Hello, my name is Windy People and I am the wholesale manager at Dollar Store Services. My staff and I are responsible for supplying hot new merchandise to every new store that we open and for training each new store owner in all elements of running a successful retail store.
My experience with dollar store operations is vast and covers over 20 years. I started by working in, then managing a big box dollar store of over 15,000 square feet. This store had been opened for 5 years and had never made a profit. In 90 days I took the store into the black and received an award for a 297% increase to my bottom line. Hiring a friendly staff, increasing my sales floor inventory, adjusting the product mix and building end caps that drove multiple sales are just a few things that helped me reach this goal. Because of my skills I was sent by my company to other stores that were not performing well. I was given the task of cleaning up these stores, often changing management and staff, and putting these stores on a profitable pathway. I gained invaluable experience developing the best techniques in running these stores and selecting the best merchandise for our industry.
About 15 years ago I joined dollar store services as merchandise manager and new store trainer. Delivering the highest quality, best possible assortment of merchandise at the lowest price point drives everything we do. Because only about 1 in 5 products available in our industry has the overall PERCEIVED VALUE necessary to sell in volume, my staff and I travel constantly, visiting our suppliers on a very regular basis. Our goal is always to find the newest, and most exciting products, then negotiate the lowest cost on each. Only when we are able to do so do we present these products to our stores. We learned many years ago that trying to buy from catalogues or online is a recipe for disaster! It is impossible to evaluate the value of an item, or even its packaging, by looking at a picture, and of course, you cannot negotiate the cost. Only by holding the item in your hand, can we determine its quality and value, and thus, decide what we should pay for the product; this is why we must travel, providing the best possible products and values to you.
Providing Value, Variety, and New Merchandise are the keys to our merchandise program. We provide Value thru the hand selection of every item and the lowest negotiated prices available in the industry.
We provide incredible variety in several ways. Because our network of stores is so large, our suppliers ship "inner packs" to our stores. This means that instead of having to order "master cartons" of 72 or 144 pieces of an item, which is standard in our industry, our suppliers will ship as little as 12 or 24 pieces of an item. This allows our store owners to have much greater variety with the least amount of inventory dollars, ensuring quick turnover and a constantly changing merchandise assortment. Imagine the additional sales that are created by having 4 or 5 times the variety of different products in the store.
Our constant travel to our suppliers ensures that I will be sending you new merchandise offerings every week. New goods are the "lifeblood" of our business. A well run dollar store will maintain a core assortment of goods which is approximately 30% of your sku's; the remaining 70% should be constantly changing, ensuring that your store is always fresh and new for your customers. New goods allow you to increase your average sale by constantly offering new choices to your customers. They shop for the items they came in for, then quickly learn to "treasure hunt" for the newest items in your store.
We have negotiated freight guarantees and freight caps with many of our suppliers. What this means to you is that you will be able to buy from suppliers located all around the country; not just those closest to you. This will allow you to have merchandise that no other store in your market can purchase, due to the prohibitive freight factors they will face. We have spent over 20 years establishing this network of suppliers; they are the best in our business, and have a vested interest in your success.
Because our merchandise system is key to your success, our staff of buyers fly over 100,000 miles every year to seek out the absolute best merchandise for our store owners! I have personally assisted over a thousand clients enter this exciting business, and I welcome the opportunity to put our experience and commitment to excellence to work for you! We are sincerely dedicated to the success of every single store owner and I guarantee you will be very pleased with the overall service and personal dedication we provide.
Get on the road to owning an exciting retail business and open your own Dollar Store. Visit this page to learn more about how you can start your own Mail Box Store...
http://www.dollarstoresuccess.com
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Visual Merchandising 101 Displays that sellby spirigr4,511 views
I was just starting my research into getting my own business and I found this. Wow I learned that owning a dollar store involves a lot more than I thought about. I thought you could just order off the internet. Anyway, thanks Windy, I'm going to do a little more research, but I will probably call your company since you seem to be the best in the industry. I'll be in touch.
Tom V
tvosicky 5 months ago
What a concept. Thanks Windy for the presentation. I'm anxious and excited about starting my own Dollar Store.
buffet62 5 months ago