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Retail

Do you sell retail items in your practice and if so, what kind of items? Is there any product that seems to fly off the shelf?

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Permalink Reply by Cindy Greenwood on October 7, 2011 at 5:08pm

I know that all the business success gurus tell you that you have to sell retail to make money.

However - the things they recommend...essential oils, massage lotions, cd's, hot packs, eye pillows...clients NEVER buy.

the only thing I have seen that MT's seem to have some success with are topical analgesics like biofreeze - but that is not a lot, since it lasts so long.

You make better money by offering add-ons to up-sell your services.

I'm also an esthetician so I sell my skin care products, sunscreens, and I just got in some candles - if those don't sell well at least I can use them at home or give them as gifts...we'll see.

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Permalink Reply by JP on October 9, 2011 at 4:54pm

I stock a fair bit and have $$$$ tied up in stock as we do everything but hair (massage,skincare and nails) so it depends what the client has had carried out, we do recommend selected products for them but it sells in dribs and drabs and then more so at Christmas time and I try to market items that haven't been shifting at thsi time of year, either with a special or putting them into gift baskets.

I nalso ow tend to buy from my own stock for gifts and as mentioned other stuff you could use at home!

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Permalink Reply by Cindy Greenwood on October 10, 2011 at 7:01am

Great idea JP!

Clients do tend to like to buy gift baskets at Christmas time .

Stock that is gathering cobwebs can also be used as giveaways for contests or promotions.

I actually like supplements and take them myself - so if I ever found a line that wasn't ridiculously expensive, was effective, and was not a MLM (like Young Living Noni or mangosteen juice - or whatever it is), I would stock something like that.Some personal care products like body scrubs and body butters sometimes sell...but you have to find something fabulous that is NOT overpriced. And I don't recommend making them yourself. Most manufaccturers have wholesale rates so look for something that you LIKE and use yourself or in your treatments.

I don't have room for a boutique, but when I get a bigger place I would totally go for it. Jewelry, handbags, those cute Oka B sandals...like having a little gift shop, But I guess that would be more like a seperate business.

JP said:

I stock a fair bit and have $$$$ tied up in stock as we do everything but hair (massage,skincare and nails) so it depends what the client has had carried out, we do recommend selected products for them but it sells in dribs and drabs and then more so at Christmas time and I try to market items that haven't been shifting at thsi time of year, either with a special or putting them into gift baskets.

I nalso ow tend to buy from my own stock for gifts and as mentioned other stuff you could use at home!

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Permalink Reply by Shelene Taylor on October 10, 2011 at 7:33pm

The items that sell the best in my 4 locations are BioFreeze and Soy Candles, the CD's and other items don't sell as well. But there isn't any one item that flys off the shelf - when I didn't have any retail the clients were asking for them! The easiest item to sell are the analgesics. I find that if it is used in the massage then the clients will often purchase it. The trick of course is not to tie up to much captial in your retail, mark it up appropriately so that you can still reduce the price for a sale and make your money back.

If you rearrange your selves on a monthly basis or add decorative pieces it can also help to improve your sales.

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Permalink Reply by Kim Galliher on October 12, 2011 at 5:39am

So here is another question for those of you that sell items-do you experience much loss? Do you suggest expensive items go under lock and key? Do you put a sample out and then have your stock elsewhere to cut down on theft? Or is it just not an issue?

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Permalink Reply by Cindy Greenwood on October 12, 2011 at 10:14am

Kim,

If you worry about it too much you will just attract it!

No - I haven't experienced ANY loss as a solo.

I guess it depends on your set up. If items are easy to take then I suppose that they COULD disappear.

Nothing under lock and key, that would not work for me.

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Permalink Reply by Shelene Taylor on October 12, 2011 at 11:51am

It would depend upon your set up, do you have a front desk person or is your lobby open to anyone while you are in session? What kind of expensive items. I agree with Kim that what we focus on we attract. Naturally though we must take appropriate action in our businesses and design systems that support our vision. Retail and inventory is one of those systems.

One of the things I do is build in a loss % into my retail price, things get damaged or misplaced and that little buffer in your pricing will offset it.

Kim Galliher said:

So here is another question for those of you that sell items-do you experience much loss? Do you suggest expensive items go under lock and key? Do you put a sample out and then have your stock elsewhere to cut down on theft? Or is it just not an issue?

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Permalink Reply by Chester Hedrick on June 13, 2012 at 1:43am

I think one of the best selling things these days are gift baskets and hampers either for birthdays or christmas hamper delivered next day; what also seems to be a really great running thing are baby gift hampers filled with everything a newly mother needs. :)