 |
| Apple Store |
Let's use Apple as an example. First, they rightfully looked past their retail and technology competitors. They based none of their retail positioning or experience on Best Buy, Comp USA or others. Remember, the "prudent" plan would have been to compete with the big box stores that were the market leaders, and incredibly successful at the time.
Second, they looked not at the then current user of Apple products, but rather at the huge potential audience. They then reinforced their brand by modeling their experience after their product: clean, fresh and intuitive.
Third, they kept the retail footprint small, allowing them to enter higher traffic, more "upscale" developments.
Finally, they created the entire in-store experience to connect with their online experience. The Genius Bar is the human face of their online support.
 |
| Hallmark Gold Crown Store |
First a few facts. In a Retail Info Systems News article, Hallmark says that it has over 4,000 principle stores called Gold Crown, 500 of which are owned by the company and the rest are franchise operations. The real revenue is generated from the 43,000 other outlets that sell their greeting cards and gifts, from Walmart to gas stations. This accounts for an estimated $4.1 billion in revenue annually. The greeting card industry is facing a monumental consumer shift as fewer cards are mailed and people move to more electronic and social media for celebrating major "life events." Hallmark has some very smart people tackling these issues around how to keep Hallmark relevant in the 21st Century. But as they innovate with product, they seem to be neglecting arguably the most important part of their brand experience, the store.
As their retail experience has languished, it has reached a point where a fresh coat of paint or a new retail end cap will not do it. Hallmark retail needs a radical makeover. One that will reposition them for the future and highlight their product innovation in the proper way.
Here are five ideas to kick start that process.
1. Stores as Brand Tool: Recognize that the Gold Crown Stores, especially the company owned ones, are primarily a brand marketing tool. Launch a "blue sky" rename and rebrand of these stores to position the brand well beyond its current perception. Think uncluttered, fresh and contemporary. Let the product be the pop of color. Rethink the signage and overall look and feel and approach it from a fashion, art and design direction.
2. Smaller and Higher Profile: Move to smaller retail footprints in high traffic, urban and power centers. Open up the exteriors to be primarily glass and corner activated. This will compel the casual visit and generate a higher pass-through volume.
3. Curate Product Content: The trend of "buy local" continues to grow and evolve. Hallmark should serve as the leader in providing the best in emotional messaging. This goes beyond their own creative materials. In fact, Hallmark already has an entire trend department dedicated to tracking and recording trends within their industry. Instead of identifying what products in the marketplace are competitors and then attempting to counter them, Hallmark experts should be hand-selecting cards, posters and gifts that are designed and made locally in each market to feature in their stores. This would allow them to bring the latest trends to the consumer faster and better reinforce their new tagline and campaign theme that "Life is a special occasion," challenging consumers to stop and enjoy life's perfectly imperfect, unplanned moments.
5. Social Media Connectors: Each store should then activate a localized online "Genius Bar" of sorts by becoming the local hub via bricks-and-mortar and social media for celebrations. Both in the store and online, the staff of that store will be dedicated to proactive management of customer relationships. Guide customers to in-store product and various online product via Hallmark.
The above ideas are simply those of a brand and retail marketing expert who loves Hallmark. I am looking from the outside and crafting suggestions as an example of how a large retail brand could (and should) reshape how they operate in order to be more relevant in the future.
Feel free to share your feedback here or better yet, mail me a Hallmark card.
Maybe they could have a way to personalize the cards, an onsite cardmaker in the backroom to print out the design when its done (similar to what the photo shops are doing).
ReplyDeleteOne of the difficulties in the franchise model is implementing dramatic change and large re-investment requirements.
David, You are certainly right about the challenges of a franchise retail model. However, faced with eroding sales and possible closure, motivation may be at hand. Also, with these ideas, Hallmark could look at smaller company-owned stores to prove the model. Thank you for your comments!
