A friend and I are thinking of opening a scrapbook store and I want to know what things are important to you as customers - what makes you shop in certain stores?
What makes you stay longer, buy more. What puts you off?
What makes you leave quickly?
What do you look for in a scrapbook store?
If there were several stores in one area what would make you pick one over the other?
What would make you travel that little bit further to a store - what makes a store special?
What do you wish scrapbook stores did/ didn't do?
Is online shopping from a favourite store and important aspect to you?
How much do you spend (roughly) per month in your local scrapbook store: How much online:
Any other tips, help or advice greatly appreciated.
What makes you stay longer, buy more? I like a variety of products to browse.
What puts you off? Pushy sales people or sales people who have no interest at all.
What makes you leave quickly? Pushy sales people.
What do you look for in a scrapbook store? A little bit of everything - definitely some new stuff!
If there were several stores in one area what would make you pick one over the other? Atmosphere, organization, and cleanliness.
What would make you travel that little bit further to a store - what makes a store special? Atmosphere, product variations, friendliness.
What do you wish scrapbook stores did/ didn't do? ?
Is online shopping from a favourite store and important aspect to you? Doesn't necessarily have to be a favorite store - I like a well organized site, easy to surf.
How much do you spend (roughly) per month in your local scrapbook store: $25-35 How much online: every other month - $50-100
There is a store 45 minutes away (easy to reach) and another one 60 minutes away (more traffic). I prefer to go to the one that is 60 minutes away because they have each section of stickers labeled by category and papers are arranged by types and color (vellums, cardstock, fiber papers, etc....). And they have all kinds of embellishments - and always try to get new stuff in. They also send out a newsletter to let you know what's coming in and what classes are coming up. ONLINE NEWSLETTERS are very important to me since I live so far away!
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**Patty H in Florida**
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Subject: some questions :) From: "Jane Thorpe" snipped-for-privacy@shaw.ca Date: 9/29/03 3:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time Message-id:
Hi everyone - I need to pick your brains :)
A friend and I are thinking of opening a scrapbook store and I want to know what things are important to you as customers - what makes you shop in certain stores?
What makes you stay longer, buy more. What puts you off? I like when there are a lot of sales lol
What makes you leave quickly? When there isn't anything I am looking for or the price is just to much
What do you look for in a scrapbook store? Selction
If there were several stores in one area what would make you pick one over the other? The size and the selection
What would make you travel that little bit further to a store - what makes a store special? The over all products...some stores carry products I just don't care for.
What do you wish scrapbook stores did/ didn't do? I wish they would have more community classes on scrapbooking, stamping etc. They are a lot of fun
Is online shopping from a favourite store and important aspect to you? Yes How much do you spend (roughly) per month in your local scrapbook store: How much online: Oh gosh.. a lot!
Any other tips, help or advice greatly appreciated. Good luck and I hope I gave you some information!
*Helpful, friendly staff. It helps if the staff will help *you* coordinate paper, choose embellishments, etc. Some expert knowledge.
*well organized store
*unique items (not the same old garbage found at Michael's)
*unhelpful staff
*disorganized store--I shouldn't find letter templates scattered throughout the store. If I'm trying to choose a template, they should all be in one area.
*dynamic merchandise, not the same old stuff month after month.
*truly helpful and friendly staff--no scrapbook snobs, please! yes, they are out there.
*good class selection with good instructors
*regular crops--for example, my lss does a midnighter 6-12 every friday night and a NQM (not quite midnighter) from 4-10 on Sat.
*everchanging merchandise
*helpful friendly staff that follows through. I stopped going to one lss because I ordered a stamp and they completely forgot, never called, never heard anything about it and they were quite rude when I called back about it. (as far as special orders, my favorite lss doesn't do special orders as a rule to avoid this problem)
*good crops
*different merch.
*clean, organized store (I know, I'm starting to sound like a broken record)
can't think of anything now
no, definitly not. I rarely order online because I like to see and feel scrapbooking supplies. Color is so much a part of supplies and you can't get a true read online.
Probably about $150 on an average. I usually go to two crops/month and spend $60-80. That includes a $15 crop fee which includes pizza and soda.
rarely unless it's a tool with a deep discount coupon or a supply like paper, fibers, embelishments that I've actually seen in person first. It's got to be a *really* good deal in order for me to buy it online.
