Where to Start??

It is easy enough to say I am going to weed this stuff out of here, but exactly where do I start this task? A look around tells me that I can jump in anywhere - just depends on what method I plan to use. Should I start with the shelves that have the most "stuff" sitting there with no rhyme or reason to their display? Or maybe using one of the good ole accounting rules would work best - first in, first out! That's what I'll do - that should work perfectly. Next step is to choose an inventory category or store department and start pulling from the shelves.

I think a good place to start is in the Bath section - lots and lots of singles in the towels and shower curtains as well as the bath rugs. This should be really fun. Time to check the Inventory Reports and see which ones qualify as "orphans" - they will be the first ones to move from the shelves into the "fantastic garage sale". Then I'll move on into the things that have been here the longest and see if any should move to the blog. It should take only a day or so, and I can have them all sitting there on the pages at the blog. It's time to do it!

If I really get moving along here this afternoon I can have some of these up and ready to go! And then I can work on getting the email ready to send out to all our customers and let them know that they can visit the "fantastic garage sale" any time and reserve their choices for pick-up at the shop. What could be easier!

Clean Up That Mess!!

Well it had to happen - time to clean out all the clutter. This morning in a fit of organizational frenzy I attempted to get a handle on this. The results may actually end up being the beginning of another exciting project as well as another fun blog. I am sitting here imagining how in the world I will ever get rid of, dispose of, relocate, move around, or sell all the things that are sitting on the shelves here at the store. I do realize that selling inventory is the actual purpose behind having a lovely shop. BUT, for a lot of us we commit the sin of falling in love with our "stuff" and therefor hoarding it on shelves rather than making it the "star" of a sale. What to do? Well, I can always begin by weeding out the real orphans that are sitting around.

How did they get to be in such a state? Napkins and placemats generally start out as "sets" of 4, 6, or 8. Then someone needs only 3 or 5 and you have some left over if you agree to "break the set" and sell to them just what they need. Now I know that some retailers NEVER do this, but we almost always do. It just seems better this way - the customers get what they need, and I get to keep some of my favorites. I know --- once again, that isn't what I am supposed to be doing. So, one of my resolutions this year is to just do it right. And in order to keep up with that, I am going to go back and get all this stuff under control so I won't want to fall back on bad habits.

I am really enjoying searching through all these wonderful things here. I think that I really got started when the dreaded "inventory count" started. You really get up close to your stuff when you have to count every single thing in sight (and some that are in hiding!). With over 5,000 single items living in this store, you can well imagine the relief I will feel when I can let go of some of them. So, I am gathering up the orphans, the pieces that manufacturers no longer produce (which makes ordering replacements or add-ons for customers impossible), things I am just plain tired of moving around and displaying, and some special pieces and putting them up for sale at http://www.fantasticgaragesale.blogspot.com/ so someone can rescue them. Hopefully in the quite near future you will be able to see a shop all pristine, neat, tidy, and full of new exciting displays.