Why is there a rack of really old greeting cards at the conveniencstore?
July 17, 2013 9:29 AM Subscribe
The newsstand / convenience store in my office building has a half-empty rack of really old greeting cards. Is there a business reason why these cards are taking up prime retail space in the store?
I often buy my cheap cup o' morning joe at the convenience store in the lobby of my office building. Right as you walk in the door, and next to the self-serve pot of coffee, there's a rack of greeting cards. About half of the rack has been sold out for as long as I've been visiting the shop, and the unsold cards appear to date back to the George W. Bush era. (Seriously -- there are cards on the top rack poking fun at W.)
The shop is not a chain. It's a mom-and-pop kind of affair that ekes out their profits from the building's tenant foot traffic buying snacks, drinks, lottery scratchers and the occasional newspaper.
I am at a loss to understand why what I understand to be prime retail space would be taken up with a rack of dead product. Am I missing something?
(I've been meaning to ask the owner, but wanted to check if I was missing something obvious.)
I often buy my cheap cup o' morning joe at the convenience store in the lobby of my office building. Right as you walk in the door, and next to the self-serve pot of coffee, there's a rack of greeting cards. About half of the rack has been sold out for as long as I've been visiting the shop, and the unsold cards appear to date back to the George W. Bush era. (Seriously -- there are cards on the top rack poking fun at W.)
The shop is not a chain. It's a mom-and-pop kind of affair that ekes out their profits from the building's tenant foot traffic buying snacks, drinks, lottery scratchers and the occasional newspaper.
I am at a loss to understand why what I understand to be prime retail space would be taken up with a rack of dead product. Am I missing something?
(I've been meaning to ask the owner, but wanted to check if I was missing something obvious.)
Ask them. Chances are they just haven't focused on it. Do them a favor and suggest updating it with new cards, or replacing it with a different line of merchandise.
posted by beagle at 9:35 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by beagle at 9:35 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
I bet once every couple of months, they save someone's ass. There is such a thing as a greeting card emergency, most often when mom's birthday card will only get there on time if it is mailed today.
posted by juliplease at 9:38 AM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by juliplease at 9:38 AM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
By which I mean to imply, grateful customers are valuable.
posted by juliplease at 9:39 AM on July 17, 2013
posted by juliplease at 9:39 AM on July 17, 2013
If they toss the cards, they're out whatever they paid for the cards, plus they have to figure out where to put the empty rack (they probably also paid for the rack, and it was sold to them as paying for itself as soon as the cards sold out x number of times.)
For want of a better idea of a thing to put there, and not wanting to buy more cards to not sell, they're determined to sell the damn cards.
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:39 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
For want of a better idea of a thing to put there, and not wanting to buy more cards to not sell, they're determined to sell the damn cards.
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:39 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Well those lobby shops are run by folks who may not be keeping up with the times. I remember when you could buy pantyhose that didn't fit, in colors that were horrible. I'll bet if you ask them, they'll still have a package or two of them somewhere.
There's always some birthday or something going on in an office building, and someone will need to get an emergency card. I always wonder who buys those tacky cards at the car wash. Someone must.
They probably bought a ton of them during the Bush Administration (the first one) and haven't done much of anything to update them since then.
I'll be the rack is as old as Methusela.
But sure, ask if you're curious. But the answer is probably, "That? Geeze, didn't that come with the shop when we bought it?"
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:41 AM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
There's always some birthday or something going on in an office building, and someone will need to get an emergency card. I always wonder who buys those tacky cards at the car wash. Someone must.
They probably bought a ton of them during the Bush Administration (the first one) and haven't done much of anything to update them since then.
I'll be the rack is as old as Methusela.
But sure, ask if you're curious. But the answer is probably, "That? Geeze, didn't that come with the shop when we bought it?"
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:41 AM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
It's like a square foot of retail space. There's little else they could cram in there that they don't already have one of (I'm guessing they have an ATM).
As for why they're all old -- probably the few people who work there haven't noticed its presence at all in a decade (there are probably things in your workspace that your eyes and brain just don't even register anymore) and no one ever bothered to put "stock new greeting cards" on the to-do list.
posted by Etrigan at 9:42 AM on July 17, 2013
As for why they're all old -- probably the few people who work there haven't noticed its presence at all in a decade (there are probably things in your workspace that your eyes and brain just don't even register anymore) and no one ever bothered to put "stock new greeting cards" on the to-do list.
posted by Etrigan at 9:42 AM on July 17, 2013
People get tired and bored, even convenience store owners.
posted by amtho at 9:45 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 9:45 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
juliplease's answer is also interesting considering it's the convenience store in your office building.
