To keep up with the big stores, small retailers get creative
Amy Rutherford, owner of Red Barn Mercantile in Alexandria, has a full agenda of holiday promotions and events planned at the furniture and gift store. On top of the early-bird specials on Black Friday, she is hosting a number of free workshops in the coming weeks. One such class will teach creative ways of setting the table.
Rutherford, like many independent retailers, has long realized that to compete with national retailers’ door-busters and deep discounts she had to offer more than just sales.
Hosting workshops, she explained, is a “more personal way to be in touch with our customers,” and keep them coming back.
“People are starting to get the fact that good customer service is starting to outweigh just the really good bargain,” Rutherford said. “If we can keep our prices in a range that makes it palatable for people, they will come to our stores.”
Retailers of all sizes are looking for a way to stand out this holiday season, in hopes consumers will begin to loosen their purse strings again. Several leading indicators point to a resurgence in consumer confidence, including the Thompson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index. At 69.3 at the start of the month, the index posted the highest reading since June, thanks to early holiday discounts.
