Articles
A Gift Market Overview
With so many gift shows throughout the year across the country, it can be hard to know which ones will suite your gift-purchasing needs: Some feature educational sessions or target specific regions, and some only... more »Living, Breathing Habitat
The teeth in the Endangered Species Act is not the protection of a species itself but protection of its habitat. If a species can no longer find the plant or plant community it needs to... more »It’s Not How Much You Sell — It’s How Much You Get To Keep
Sales, sales, sales. It seems every businessperson involved in small business, garden center owners and managers included, bases success on the amount of sales generated during a given period.A day doesn't go by, especially at... more »Countering The chill
As a young girl growing up in South Louisiana, March was the best time of the year; it brought with it some of my favorite things: azaleas and daffodils in full bloom, a new dress... more »Welcome To The Real World
A few weeks ago, one of my local TV morning shows ran a piece about a new book that is supposed to help people de-stress their lives. During the interview, the author gave advice about... more »Surveying Christmas
We asked survey participants to describe their season in 300 words or less and here are some of the best responses, in no particular order. There are a number of similarities as well as differences,... more »Achieving Christmas Success
In a year of unstable economic times with no immediate relief in sight and retail indicators continuing on a downward spiral we gathered at our store for our annual Christmas management meeting. We were not... more »Walking Through a Promotional Wonderland
Consumers spend more for the winter holidays Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa than any other holiday. In fact, with consumers spending roughly $435 billion, holiday sales crush the nearest competition (back-to-school sales at approximately... more »Following Their Lead
At the University of Florida's Poinsettia Open House we have the public evaluate the recently introduced poinsettia varieties, as well as many of the older varieties. Our horticulture students also sell poinsettias during the Open... more »Sweet Charity
Cause-related marketing got its start the last quarter of 1983 when American Express announced it would pay $.01 toward the restoration of the Statue of Liberty each time customers used their American Express credit cards.... more »Seven Steps To Hiring Honest Employees
Lucille Thomas, owner of Sunrise Lawn and Garden had a problem. The anonymous caller said, "Employees are stealing from your store. They're not ringing the sales and keeping the money." When Lucille asked for more... more »Picking Up The Pieces
Damaged merchandise is hard to avoid. Sometimes the product is manhandled during shipment, and other times employees are careless when stocking items. Of course, no matter how cautiously merchandise is packed or stocked, breakage won't... more »
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