I've been the person who realizes that it's So And So's birthday, and we can't NOT do something, because we ALWAYS do something for birthdays, so, Alex, can you take some petty cash and run out for a card? Any card will do, really. I mean, not "Happy Mother's Day", but if it says Happy Birthday on it, great.
Very few people really scrutinize office birthday cards and think about what store they came from and how long they may have been sitting in said store. I bet the store sells at least a card a week.
posted by Sara C. at 9:54 AM on July 17, 2013
I've been the person who realizes that it's So And So's birthday, and we can't NOT do something, because we ALWAYS do something for birthdays, so, Alex, can you take some petty cash and run out for a card? Any card will do, really. I mean, not "Happy Mother's Day", but if it says Happy Birthday on it, great.
Very few people really scrutinize office birthday cards and think about what store they came from and how long they may have been sitting in said store. I bet the store sells at least a card a week.
posted by Sara C. at 9:54 AM on July 17, 2013
It's actually a bit odd that it's half empty. The convenience store I worked at had a guy who came through every few months and refreshed our supply of greeting cards and postcards.
It's likely that used to happen and now it doesn't happen (company went out of business? rep changed territory and there was bad record keeping so new rep didn't know about the place?) and nobody in the store has really given it much thought.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:05 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's likely that used to happen and now it doesn't happen (company went out of business? rep changed territory and there was bad record keeping so new rep didn't know about the place?) and nobody in the store has really given it much thought.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:05 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Regarding "greeting card emergencies", been there, done that. But the only birthday cards left in the rack are the age-specific ones ("Happy 40th Birthday!") and all of the generic OTHER cards I might normally think about buying, like thank-you cards or condolence cards, have been sold out since I've been a patron.
posted by QuantumMeruit at 10:13 AM on July 17, 2013
posted by QuantumMeruit at 10:13 AM on July 17, 2013
Maybe they buy full lots of merchandise from closed stores and only refill that section when they come across another cheapo lot of goods?
posted by xingcat at 10:15 AM on July 17, 2013
posted by xingcat at 10:15 AM on July 17, 2013
The long tail of retail ... which sums up all the good answers above.
posted by LonnieK at 10:47 AM on July 17, 2013
posted by LonnieK at 10:47 AM on July 17, 2013
Individually/privately owned shops of this sort are not exactly managed by MBA-level merchandisers, in my experience. I used to do a job that involved driving around in the sticks, and I was forever amazed by what got in these kinds of stores (and stayed there).
There's usually a few main products (gas, smokes, chips, drinks, candy bars, lava soap, feminine products, and bread) that are selling well enough to keep the place going and then there's the bright ideas that some traveling merchandise guy sold them. Like greeting cards. It's actually a good idea, but you have to keep the rack maintained.
c.f.: sceenprinted hats with foam fronts and mesh backs with funny sayings.
If I had to work at/manage a place like this I'd be bored to death all the time and forever cleaning/sorting the place, but most of them seem to like to stare out the window and talk on the phone.
posted by randomkeystrike at 1:04 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
There's usually a few main products (gas, smokes, chips, drinks, candy bars, lava soap, feminine products, and bread) that are selling well enough to keep the place going and then there's the bright ideas that some traveling merchandise guy sold them. Like greeting cards. It's actually a good idea, but you have to keep the rack maintained.
c.f.: sceenprinted hats with foam fronts and mesh backs with funny sayings.
If I had to work at/manage a place like this I'd be bored to death all the time and forever cleaning/sorting the place, but most of them seem to like to stare out the window and talk on the phone.
posted by randomkeystrike at 1:04 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think you might be surprised at the low turnover on some items in a convenience store. 1% of the items probably make up 90% of the sales.
About ten years ago, 7-11 (not a well-run company, but still one that should have had enough organizational acumen to know better) announced that it was revamping its inventory to eliminate items that didn't sell. I wish I could find a link to the exact statistic, but I believe that fully half the items in a given 7-11 didn't sell even one unit per month. Essentially, half the store was dead inventory.
Nobody noticed because the core items sell regardless of how well or poorly the rest of the inventory was managed. Basically, as long as the lotto tickets, cigarettes, milk, and coffee are in stock, the rest just doesn't matter.
posted by wnissen at 1:30 PM on July 17, 2013
About ten years ago, 7-11 (not a well-run company, but still one that should have had enough organizational acumen to know better) announced that it was revamping its inventory to eliminate items that didn't sell. I wish I could find a link to the exact statistic, but I believe that fully half the items in a given 7-11 didn't sell even one unit per month. Essentially, half the store was dead inventory.
Nobody noticed because the core items sell regardless of how well or poorly the rest of the inventory was managed. Basically, as long as the lotto tickets, cigarettes, milk, and coffee are in stock, the rest just doesn't matter.
posted by wnissen at 1:30 PM on July 17, 2013
Nobody noticed because the core items sell regardless of how well or poorly the rest of the inventory was managed. Basically, as long as the lotto tickets, cigarettes, milk, and coffee are in stock, the rest just doesn't matter.
