Start a Scrapbook Store

Come holiday season, scrapbook stores usually have a fair amount of two types of people: picky scrapbook enthusiasts and confused gift-seekers. Solve both problems by offering store gift certificates.
In an earlier blog, I mentioned holiday wish lists. Well, besides listing specific scrapbook supplies they would like to find in their stocking, give customers the option of checking “gift certificate.”
Offer gift certificates in a wide range of denominations. Spend a little time designing a custom certificate, or have someone do it for you. Make sure your store logo is on there, as well as other pertinent information such as address, phone number and expiration date (if any).

Want to help out your customers and their families and boost Christmas sales at the same time? How about a holiday wish list?
Just make up a simple template with space for customer’s name and the product they’d love to receive come Christmas, Hannukah, etc. Print out several copies, snap them into a clipboard and voila!
Your customers can drop the hint to loved ones that they’ve listed a few faves, or when shoppers who aren’t scrapbook-savvy stumble in looking overwhelmed, direct them to the wish list. Consider having a “guy’s night” when you invite husbands and significant others to shop. You could even offer a discount on items bought off of a customer’s wish list.

The shopping day that heralds the start of the holiday season, “Black Friday,” has increasingly become the domain of chain retailers, who whip shoppers into a frenzy by offering select “deals” and open their doors at 6 a.m. or even earlier on the day after Thanksgiving. You can compete with Black Friday, and similarly with “Cyber Monday” (The first Monday after Thanksgiving, when a great deal of holiday shopping is conducted online). Plan for an after-Thanksgiving Day sale of your own! Add an element that’s different from your usual sales, such as honoring a chain craft store’s 40-percent off coupon.