ReplyDeleteAs an employee, in my opinion we struggle with the simple fact that the majority of our stores are NOT in fact franchises. They are independently owned and are held to a list of "standards". But that mainly speaks to the upkeep, fixturing, and overall satisfaction of customers a evidenced from the surveys printed on receipts. As far as product, the owners have nearly full control over what, who, and where they buy product from. We make suggestions but more often than not, I, as a sales rep for gold crown stores get a "you don't know my customer, I've been in business since blah blah blah" response. Our owners are often times near retirement, have seen slowing sales for 10+ years and haven't put any money in their stores in years, making them unappealing to potential buyers.
ReplyDeleteThe store environment is slowly changing. All new stores have maple colored fixturing, clean sight lines, well merchandises product. But again, so many of our owners don't want to invest in all the newest design. They don't see a benefit, thankfully however that is now a Gold Crown standard that is being enforced.
To David's point, a number of stores do have a custom printing dept, 95th and Mission for example. But that is a $11,000 investment for the technology, display, etc. More than most mom and pop owned Hallmarks want to invest. Then you have to know how to USE it which is another problem. I have stores that still mail and fax me orders!
Certainly not defending everything, we need serious help. But I do feel many of our problem lie in the fact that we are NOT franchises and can't control many aspects of the retail business in Gold Crown. Just my two cents, as a corp sales rep in Gold Crown.
As an independant Hallmark store owner I thank you for your input and suggestions to reshape the Hallmark shopping experience at the store level. As the corp sales rep said we are not franchises but we ARE NOT allowed "full control" over who what or where we buy product from. Sadly Hallmark is our biggest vendor, we are required to keep more than 50% of store stocked with their product. It often appears without us ordering because Hallmark decides what and when we need it, whether we want it or not, we get it we pay for it.
DeleteThe demise of the local independant store is entirely Hallmarks fault when they decided that everyone needs to sell Hallmark product. Fact is there are not 4,500 stores. There maybe 500 corporate stores which are direct competetion to the local store owner. But independant stores are closing at an alarming pace. In most markets we cannot compete, it is true, Wal-Mart is killing the mom & pops. We cannot continue to compete and remain profitable the way the current model is set up. We can't give our stores away, it has become better to liquidate than to sell. If you happen to be the exception and your business is profitable and could sell, Hallmark won't allow or approve the sale. It is extrememly dificult to buy an existing store because if it is profitable Hallmark will want to the exclusion of others and make it an corporate store.
Another contributor to our demise is that many of the the corporate stores, big boxes and mass markets selling the Hallmark brand get much better terms that the independant Hallmark store owner.
They don't pay for shipping, we do, they get massive discounts on product, we don't and in fact we pay more, they get free fixturing and an assigned employee(s) free of cost to set and maintain their displays, we don't. Wal mart doesn't have to pay for their product until it passes through the register. We pay for our shrinkage. Some get to return unsold product after the season, we are forced to order while guessing what will sell and if it doesn't we are stuck with it and have to sell off at a loss or not have enough to meet demand and lose sales.
Every coupon, reward certificate, promo, gold crown point we take asnd they don't we share in the cost and get reimbursed less than 50% after expense totally forfeiting any profit. We have to pay the full cost of everything Hallmark demands of us (to meet their "standards"). Like new $15K computer systems every 5 yrs. If we don't meet those "standards" we loose our Gold Crown status and thus our core customers.
Many of us have owned our stores for years and have seen our business dwindle because you can buy our product anywhere on any corner, it simply is not special anymore. The brand experience is non-existant when the advertised TV special is marked down before the holiday at the CVS next door and at the Walgreens across the street. Gone is the personal shopping experience we have built our reputation on as most of us struggle to pay our rent and employees. Forget making a profit or having any extra money to put into our stores to make them more appealing or to be more relevant in the future. As much as I would love to be more relevant to do so would be solely at our expense. I only wish it weren't so, "but that's the way Sue C's it".
