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.