Well, what makes me spend time is friendly, helpful.knowledgeable,salespersons who are there if you need them and not if you don't want them. Large scrapping area with expert teachers offering classes and crops . I like stores that offer a showcase for indivual work. Recognition for those who like that sort of thing. It gives incentive to scrappers.
Good selections... samples of the items being used if they are new so I can see them on a page... all day crops is where I buy most at the LSS, when I have an idea and all that stuff is around me, I make it happen!
Pushy sales people who are suggesting things I already know. I want to learn somethng if you are all about suggesting things to me.
the same ole' tired stuff... if I see the same things time after time... I get bored easily
variety of the stock... willingness to help the customer. Updates via email or mail either one. Specials... sales ... contests all a plus
I look for new things, where I am confortable with the people. I go to one repeatedly because of the owner. She's wonderful.
pleasant people... variety.
Don't forget the basics... good cardstock...well stocked and neat... always a plus.
if it's that close that I consider it local, I would rather go there in person
Stuff I've never seen before is cool (not hard to do here in Yakima). Puts me off: things that aren't priced, rude workers...
Leave quickly from a scrapbook store? Only if my baby is misbehaving...
Stuff, stuff, and more stuff! A good variety, and low prices.
I'd go to the one with the most stuff and the cheapest prices (when you're broke, you do what you gotta do!). Also, I'd go to the ones which had free crops every week, as that's where I get most of my scrapping done.
Friendly people, unusual or hard to find stuff, lower prices.
Interactive demos would be cool on some of the harder-to-understand products.
Well, I used to spend at least 5-6 hours per week there at crops, and usually more at other times in the week, until the store closed to find a new location.
Classes are always good! Page kits are fun...Having food available at crops is a good idea.
Funny thatthis subject comes up. My niece, Mariann and I have talked about that idea too and am making it at least a dream! Selection of BASIC supplies is essential, then ENSURE it is organized! Prices that are comparable with other local stores. A reward program of some sort, a store maintained one seems to work better as then the custoer does not have to worry about losing their card or piece of paper! Salespeople who are not only INTERESTED but knwledeable, maye not neccesarily in everything ut maybe different aspects of the hobby. Try to allow adequate room for a area for kids and for classes or demonstrations. consider making a area for NEW products so customers can locate it quickly. Something I WANT, is accessability to product catalogs so that if YOU do not have room to stock EVERYTHING YOU or the CUSTOMER woud like, at least give them the ability to order it. There is a lot of speciality companies out there that only will sell to retailers. Finally consider the offering of a email list where you can post upcoming specials, list NEW products that came in or are coming in, and special coupons for those customers that do utilize your store as well as on line.
AISLES, SIMILAR MERCHANDISE IN THE SAME AREA..I DON'T WANT TO GO HUNTING FOR IT, LOTS OF 12x12 PAPER SELECTION, ANYTHING NEW, LOTS OF EMBELISHMENTS
WHAT PUTS ME OFF WOULD BE NOT ENOUGH SELECTION !
STORE TOO SMALL, NOT A LARGE SELECTION OF 12x12 PAPER AND EMBELLISHMENTS, SAME OLD STUFF
I USUALLY WILL SHOP AT THE ONE THAT HAS BETTER 12x12 PAPER SELECTION AND EMBELISHMENTS
BEST SELECTION, GOOD CLASSES, FREE WORKROOM TIME DURING THE DAY TIME MY 2 GIRLS ARE IN KARATE AND I USE A LOT OF KARATE EMBELISMENTS, AND WHOEVER HAS THE BEST, GETS MY BUSINESS.
HAVE SALES ON THE UGLY PAPERS THAT NO ONE WANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
DEFINETLY NOT, I LIKE TO SEE MY MERCHANDISE IN PERSON, BUT ONLINE TOO WOULD BE NICE AS I COULD PREVIEW FIRST BEFORE I HEAD ON DOWN TO THE STORE
ABOUT $150 A MONTH
CARRY HANDMADE EMBELLISHMENTS FOR SALE, AND STORE BOUGHT ALSO, SALES ON THINGS THAT ARE BIG SELLERS.
This is the second thread to this post, so I hope the first ne makes it before this one!! Since so many people are INTERESTED in the art we do, but for various reasons do not have the ambition, time or drive, "Make and Takes" would be probably a great idea. Have them near a display and make them affordibly ATTRACTIVE!!! (of course, having someone to make them, you know all the punchies, letters, etc is another STORY!!)
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