Great Endcaps and Displays in Thrift
Great Merchandising makes customers happy and increases sales
Since my first day in thrift over seven years ago, I have believed that thrift store operators should think like retail merchants, not used goods sellers. Frankly, I have made bank on that principal for years.
Displays and end caps are an important part of that look. Because thrift has such an eclectic mix of goods, displays can have even more impact. Each display, when done well is a little work of art that tells a story about what is possible.
This top can go with these jeans, and here is a purse and belt to make it all work. Oh yea, and you might consider this pair of boots.
Here are some orange and harvest themed home décor items, you might find something you didn’t know you need.
Happy Halloween, here is a complete pirate outfit!
Merry Christmas, here are fifty shelf sized Santa’s. Don’t you want to take one home?
These winter gloves will go great with the winter coats on this aisle.
I could go on with these all day, you get the idea. Good displays spark ideas in the customer’s mind.
On the business side, well-merchandised displays can move the average sale and increase shopper frequency.
Part of the trick is consistency. Customers like consistency no matter where they shop, up and down merchandising is a turnoff.
To some people making an appealing display is nearly painful, especially in soft goods. To others, it’s like breathing. It seems like every store has a creative employee or two that can make a store pop. Turning them loose pays dividends in how pleasant the store is and will increase sales by telling stories like those listed above.
Fair warning, stuff sells off of displays all the time.
A pro tip is to start transitioning seasons early on displays. Watching when Kohl’s, Target, and others start merchandising next season displays is a clue. People are looking to the next season earlier and earlier.
One of my best out of season examples are Hawaiian shirts. I was working for a big box company in far northern Iowa where the winters are long and bleak.
I couldn’t get the men’s wear buyer to send me Hawaiian shirts, so the Manager of a store in Hawaii was kind enough to ship me a couple hundred. (Yes that was an end run, not sorry) dramatic story short, it became the top-selling men’s category all winter. The next winter we had them in the whole region.
The point is, people were looking forward to spring and a splash of color. Those flowery colorful shirts on the main feature were just the ticket.
In conclusion
Creative displays add character to the store, make shopping more interesting, and adds sales.
About me
I am a thrift and retail business expert located near Chicago. Using my twenty plus years of retail and seven-plus years of thrift retail experience to help small businesses grow and succeed.
You can also find me on LinkedIn, Medium, and my thrift reseller blog The Thrifter.
You might also be interested in my Thrift Merchandising ebook on Amazon. It’s about how to merchandise thrift stores more like traditional stores. It’s free with a Kindle Unlimited membership.
Tim Gebauer, The Thrifter