Hi there!

So winter is here and weather sucks once again.

Nobody is on the streets so this means nobody is coming to my store today. Since I had so many orders piled from the website, I just hanged up a sign which read "I am serving deliveries" on the door and went deliver them myself. Had to scratch the ice off the car hard for that.

Sometimes I feel like closing the brick n mortar store and turn the whole business into a purely online operation.

Cheers!

--
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Hello Arelor!

** On Saturday 05.12.20 - 05:36, Arelor wrote to All:

So winter is here and weather sucks once again.

Generally your winters are mild by comparison to what we get
in my area. What a wus you are. ;)

Nobody is on the streets so this means nobody is coming to
my store today.

That's just one day. If that would turn out to be weeks, then
I'd worry.

Sometimes I feel like closing the brick n mortar store and
turn the whole business into a purely online operation.

Are you renting space for the brick'n'mortar?

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.47
* Origin: (} Pointy McPointface (618:250/1.9)

Re: Store blues
By: August Abolins to Arelor on Sat Dec 05 2020 09:18 am

Hello Arelor!

** On Saturday 05.12.20 - 05:36, Arelor wrote to All:

So winter is here and weather sucks once again.

Generally your winters are mild by comparison to what we get
in my area. What a wus you are. ;)

Nobody is on the streets so this means nobody is coming to
my store today.

That's just one day. If that would turn out to be weeks, then
I'd worry.

Sometimes I feel like closing the brick n mortar store and
turn the whole business into a purely online operation.

Are you renting space for the brick'n'mortar?

--
../|ug

Winters here are not Siberia's nor North Canada's but this it not Murcia either. Lots of foreigners come here during winter with light clothing thinking this is Cádiz. Then they get a cold because it is -10 ºC outside, the pipes blow up because of the cold, and they find themselves digging their rental car from under the snow.

I am not renting the store place but I am also still paying for it. The operational costs of the whole operation are extremely low, which is why I have not ditched it altogether :-) But the whole deal is a bit disheartening because none of my regular friends or contacts have deigned to show up at the place and say hello,much less buy a piece or soap. My average daily sales in the store are about two pieces of soap per day. WHen you compare it to what I sell via any other channel you start wondering why in hell you are bothering to open the place when you could stay home with the horses and make the deliveries from there.

(Actually the reason is that if I stayed home my family would not let me work) --
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Hello Arelor!

** On Saturday 05.12.20 - 14:53, Arelor wrote to August Abolins:

I am not renting the store place but I am also still
paying for it. The operational costs of the whole
operation are extremely low, which is why I have not
ditched it altogether :-)

How much of a space do you have? My shop occupies a space
that is approx 1100 sq ft.

But the whole deal is a bit
disheartening because none of my regular friends or
contacts have deigned to show up at the place and say
hello,much less buy a piece or soap.

Is that from fear of spreading or acquiring covid?

My average daily sales in the store are about two pieces
of soap per day. WHen you compare it to what I sell via
any other channel you start wondering why in hell you are
bothering to open the place when you could stay home with
the horses and make the deliveries from there.

Do you have a staff? A pretty young lady could make an
improvement.

(Actually the reason is that if I stayed home my family
would not let me work) --

Now that sounds unusual. Most families would want their stay-
home members supporting the cost of food and home maintenance
as a minimum.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.47
* Origin: (} Pointy McPointface (618:250/1.9)

Re: Store blues
By: August Abolins to Arelor on Sat Dec 05 2020 07:36 pm

Hi there.

The store itself is less than 30 squaremeter in surface. It is well taken advantage off despite its
small sice, however, since I have lots of products stored there and for display. The only issue is
it is placed in a bit of an inactive neighbourhood and there are not many passer-bies. It cost me a
pittance to set but still nowadays it seems more suited as a storage room for the web store than as
an actual point of sale.

I can afford no employee, and I am sure as heck I am hiring no Spaniard. I never got hired for the
jobs I really wanted and the population chronically votes for politics that damage me. If people is
not going to bet for me I am sure a heck I am gonna bet for nobody in this fucking place. If Daddie
wanted me to hire her daughter for the store he should have voted for a politician that allowed me
to do so at an affordable price and bought some soap from me so I can afford it.

Since it is not the case, fuck this place. With a morning star. And then twist it inside its ass
for maximun damage.

Also, common knowledge is that when you have a hot saleswoman, you get a lot of creeps stepping
into the store who try to date the saleswoman, waste her time, and buy nothing. Besides, my target
audience is 40+ year old housewives so a hot saleswoman is not the way.

When I say my family won't let me work at home is that they will pop up while I am doing paperwork
or filling deliveries and task me with house maintenance chores, and get angry when I tell them I
cannot do them because I am working.

--
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Hello Arelor!

** On Sunday 06.12.20 - 04:25, Arelor wrote to August Abolins:

Also, common knowledge is that when you have a hot
saleswoman, you get a lot of creeps stepping into the
store who try to date the saleswoman, waste her time, and
buy nothing. Besides, my target audience is 40+ year old
housewives so a hot saleswoman is not the way.

I had a fine red-headed young lady for one season some years
ago. She *did* help sales (being interested in the product and
knowing how to recommend books to other people - a great
conversationalist - a fine personality) - and not afraid to do
meanial tasks like pick up debri from the carpet or dusting.
She would recognize "necessary" things to do and just take the
initiative to just do them without asking.

I am convinced her presence actually drew in the younger crowd
and helped sales. I think people are usually drawn to do
business with attractive and pleasant people.

I have the occassional volunteer (a senior) who just wants to
come into town and "help" at my shop. She can be a lot of work
to manage. When she runs out of the things I have told her to
do, I will find her sitting and twiddling her thumbs. She
really doesn't look around and notice the obvious things that
need to get done - things that she is already familiar with.
She doesn't like to engage with customers and she hates
children. :(

You generally can't prevent creeps from hanging around. Creeps
have plenty of other places they can hang-out at - women's
clothing stores, shoe stores and gift shops.

When I say my family won't let me work at home is that
they will pop up while I am doing paperwork or filling
deliveries and task me..

Ah... ok. The original meaning was lost in translation. ;)

The work at-home dynamic can be tricky. Unless you can
establish some boundaries and be respected for them, it would
be hard to work at home.

My mom operated bookkeeping/accounting services at home. When
we heard the calculator operating we knew not to bother her.
When she was at home, it was too easy to call upon her to help
capture an escapee cow or help unload a truckload of bales or
some other farm chore. But generally, we knew the boundaries.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.47
* Origin: (} Pointy McPointface (618:250/1.9)

I had a fine red-headed young lady for one season some years

^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^

ago. She *did* help sales (being interested in the product and
knowing how to recommend books to other people - a great
conversationalist - a fine personality) - and not afraid to do
meanial tasks like pick up debri from the carpet or dusting.

You found a recipe that would have made me think of coming back, that is
for sure. :)

Mike


* SLMR 2.1a * Kill them all! .... Let God sort them out.
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Hello Mike!

** On Sunday 06.12.20 - 11:12, Mike Powell wrote to AUGUST ABOLINS:

I had a fine red-headed young lady for one season some years

^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^

ago. She *did* help sales (being interested in the product and

You found a recipe that would have made me think of coming back, that is for sure. :)

:) She was not one to mess around with. She did not cower to
a difficult customer.

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.47
* Origin: (} Pointy McPointface (618:250/1.9)