This is my first foray into the world of blogging, so if you’re reading this, well done for finding it! So what are my thoughts on the world of retail the day after Valentine’s Day?
The first that comes to mind is that as retailers we are driven by the calendar of feasts and festivals – Christmas and Easter the most obvious, but followed by Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, St Patrick’s Day etc and the less obvious Chinese New Year, Hanukka and the list goes on. So as soon as one event is over, we are on to the next one in an inevitable cycle like the hamster in the wheel.
And if you are a florist or a chocolatier then you are probably just heaving a big sigh of relief that you got through another 14th of February without major mishap and are still in one piece – sort of!
Which brings me on to the big proverbial elephant in the room of retailing, which is that it is HARD WORK!! The unrelenting nature of opening the doors each morning and, if you are an independent retailer, you can’t turn over and hope someone else will magically open the shop. The pressure of being on show all the time is immense, and so no wonder that sometimes you or your shop doesn’t always look the best!
But the upside is that this is a really dynamic industry to be in. You never know what each day will bring, who will walk through that door or what opportunities may come along. The market (that is your customers) is changing all the time and you have to be prepared to change with it – and them.
I will be posting every two weeks so pop in again on 29th February – another auspicious date!
Thanks for reading this and you can get in touch on linda@retailrenewal.ie
Happy Retailing!