And yet, on that one day that I'm desperate, I would entirely pay $3.75 for a pack of breath mints or $10 for a lint roller before the interview.Is that worth the dead stock? Dunno...
posted by arnicae at 3:41 PM on July 17, 2013
And yet, on that one day that I'm desperate, I would entirely pay $3.75 for a pack of breath mints or $10 for a lint roller before the interview.Is that worth the dead stock? Dunno...
posted by arnicae at 3:41 PM on July 17, 2013
Bad retail business sense, that's all. They see it there and can't bear to toss it. Inventory control.
Don't you like to go into a place that has nice cards in it, new cards a lot, interesting cards? I do. It makes me look when I go into the place, even if I went in to buy a soda or whatever.
They are seeing it as what they "can sell it for" -- which is to say they are dreaming -- and not what they paid. They are damn sure not looking at the fact that it's never going to sell.
Comical -- I went into a radio shak in a small town and on there shelves were automotive radios at least fifteen years out of date, the paint on the cardboard all faded down. Seeing that garbage -- and it is garbage -- taking space on a shelf that could have had something bright and pretty on it, and likely to sell, it sure let me know a lot about the business, tipped me off to how cheap the owner was, penny wise dollar foolish, that I was unlikely to get any customer service if things went south.
posted by dancestoblue at 3:55 PM on July 17, 2013
Don't you like to go into a place that has nice cards in it, new cards a lot, interesting cards? I do. It makes me look when I go into the place, even if I went in to buy a soda or whatever.
They are seeing it as what they "can sell it for" -- which is to say they are dreaming -- and not what they paid. They are damn sure not looking at the fact that it's never going to sell.
Comical -- I went into a radio shak in a small town and on there shelves were automotive radios at least fifteen years out of date, the paint on the cardboard all faded down. Seeing that garbage -- and it is garbage -- taking space on a shelf that could have had something bright and pretty on it, and likely to sell, it sure let me know a lot about the business, tipped me off to how cheap the owner was, penny wise dollar foolish, that I was unlikely to get any customer service if things went south.
posted by dancestoblue at 3:55 PM on July 17, 2013
automotive radios at least fifteen years out of date
Really? This place wasn't in SoCal by any chance? I'm actually in the market for a bare-bones stock radio for my 15 year old car, and I'd happily go out of my way to buy one at a RadioShack somewhere.
Which leads to an actual constructive answer to the question, I swear.
Not every business wants to be the Apple Store. New and shiny and The Latest And Best is nice, if you're in the business of running the Apple Store. But the world also needs used auto part salvage yards, and 7/11, and truck stops, and, yes, the sad convenience store in the lobby of your office building that sells useless greeting cards, outmoded pantyhose, and yesterday's muffins.
posted by Sara C. at 4:18 PM on July 17, 2013
Really? This place wasn't in SoCal by any chance? I'm actually in the market for a bare-bones stock radio for my 15 year old car, and I'd happily go out of my way to buy one at a RadioShack somewhere.
Which leads to an actual constructive answer to the question, I swear.
Not every business wants to be the Apple Store. New and shiny and The Latest And Best is nice, if you're in the business of running the Apple Store. But the world also needs used auto part salvage yards, and 7/11, and truck stops, and, yes, the sad convenience store in the lobby of your office building that sells useless greeting cards, outmoded pantyhose, and yesterday's muffins.
posted by Sara C. at 4:18 PM on July 17, 2013
I would assume that they just don't care.
I would also like to say that I personally try to find stores like this specifically for out of date greeting cards and postcards. Love old dusty card racks!
posted by KogeLiz at 5:33 PM on July 17, 2013
I would also like to say that I personally try to find stores like this specifically for out of date greeting cards and postcards. Love old dusty card racks!
posted by KogeLiz at 5:33 PM on July 17, 2013
Response by poster: I noticed this old question of mine while sifting through my posting history looking for something else. FWIW, the rack was updated a few months ago! And there are now a few (unopened) boxes labeled "GREETING CARDS" in the corner by the cooler.
posted by QuantumMeruit at 7:39 AM on April 14, 2014
posted by QuantumMeruit at 7:39 AM on April 14, 2014
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Something worth a little more money? No, because you'll spill coffee all over it.
Something small and easily pocketable, like gum? No, because you'll steal it.
Empty space? No, because you'll just throw all your coffee garbage there.
They already paid for the cards. If they even sell one a month, it's better than selling zero a month. What else would go there?
posted by phunniemee at 9:34 AM on July 17, 2013 [3 favorites]