Termyn8or
Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline
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Sidestep.
If I went into detail it would take all day. The very first thing I would do is look at the nearest competition and see what they have. And then don't get it, at least some of it. Everybody in the fetish world would love to see something real, and real is available out there. For awhile everybody seemed to have Doc Johnson's, but the quality varied, from poor to acceptable depending on what it is. Dildoes and such, I think most places concentrate ont hem too much.
You need to see your shelf space as $$$. Of course alot of things hang up and whatever but you know what I mean. And you must realize that this is not an average grocery store.
What I mean by that is don't homogenize the place, in other wors do not shuffle things around like major retailers do to get the maximum exposure for certain products. For example many groceries will put toys near candy, things like that to increase impulse buying. You need to be concerned with impulse buying, but you create the impulse a different way.
Now even if the showroom area is not partitioned, the front to back rule works well, at least for me, who would be a shopper. You walk in the door and there is the leather lingerie etc., then in the second part it goes into the normal things most sex shops have, but selected for quality of course. Then in the back, yes in the back is where the action is.
Restraints that really work, if you got the money, have like a St. Andrew's cross. Things like that. Even a very small hardware section, with a couple varieties of chain on rolls, and a pair of bolt cutters to sell it by the foot. By all means get a few things from XR, tack on 20% but watch them shop for other things on which you make more money. Like if you sell chain, XR has these exquisite cuffs, leather lined steel. Hook one up to the wall and let them try it out, just keep the spare key of course. IMO opinion you could esily make 40% on those. They have collars too, but they would have to be special order due to the sizes required. But the cuffs come in three sizes. You could stock all three for maybe $500. (one warning on those, use the D ring, not the lock that locks the cuff for attachment !) But the means all three sizes for both ankles and wrists.
That "back third" of the shop should be more like 50% of the total showroom area. Back there, no lubes a dubes or whatever it is that EVERBODY else has. Have something different. You are not Walmart. Think of how small markets, butcher shops etc. stay in business. They offer things you simply can't get at the Super K. Likewise, you sidestep the bigboys. It's that or get run over.
Now saying not to do exactly what the bigboys do does not mean that you don't do anything that they do. Promotionals are great and can be fun. For example, those cheap handcuffs, even at sex stores they only sell (or used to) for like five bucks. In bulk I doubt they're two. With every thirty dollar or more purchase you could give away a pair of cheap handcuffs. Then put it right out there "Keys to free handcuffs - $3.00". Things like that.
Many possibilities are out there, but the main thing to remember is that is if you have the same thing as everyone else, all you could offer is a better price. Offer more, maybe get more.
That's my advice. I'll be around.
T
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