Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Fall is almost here, and if you haven’t already, it’s time to get your store ready for the next season. Below are a few quick tips to help you prepare.
Lawn Displays
It’s time for your customers to get their lawns ready for winter. That means cleaning up leaves, hauling away dead branches, and fertilizing the lawn before winter sets in.
Try setting up a display of rakes, leaf blowers, garbage bags and more. Put out a selection of lawn fertilizers and remind customers that spring isn’t the only time of year that it’s important to fertilize the grass—doing so in the fall will help strengthen the roots of the grass before winter comes.
You may also want to offer a discount on any live goods you have left over from the summer, as some customers will want to replace any dead or dying shrubs or bushes before the cold weather comes, and this is a good opportunity for you to get those last few plants off your shelves.
Preparing for the Holidays
With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas not far away, there’s plenty of seasonal selling for you to do over the next few months.
Make sure your store is in top shape for holiday displays as you set out your holiday decor. Create small vignettes to give customers decorating ideas and to show off all your pumpkins, cornucopias, snowmen and more. Designate a seasonal area near the front of the store where you can easily and effectively switch out holiday displays.
Take time to speak with local vendors who may sell holiday-related products. Customers will appreciate the chance to find unique, local decor they may not be able to get anywhere else.
Food Storage
Homeowners will be ready to can and store any vegetables they’ve recently harvested from their summer gardens. Make sure you have all the products they’ll need, including jars and lids, cookbooks, scales and more. Have some basic canning instructions available to your customers, and host workshops to show the canning process in action.
If you have any employees who have their own gardens and are interested in canning, let them take home some canning supplies and give it a try. This firsthand experience will make them more knowledgeable as they work with customers and answer their questions about the process.
