Moving Old Inventory

Sometimes one of the more difficult things to do is to get rid of old inventory. I remember when I was working in the floral shop and my boss found a box of last year’s merchandise in the basement. It had been carried downstairs by mistake by a temporary worker and placed behind a stack of boxes. It was a box of tea pots with a Peter Rabbit theme. I decided to challenge myself, as a designer and salesperson, to move them out in a week even though it wasn’t anywhere near Easter. So how did I go about it?

First of all, I gave it some thought. I made two of them up with fresh flowers and placed them in the cooler to sell. Then I took two more, made arrangements of silk flowers in them and displayed them on the floor. I took another one, transferred a green plant into it, mixed with a few silk flowers and mingled it with the plant display. Whenever a customer came in or called, I mentioned the arrangements to them, talking them up. I had all those sold in two and a half days. Next when a customer called about an idea for a birthday present for his elderly aunt, I suggested a teapot with a cute stuffed animal in it with a balloon attached. Another one gone. Another customer called about a friend recuperating from an operation and she was feeling a bit down. I suggested the tea pot in the center of a basket, surrounded by assorted teas, cheeses, crackers, a package of chicken soup and jellies. Another winner. By the end of the week, all 12 were gone and my boss was thrilled!

So what is the point of all this? The point is to think outside the box. I examined the tea pots and thought of different ways to move them. When you have merchandise sitting, dust it off and give it another look. Maybe display it differently or mix it with other merchandise. Present the concept to your customer. The idea is to take something and see how many different ways it can be presented without investing anymore money into it. A lot of customers like unique and fresh ideas. It’s good for your business to not be run of the mill.

If you don’t know your merchandise thoroughly, believe in what you’re selling and accept it as a challenge, then it will just sit there and gather dust. Selling the idea to yourself is the first step, selling it to your customer is the next!

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond and for Salesheads. More of her blogs can be found at Salesheads blog.