Great comments and feedback. I do agree that the dilution of the Hallmark brand via mass market expansion has indeed been, at best, a double-edged sword. On one hand, ensuring maximum product market share, but also hurting the singular Hallmark stores by giving the consumer nearly limitless options in buying Hallmark cards.
DeleteI would say that the curated "locavore" content, if managed properly and allowing the right rate of return for the retailers would distinguish the select Hallmark stores from those mass marketers that simply sell Hallmark cards. I cannot begin to address the internal revenue models and execution plan via a commentary. I would say, that it would be a great challenge and opportunity to tackle it in collaboration with Hallmark Corporate!
Thank you and best wishes.
Thank you for the very insightful response from the Hallmark perspective. This "radical" approach would certainly not be easy or without controversy. It is also certainly true that Gold Crown stores have been slowly evolving for the better. That is why I believe the best approach may be to create a new concept store from the group up, one not tied to existing format, fit and fixtures. This would allow those stores to become the new face of Hallmark in select areas and markets (Think how Apple Stores started in few highly select areas) while the Gold Crown and independent stores continue their slow evolution. Once the success model is proven the resistance for the shift from the rest will be lessened.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for the great comments and explanations.
As a life long Hallmark Gold Crown retailer, I do find your comments compelling. Hallmark Gold Crown Stores are licensing agreements. As such we are given the right to sell Hallmark Branded products under a strict method of operation. That is all fine and workable. The problem today is that Hallmark's slogan use to be "When you care to give the very best, go to your Hallmark store". Over the years Hallmark has expended to Drug Stores, Grocery Stores, Mass Merchants and many of the 43,000 locations you spoke of. At rate that specialty stores are closing the number you speak of is vastly over stated. The problem is that when a company expands to all channels and any locations the brand becomes diluted. This is the natural path as Hallmark was pressed for growth, add a new channel of distribution. Card and Gift Specialty continued to grow into the 1990s. As card giving reached a peak in 1990s, the Mass Channel was the last to give growth while Card & Gift Specialty struggled to grow. What does Hallmark do for the Card and Gift Specialty stores. Give our core promotions and new items to the Mass Channel where they have little control and are just another vendor. Once again diluting the pie and traffic.
DeleteWhat should they do? Some of what you said, make the shopping special. Offer 100% exclusive product of innovation and quality to get back to "When you care to give the very best, visit your Hallmark Gold Crown Store". Our channel is still about 3000 roof tops and companies much smaller in unit retail rooftops have all exclusive products. Hallmark Gold Crown is not off price, but when the same product is sold in all channels, specialty and off price, the brand will loose its' special appeal.
Thank you very much for the comments and feedback. As a brand retail professional, I certainly tried to look beyond what I am sure are very real "politics" and internal issues and think as much from the consumer motivation as possible. I am taking all of these published comments here as well as the many emails I have received and will write a follow-up.
DeleteI hope to use a bit of the peek under the tent to modify and revise the initial retail strategy proposed.
Well, very interesting view from a Hallmarker who has NEVER been in business for themselves. While we may not be franchisees, we must adhere to a set of standards and those standards include that we carry a percentage of our product that is Hallmark branded, based upon the square footage of our stores. We must buy every little item (down to the smallest sign) from Hallmark. Unlike the big box stores such as Wal-Mart, Walgreens, etc., we don't get anything free from Hallmark. We are made to purchase product and must pay for it with 30 days of it being shipped to us (in most cases). The big guys get shipped product, Hallmark pays somewhere else to put the product out and display it for them, they don't have to pay for the product until it is rung up as a sale and then whatever product they don't sell, gets packed up (again, by a Hallmark paid employee) and is sent back to Hallmark. No carryover, no obsolete product to contend with, if product is stolen, it's at Hallmark's expense, etc. The inequity is tremendous and this Hallmarker wants to paint us as aging, tight fisted people who can't let go of $11,000 for a new computer (much less know how to use a computer). As a matter of fact, over 15 years ago, we had customizable cards in the stores that were printed on the spot, BUT some great seer at Hallmark decided we didn't need the program anymore and did away with the concept.
