Achi news desk-
First up: spend as little as possible with shoplifting, preferably nothing. Shoplifters make money only from shoplifting. What they do is purposeful and, naturally, expensive.
Apart from the people who work in the business, your products are the most important. People notice the products more than the settings. Shop fitters will tell you something different, of course.
Years ago, it was common for newsagents to spend $1,500 and more per square meter of leased retail space, and we would do this for installations made for the business. specific magazine settings, specific card settings. There was enough noise that the shift was doing the business, setting the business up for success. Some groups considered their fit of shops to be valuable intellectual property. Even if that was true, it is not true today.
Today, retail is all about the feel of the store and nothing achieves that feeling like everyday looking furniture items. Even better if they have some scars that bring some living history to the shop. In fact, some of the best installations I’ve seen have been found on the side of the road, in an old farm or in an op. shop.
The more fixtures in your shop that come from these everyday situations, the lower the cost of setting up your shop.
Take this table and bench set. It only costs $179 from Fantastic Furniture. I suspect there are used ones out there for less and other pliers with similar for less.
It is extremely flexible. This is it in the window of one of my shops at the moment.
The table and benches support these ducks.
The best advice I can give when it comes to shoplifting at a local newsagent or retail business is to be discreet.
- An ex-lover is loved: Search for second hand furniture and fixtures at op. stores, garage sales, or online marketplaces.
- Recycling and Repurposing: Be creative! Old pallets can become shelves, crates can be turned into displays, and pipes can make clothes racks.
- Multi-Functional Thinking: Invest in furniture that serves multiple purposes, such as ottomans with storage or tables with built-in displays.
- Buy off the shelf rather than purpose built whenever you can. This is the best way to save money.
There are some in our channel who brag about their shop, what it costs, what is unique about it. I doubt if they were as open about the financial performance of their business that some of the braggarts would have to brag about them.
Although you have control over parts of the business, such as lotteries, you have plenty of control over it. Don’t over think. If you fit sparingly, the cost of changing your style isn’t that much. Also, being able to financially justify constant change can help give the business a sense of regular change, which is a good thing.
Oh, and if you really need something custom made for your shop, consider a local handyman (person) as it’s likely to cost less.
Anything you spend on fittings or furniture for your shop needs to be fully recouped from sales in no more than three years, preferably less.
