Retail operations: Tackling the not-so-sexy challenges of store ownership
By Vicki Rulli and Tom Heaphey
Hi, it’s Vicki and Tom from Duo Home. While we typically talk about ideas that have been successful in our store, this month we are focused on the operational aspects. We know it’s a lot more fun to talk about merchandising and color stories, but we want to open the door to these not-so-sexy aspects of store ownership. And we really hope to hear from you and learn from your insight and experience. Plus check out the bottom of this column for an invite!
Vicki: Let’s start by looking at how we handle the day-to-day operations like tracking customer projects, point of sale, labeling, ordering and backorders. There are still so many things in these categories that we don’t have a great system for and are on the constant hunt for a better, more efficient method. I am guessing that many of you also are looking. Maybe we can help each other.
The first on our list is our point-of-sale system. We use Square. Is it the right one for us? I have no idea, but I invested in it when we opened, and all my inventory is loaded in. Plus, it’s connected to our website. We have regular discussions on all the things we wish it would do — wedding registry, more customizable pages, notifications for certain things, easier to use for custom orders, etc. Do I have the time and money to try Shopify? Nope. Are there other POS systems out there? Probably.
Speaking of registries, we are at our wit’s end on how to set one up without breaking the bank. Are we the only ones searching the depths of the internet for this?
Tom: I don’t know if everyone is like this, but Vicki and I often jump into things with, let’s just say, not everything thought through. When we sold our first large custom order of furniture, I was looking at it wondering, ‘How are we going to get this to our customer’s house?’ You would think the answer is simple, right? Ends up, it’s not. Do we buy or rent a truck and run it in-house? Or do we sub-contract with a moving company? Each option has its own set of issues with so many moving parts that need to align. We started with the simplest and most cost-effective method: Rent a truck and deliver the furniture ourselves.
As time went on, our business grew and we had more deliveries. We still rent a truck but have a few guys that deliver the furniture. Sometimes we sub-contract with a local moving company. It all works just fine, but it isn’t great. How could something so common be one of our biggest problems to solve?
Vicki: The next is ordering and backorders. Keeping track of how each vendor wants us to order (via email, a dedicated B2B website, etc.) and then figuring out if things are in stock, lead time, tariffs, etc. is time consuming. And as we all know, not all websites are user friendly. If something is backordered, it seems that we have to track it and check in with them rather than the vendor letting us know. Same goes for credit memos. A vendor rarely reminds you that you have a credit with them. Store Manager Jack May and I have been working on a paper filing system that we use for orders, back orders, credit memos, notes on the vendor, etc. Is it the most efficient? At this point I would say it’s the best system for our budget and sanity.
Another system we could use some help with is how we organize special client orders. Whether that is a sofa or a tablecloth, we still don’t have a great way to organize this. We run our shop like a concierge style business. For example, we carry European table linens.
Can I possibly have all the sizes and styles in my store? Unfortunately, no. Instead, I take custom orders for these linens and then every few weeks I place an order with the vendor. Some items are for the store and some for my customers. We do that with a multitude of brands. It’s a lovely service we offer, but it feels chaotic on our end trying to keep track of it across multiple brands and customers. Is there an app or program that would work for any of this?
Tom: Pricing labels. What are you all using? We keep seeing great stickers on dishes coming in from Portugal. You know the type — shiny white, crisp lettering/numbers, and super rubbery and easy to take off the item. We currently use a zebra printer and labels that said they were easy to remove. Spoiler — they are not. They also are not great print quality. My question comes up again — how can a super common aspect of a retail business seem hard to find or figure out?
Vicki: Now that we made a nice list of common, kind of boring, not-so-sexy aspects of retail life, what are the things you would add to it? And wouldn’t it be great to be able to sit at a roundtable with other independent retailers and share this list along with workable solutions, as well as a few frustrations?
If you think so, please join us, Vicki and Tom, along with Allison Zisko of HAT as our moderator, for a roundtable discussion during the High Point Market on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 11 a.m. at Universal Furniture.
Interested and want more information? Reach out to Allison Zisko at azisko@bridgetowermedia.com or Vicki Rulli and Tom Heaphey at duohome149@gmail.com.
