Please don't be offended by this blog, it is written strictly as a way to vent, a way to let go of the things I cannot change.. It is written so that others can get a good laugh and enjoy a smile, sometimes at my expense, sometimes at the expense of others. Read it, enjoy it and let it go...

Donations

As a small business owner we are expected to give donations sometimes on a daily basis.  I am okay with donating for that is doing my share for our economy, our communities, our lives.  

If I can give a product for a Silent Auction that nets that "Cause" some serious cash, well then I am happy to have helped.  

The hard part, when what you do isn't appreciated, by the people asking or the people receiving.  

A couple of months ago I gave a donation of a gift basket that had a value over $300.00.  It brought 3/4 of that value to the "Cause" and I thought that was a great thing.  Today the winner of that basket came in for a FREE Item that had to be picked up at the store.  While she was there picking her FREE Item, she didn't look around, wasn't interested in anything other than the FREE Item, well that is okay, because maybe my store is not every one's taste.  But before she left she said, "I have to ask, those certain items that were in the basket?  Were they collectible?  And if so can you tell me the value of them, If I am going to sell them I would like to know what they are worth....sigh.  Why? Why do I bother, to give away something nice, why do I bother to try to coax them into the store because they have no interest in buying anything....why do I bother!

Some of the best ones are these

They will ask for something for a raffle, then they will say well we really would just rather have a gift card.... and then to top it off, while you are getting the gift card they kind of look around with out walking around and say.....wow, I haven't shopped in here for years, I came here because I knew that I could get a great donation.   Seriously people.... If you don't ever shop in a LOCAL STORE and help to keep them IN Business, then what on earth ever made you think you should walk through the door and EXPECT a donation.  I will tell you what made you do it.... you are part of the hypocrisy of this world that thinks "What can you do for me"? 

WHEN are we as a nation or even personally are we going to hold ourselves responsible enough to say, what can I do to help this nation, this community, this neighbor or even MYSELF!  When do we get off the ME, ME, ME bandwagon and decide that doing for other people and helping in every way possible will bring a better nation and a better world.  When do we make our own bed and lie in it instead of blaming someone else for the fact that you cannot afford certain things, When do you take responsibility for the fact that you don't want to work but you want all the luxuries in life.... ugh... please people get real!!!!!  

The day I have to go out of business, there will be some very loyal people that will get phone calls to get the best deals first, because I have given all for the last XXX amount of years only to be torn down by overly expectant people who think that this world OWES them something.  And to all of you.... If you do not shop locally and support locally, I honestly hope that the one or ten things that you wanted from that store that is going out of business were purchased by a loyal customer so that you can't have them.  

I know that to some of you this will seem petty, but for those of you that own your own businesses and you are struggling to get by but are trying to give to all the "causes" that walk through your doors, you are the ones that should be patted on the back because you are trying to make it through the worst economical nightmare that has ever transpired and you all know just how hard you work to keep the doors open and all those customers happy.  

I know that there are more and more people lately that are trying to save Main Street USA, and to all of you, Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  If there were more of you, you could single handedly save our Main Street Communities.  You are what we need.  Our own government will not help to save the Mom and Pop Shops of America.  If you don't have over 50 employees, you don't matter to any politician.  It is YOU, yes you that matters, if only you ALL cared about what you could do to help your own community, your own town, your own neighbor, your own friends.   All it takes is YOU, and YOU, and YOU!!!!!

As Always,
A shop owner that doesn't understand why some people are so incredibly ignorant to the way of the world because they are to caught up in themselves.

WOW!!!!   What a week.

All I can say is wow!  Mother's Day weekend gave me hope, hope that things were gonna pick up, that things were going to get better..... I had two great days, people were spending some money, they seemed happy and content............and Boom, just like that Monday came, sales came to a screeching halt, the fall out from the Mother's Day aftermath.

So for the next three days I have sat and wondered, what can I do differently, why is it getting so hard to pull this all together.  Why can't I make people spend their money, is it because I don't have nice things?  Is it because I can't figure out what they want or is it because they don't have the extra money to spend.

