Merchandising

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First Impressions: Costly Impressions

It's not a recent discovery that first impressions — such as curb appeal, parking lot design and maintenance — mean a lot when it comes to customers' perceptions of your store. But, what happens after... more »

Is an Onsite Workshop for You?

The story of Bemis Farms Nursery is the story of an industry. Although the garden center is unique in its philosophy, presentation, products and personality, it is representative of the more than 17,000 independent garden... more »

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Retail Ready Poinsetias

Growers and retailers are continually challenged to maximize quality and profitability of poinsettia crops. This flower is the traditional "living symbol of Christmas" and a must have in retail outlets everywhere. So bottom line, if... more »

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Profiting from Christmas

Making the most of the holiday season can be easy if you create a plan and follow through with it, including staffing accordingly. Though the window of sales is short, the holiday season can be... more »

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Inspire New Tradition

The Christmas tree is one of the most popular and cherished traditions of the Christmas season. In fact, each year 35-40 million live trees are purchased and decorated in the United States alone. Why do... more »

Green Goods: Bulbs…More than Just Spring

In the American Midwest, Northeast and areas with similar climates, the great majority of tulip, daffodil, crocus and hyacinth bulbs fill the months of April and May with glorious color and sweetness after our long,... more »

Dead armadillos…

Consumers can usually be relied on to "shop 'til they drop." This was one of the primary drivers of the economic recovery we saw in 2003-2004. In fact, the 7-percent surge in sales in 2004... more »

Closed for Profit

Spring — the sound of registers ringing, customers questioning and shopping carts rolling. And then there's fall and winter — for some of you the same sounds can be heard, but for others of you,... more »

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Building Birding Success

Niche, niche, niche — are you sick of hearing that word yet? It seems like all we have been hearing lately is that you need a niche to stay in "competition" with the big boxes.... more »

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Prioritizing Profit

For most garden centers, green goods is the largest single department. It stocks the most products and takes up the most square footage. But what about profit? How do green goods compare to other departments... more »

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In the Bag

When it is time for a customer who has just spent a fair amount of money in your store to check out, what kind of bag or box should you give them? Something that small... more »

Pots, Planters & Statuary: What’s Next in Containers

From what I can gather, making a decision between the lighter weight materials and the heavier ceramic, plaster and such is not really the main concern when it comes to consumers choosing pots, planters and... more »