ReplyDeleteLet's address the new store concepts. We have to pay for every piece of new store fixturing we get (again, unlike the big guys who get everything FREE). Hallmark every year or so comes out with the latest and greatest store concept which can cost us upward of $50,000. Again, it changes every other year and this is Hallmark's attempt to try and stem the declining sales. While fresh, well lit, clean, well stocked stores is important for sales, so is good product, which Hallmark doesn't have and doesn't provide us.
So, you see, this is a two way street, but independents keep feeling like we're getting run over. I could go on and on about how the independent Gold Crown Store owner has been mistreated by Hallmark, but it doesn't matter. Nothing will ever change. It hasn't changed many years in spite of the independents begging Hallmark to help "fix" the problem as a team. All we get is lip service, while they send they mean and spiteful employees out to the stores to wield the power of the "standard" to try to get us to buy another losing product. Reading the two cents (actually worth much less than that) of thoughts from the Hallmark Sales rep and his nasty assessment of the people who help pay his salary, says more about Hallmark and the situation at hand than anything I could have written.
It's very simple, Hallmark stores were special and inviting because there was nothing like them in the marketplace-like the Apple stores of today. We were SPECIAL. We once had it down, a great tag line, "When you care enough to send the very best", exceptional customer service, one of the first 'rewards' cards, nice clean stores with friendly and knowledgable sales staff, great product that you could NOT buy anywhere else-exclusive to the brand and the store. When you wanted Hallmark-THE BEST- it meant going to your local "Hallmark" store not to the discount, big-box, supermarket or drug store.
DeleteThat is the way it is today. Whether Hallmark wants to admit this or not-going forward they have set themselves to be exactly like American Greetings, sold everywhere, not in specialty stores. There is nothing special about Hallmark because you can buy it anywhere. Customers are sheep. Tell them they get lower prices somewhere and they go, not bothering to check if there is even a price difference. In fact the prices at these 'other' channels is often higher than in the local Hallmark store but the customers don't know this because they don't shop there.
At this point you can't unring the bell, Hallmark stores are a dying breed. There is no need for the speciality Hallmark store because there is nothing special or exclusive about buying Hallmark-can't be the "best" when you can get it at Wal-Mart.
Amen.
DeleteAs an independent owner of multiple stores with 30 plus years experience, I feel that any efforts to re-brand the Gold Crown channel is a waste of time, effort, intellect and money. Hallmark's marketing decisions over the past fifteen years have destined this network of retail stores to ash bin of Retail History. To base the re-branding of the Hallmark Gold Crown store on the retail operating model of Apple Stores is pure folly. I am guessing that the disparity in IAT's at these two retail operations contain a couple of decimal points.
While I welcome the engaging discussion of the viability of my life's endeavor, I will not hold my breath.
Hallmark Corp. with its financial strength is the only player that could truly make the changes required to guarantee the success of any re-branding effort and they will not make the investment. They see the writing on the wall and are content with losing a couple hundred rooftops per year.
Excellent post and discussion. As evidenced by the hideous decline of Kodak, brands must adapt or die. In Kodak's case, it forgot that it's in the business of preserving memories...and you need to be open to any and all advancements that help preserve that brand promise. Though I am personally brand loyal to Hallmark and try to patronize the independent, local retail outlets...it have become painfully obvious the brand has gotten stale. Its rush to placate mass retailers was the first sin. Ham-handed decisions that have led it away from high-touch, personal consumer connections at the retail level was the second sin. I shudder to think what the final straw will be. It may be time to push the reset button at Crown Center before its too late.