I get wonderful comments on the shop on a daily basis, but let's face it kids, I cannot keep doing this if people don't spend some money.   I cannot keep changing for the seasons and making my place scream of whatever season it is if all your gonna do is come in, look around, get your mental fix and leave.

I can't beg for sales, or walk out into the road and force them into the store with their wallet open.   I think that it is important to let your customers shop and not badger them, (another pet peeve of mine).  I know money is tight everywhere and for most of the people that I am friends with.  We all are struggling and I don't know a Main Street store anywhere State wide that isn't feeling the hurt of the economy.     

I am so very sure that it isn't so much that I am doing something wrong as it is that , life is hard for everyone, that money doesn't grow on trees and that people are more skeptical about their purchases then they ever have been.  

But then you walk into a big box store and you see the cart full of things, full of lamps, rugs, bedding, maybe a small furniture piece......and you wonder why target is so much better than you...............it isn't that they are, it is that their prices are cheaper, their furniture is pressboard and they didn't have to drive out of their way, they have settled...  Bottom line, we live in a world where instead of buying something nice, some kind of quality, they are content to buy something cheaper that they can afford right now.... because they know that when it breaks or when it fades or when it doesn't suit them anymore, they will just throw it away and buy a new one.  

We have become a throw away society, so maybe all this effort in trying to buy USA made things and getting furniture makers that will compete with hand made solid wood products is all for nothing.  For changing how we (shop owners) look at things is one thing, changing how you shop or look at things is a completely different story......sigh!

As Always, a fretting store owner that can only do so much.

Where are the Customers???

I am sure that many a shop owner is asking that same question these days.  I know from what I am hearing on my end that the discounts stores are getting more and more companies ( our companies) with trailers full of overstocked merchandise.  Instead of offering that merchandise to us the people who buy from them all the time, they offer it at discounted (and I mean pennies on the dollar) prices to the discount stores, all states have them, they buy fire sales and bankruptcies and overstock.  Then in a few months the companies that we have done business with all these years will call on us, the little guys saying " why aren't you ordering, you haven't placed your seasonal order yet".  That is when the little green guy inside us gets pissed and says... well since I am finding your items at prices half of wholesale on a shelf in a retail discount store I can't afford to compete with that.  That is less than what we paid for the same items and we had to pay shipping to boot.  And we listen to these companies say, well we have to do something with our overstock, we can't sit on it year from year it hurts our bottom line.  

Like they don't think it hurts our bottom line when we are paying top dollar to their companies only to have them turn around and stab us in the back by offering the overstock to a discount store....uugh.  Common knowledge says that if the customer is not buying as much because they are financially drained, then the little shop owner is not buying as much because they don't have the inlet of customers and the suppliers aren't changing their inventory as rapidly as they once were because of all of that too.  I understand the bottom line, I understand that if we aren't ordering enough that they can't sit on that all in warehouses.  But if you are going to sell something to a discount store within 6 months of selling it to us at a much higher rate.....common sense says that I won't be ordering from your company again anytime soon. 

So many people think that we the little stores are making a fortune on the customer.  First it cost us more for our product than the big box stores second we give back to our communities, and third we appreciate our customers, we are grateful when you keep your money local.  

This store is going more local, more handcrafted, more unique.  We cannot do our whole store in products that are local or handcrafted...but we are trying and the more we can do the more we will do.... for you as well as us.  We are in this for the long haul, but we want to offer you quality products that have been made by people in our country, so that maybe we can help with the process of taking care of our own.  

It is important to have pride in your country, in your life, in your accomplishments.  I can't control our govenment.  To many pockets are being padded by big Corportations,  and the little guy is getting smudged out.  There is no help for small business out there, but I am proud of what I have accomplished and I am proud of the life I try to live.  Do I do everything right?  Not by any means, but I TRY!  And that is all we can ask of you is to try to spend your money locally, try to think about who you are helping with every purchase you make, try to help take care of your neighbors, small markets, local businesses before they aren't there and all you have to shop at for anything is a Big Box Store.  

As Always,

A slightly tired and over worked shop owner that doesn't get a day off because I'm trying to put as much product on my shelves as possible for you, my customers.