailers, including Specialty Store Services came to swap success stories and talk to vendors and suppliers. The above picture is our outside sales staff from left to right: Q, Stew, Hope and Lee.

Store Security – What Retailers Should Know

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Every 4 seconds some kind of theft occurs. Theft is a problem that directly affects the retail storeowners’ bottom line and sense of security. Imagine in the time it takes to write this sentence, 3 thefts have occurred in the United States. That is why it is more important than ever that business owners protect themselves and their property with safe, non-lethal protection.

 

When a storeowner is thinking about securing their place of business they have to be aware of the different types of danger facing them. They face threats from the inside: from employee theft of merchandise and stolen cash from the register. They face threats from the outside: break-ins, robberies, shoplifting. Each one of these threats requires a different kind of protection.

Imagine a storeowner or manager, alone, busy at work in the back room counting stock and a person enters though the front door. It could be just a customer, but it could also be someone with bad intentions. A simple and inexpensive way not to be caught off guard is to install wireless door entry alert. There are a variety of models; a magnetic, passive infrared, light sensing, motion activated, but they all to the same thing: they let you know when someone enters your store or business with an adjustable chime tone. Door chime alerts are also great for letting you know when a customer enters your store or business so you or your employees can be ready to assist them.

Having excess, unsecured currency in the cash register in your place of business is a recipe for disaster. That is why a cash drop box is a necessity for anyone dealing with any amount of money on a day-to-day basis. It is not just a hold ups that are a danger, but large amounts of unsecured cash is a temptation to any clerk or stock person. The best solution for both these situations it to get the excess monies under lock and key and away from temptation and view. Cash drop boxes come in a variety of sizes and can be bolted to floors or counters.

Imagine a storeowner is robbed, but there are no witnesses or imagine thousands of dollars in merchandise suddenly “disappears” what are they going to do? It they had a DVR based video security system they would have proof of the crime to take all the way to the courthouse. Digital video recorders are now eclipsing VHS tapes as the optimum way to record thousands of hours of activity. The best thing about DVRs is that there are no VHS tapes to worry about. Storeowners should install a multi-camera system all around their stores: at the cash register, front and back door, and wherever they need to watch what is going on. Instead of tapes the DVR records directly to a hard drive which can be swapped out and stored for future viewing.

 

Store security is more important than ever, that is why storeowners need to take steps to secure their places of business and their hard earned profits. Solutions range from inexpensive door chime alerts to high-end multi-camera DVR based video security systems. No matter what the threat, either from employee theft or robbery, a store owners best strategy is having a great defense by using door chime alerts, cash drop boxes, and DVR-based video surveillance systems.