ReplyDeleteAs a recently "retired" independent Hallmark store owner who was basically forced out because the store became marginaly profitable with all the old Hallmark product that had to be discarded with little or no credits, merchandise that would be shipped in by by Hallmark reps that wasn't ordered and we would have to eat!! I meet with some of the higher ups in Atlanta at at merchandis show over many of these and other things but they never took the side of the retailers. If it had just been an even playing field with the same terms they give to the Mass Merchants the GC stores could have had a chance even with our higher rents and operating costs. Fifteen years when there were 5000 GC stores we should have formed a group, much like some of the other large chains have,that would staked out our demands and gotten things done!! Too late now!! So many things the retailers above have already written about are so true. Everytime I hear that song "WE ARE FAMILEEEEE" that Hallmark played at a big retail meeting in K.C. about 10 years ago I WANT TO THROW UP!! THE ONLY FAMILY THE CARE ABOUT IS THEIR OWN!! THANKS
DeleteI sincerely hope that this blog and the discussions that have been posted, especially from current and former Hallmark GC retailers, is REQUIRED reading at Crown Center. I too am a soon to be retired independent GC retailer and everything expressed in the blog is all to true.
ReplyDeleteHallmark used to be a great brand ("When you cared enough to send the very best") and is now religated to a mediocre position in todays world. Wonder what taking product out of specialty store and into the mass channels had to do with making it so ordinary?
Steve Brownell
New Mexico
I am a current GC owner, all of this is disgustingly so true. Hallmarknis killing our independent businesses, livelihood, and with their greed forcing us all, at some point it seems, to shut our doors for good. I did this for my daughter's future, who is only 2. Too bad she will probably never get to benefit from my losing investment. Worst choice I ever made! It is time that Hallmark is stopped. Current and past owners need to band together in order to be heard. They should be held accountable for their lies, greed, and damages caused. If you are interested in joining forces, PLEASE reach out to me. I have others already gathered in my area.
DeleteMe too. All of these posts ate disgustingly true. Hallmark only cares about themselves. I would like to start a class action suit.
DeleteMr. Brownell, We aren't sure who is reading our thoughts, but we can assure you that several thousand have already.
ReplyDeleteOur goal was to spur discuss and disrupt "business as usual" thinking. We didn't set out to single out Hallmark, but it certainly has struck a chord.
Please keep sharing and let's keep the discussion alive on making Hallmark retail much more than ordinary.
Thank you.
To: Rockhill Strategic
DeleteCould you please share, what your involvement with this re-branding effort is all about? As with most undertakings, there has to be a vested interest. What is Rockhill's interest and on behalf of whom?
Is Rockhill Strategic being compensated for this study?
The contributing commentary on this blog is really quite limited considering all the interested parties involved, including Hallmark Corp. I was made aware of this blog via word of mouth from another independent retailer. What plans do you have to reach a larger share of interested parties with this discussion?
Thank You,
Thank you for your comment. Rockhill Strategic is a retail brand and communications consulting firm. We work with retail clients both large and small to make their products and experiences better. The goal of this article was to highlight a case study about a great brand that is struggling a bit to find their footing with their retail stores. Then to offer some top line creative solutions to demonstrate how we approach retail and branding problems. This forum is an open dialogue and we would like to keep it as such.
DeleteWhile we are in fact paid by national brands to do the work that is summarized in this article, I must be clear that this is simply a case study and that Hallmark or no entity associated to Hallmark was involved and no compensation was received.
It has caused quite a bit of discussion. As of today this article has been viewed by several thousand people.
Please keep your comments and questions coming.
Thank you.
All of these comments are very interesting and support my perspective as a consumer of stationery products. I have literally written and sent thousands of cards and letters to individuals all over the world during my lifetime. Many of these products were produced by Hallmark. I was born and raised in the Kansas City area, so I took great pride in the legacy Joyce Hall built and left to the community. I enjoyed great pride in supporting Hallmark with my hard-earned cash. I met many employees in several cities and owners of Gold Crown stores all over the country. Over the years, particularly during the last 15, I have seen the decline of the Hallmark brand. I have been a platinum card holder during all those years, but not anymore. Anyone who has read any of the books written by the successful business author Jim Collins understands the dynamics that cause great companies to grow and flourish over their competitors, while others struggle and sometimes die. I have to sympathize with the many people connected with Hallmark that have great ideas that might save the company from decline and possible extinction, but I’m all too aware that their voices are drown out by others who think their ideas are much more important. What those so-called corporate leaders fail to understand is that there are consumers out there, like me, who are not fooled by their marketing failures. I spend hundreds of dollars each year buying stationery. I still believe that handwritten communication is not a dying art because of the personal touch that affects a person’s life. Change is inevitable as we have seen with examples such as the elimination of cursive handwriting in public schools and the continuing troubles of the U.S. Postal Service. Someday people may not be able to read the Hallmark cursive logo and use their pre-paid envelopes to mail a card. Give me a company that 1) protects its employees by not outsourcing its work to China, 2) treats its consumers with great respect, especially when dialing into the 800 number for customer service, and 3) provides great value at a reasonable cost. This commitment from a company will earn my continuing business. Hallmark, unfortunately, has failed on all three counts. That should alarm the owners, but I’m afraid it really doesn’t affect a privately-owned enterprise. Perhaps strong competition will finally awaken the Hall family.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the insightful comments. I believe that "not listening to the customer" is certainly a huge concern. Hallmark has fought to preserve market share as fewer cards are purchased and sent by lowering prices and offering their mass cards at more retailers. In the area of cards and stationary i think they need to listen to their customers and consider the emotional connection that people have to writing a card or a letter. make the product as unique and special as the sentiment. The ideas in this article attempted to express some of that. A return to making the card buying and sending experience something that has emotional meaning again. Hallmark might be surprised how many people would respond to that and how they might actually capture the younger generation who are seeking a return to authenticity.
DeleteThank you for the comments.
Well put. The emotional connection of communicating through a card or gift should be the focus of a Hallmark card shop. Unfortunately, the fear of going out of business motivates most Hallmark retailers (I am one) to concentrate their focus on finding any and all products, whatever they are (like Beanie Babies or Silly Bands) that will generate immediate sales. We, as independent retailers, and the Hallmark Corporation, are both guilty. We need to define who and what we are in this age of social media. We need to find our focus...our niche. I don't care what generation you're from, a 'Happy Birthday' via Facebook or Twitter isn't the same as receiving a well-chosen greeting card. Even those with smartphones glued to their hands 24/7 still appreciate a personal greeting card or a gift chosen specifically for the individual or occasion. Hallmark knows how to tap in to personal relationships (look at any Hallmark commercial). How to bring that to a bricks-and-mortar store is the problem. I hope Hallmark sees these remarks. Please send them to Don Hall Junior, President and CEO
ReplyDeleteVery well thought out comment. Thank you. It appears from the comments and what you see on the ground, that there is a serious lack of trust between Hallmark Corporate and the independent retailers. Perhaps both took their eye off of the ball at times. The good news is that there are many incredibly talented and creative people at Hallmark, and there are very dedicated and hard working retailers. I would form a new innovation team that would work with a representative group of retailers to shape a new direction for the stores. Hallmark would invest in the independent retailers while also starting a few new company owned stores in areas that are not served by these newly branded stores. Shared investment and a commitment to unique and specialty merchandise could help rebuild trust and refresh the brand for the success of all who fall under the crown.
DeleteOPINION-Hallmark has probably recognized during this last decade that four forces have come together to force a tipping point of sorts: digital competition,aging demographics the poor macro-economy and hyper-aggressive traditional competition .Hence,the independent one or two store (franchise style)card shop owner is on a quick path to extinction.For the most part,the only way the Hallmark store can survive is if it is corporately owned (affording it the manufacturers wholesale product cost structure)or if hallmark expands the number of stores owned by the independent chain store owners,ensuring store viability and survival stemming from operating cost economies of scale. If you look closely you'll see that the recent channel strategy has been to consolidate distribution around multiple store owners and corporate owned locations.Interestingly, Hallmark, throughout this challenging period has not offered help in the way of additional product discounts or otherwise that could stave off the many store closings.In fact they are continually ADDING demands and costs which bolster their profits while hastening marginal store closings. Since the mid 1980s the Hallmark independent owners have kept the network afloat by continually adding a bigger percentage of High turning very productive allied (non hallmark) merchandise to the store mix while the hallmark percentage of the store mix has been declining to now about 50%. If these store were required to carry only hallmark merchandise, as many major licensed store branded franchise type operations require,the Hallmark card shop would have faded years ago.Hallmark,through its tightly worded Gold Crown licensing agreement, has managed to secure many of the benefits and control of a franchisor without having to deliver the necessary productive products to keep the locations open and profitable .Many times this agreement has forced dealers to purchase an expensive, broad slow turning selection of Hallmark branded merchandise that is then culled and presented in Hallmark's main mass and drug channels for maximum productivity.Hallmark is a well managed company that knows what it is doing.Their main business is now not the flagship channel but the mass channel.The card shop is their premium outlet to feed productive merchandise to their major customers.
DeleteThank You
My Family and I were looking at opening and investing some 500,000.00 of our personal savings in a new Hallmark store, we really love Hallmark products, however after reading the experiences of Hallmark owners on this forum and many others, that’s no longer going to happen.
ReplyDeleteI hope the Hall family get it but in my experience these types never do, “All For Me Baby”!!
What a waste!
GOOD MOVE, Hallmark Gold Crown Ownership is a thing of the past. As of next year, all Hallmark cards will have one name accross the board= Hallmark Cards, in all retail channels. which means the same card at Gold Crown will be available at walmart. Plus a lot of the cards are now made in china. Hallmark has a bigger plan and trust me when I say this, GOLD CROWN IS NOT IT. I feel sorry for the owners who are locked into long term leases, and have no way out.
DeleteThank you so much for your blog on Hallmark Gold Crown Stores! How refreshing to hear that I as an independent GC store owner am not alone! The coupons that Corporate sends out i.e. "20% off total purchase for qualifying Hallmark items that only give .20 cents of the purchase and when you call in Hallmark for support they can't tell you what the qualifying items are or why the coupon won't take off 20%, but you can just take it off yourself and that way Hallmark won't have to reimburse their portion and you have the customer screaming at you that they will NEVER be back in this store again. Hallmark says we are the only one having this issue, but the customer will say I tried to use it in another town and they told me the same thing. Talk about out and out railroading you to the curb! It is totally absurd what all the Hallmark Corporation has done to the independents! Why we don't band together and sue Hallmark for blatantly trying to put the independents out of business, I don't know. Perhaps this is an avenue we might look at! As another example, Hallmark Retail Connect put on their site that to make our goal in Christmas Counter cards that our Hallmark Rep would be contacting us to order more cards, my rep never contacted me, but I checked on Hallmark Link to see what orders were pending and what to my amazement appeared, but a new order for Christmas Counter cards in the amount of $1300.00. I already have $12,000.00 in cards coming not including the boxes of backstock in my stock room. I am in a small town and trust me I don't need $13,300.00 worth of cards. Now I feel a little better seeing that others out there feel my pain. To all Independent Hallmark Gold Crown Store Owners best wishes to you and hopefully we can bring in more trendy products from other vendors and when the time comes to turn in our Hallmark Gold Crown Store signs, we will be bigger and better than when we had Hallmark products!
ReplyDeleteIs it a good idea to buy and existing Hall mark store which is for Resale? After all these comments on blog it does not seems correct idea? At what price point existing Hall Mark Retail stores are selling as Percentage of Gross Revenues as well as Multiple of EBDITA?
ReplyDelete