Facing the After-Christmas Dread

The After-Christmas Let-Down for Retailers is real! So is battling the after-Christmas Let Down. Do you find yourself dreading all of the after-Christmas let down? You are probably a little exhausted after the long hours at your store along with all the things you had to do for your personal life. There is nothing more tiring than being a retailer during the holiday season. There are those days when your cash register is ringing all day long and you are thankful that there is a 4^th quarter every year to help push you through.

But there’s that other side. The part that comes December 26^th.  You know that not everything you sold is going to stay sold. You begin to have visions- or more likely nightmares- of people streaming into your business with returns. Usually the nightmares have a little more of a  dramatic flare than the actual number of people that might come in with a return. This is a normal feeling, though, and it doesn’t really get any easier no matter how long you have been in business.

Changing Your Mindset to Change the Outcome

If you own a brick and mortar store there are a few different ways of looking at this that might help.

• First, don’t take it personally. The fact that they are returning the gift has everything to do with them and/or maybe the person that gave it to them. It might be as simple as something they already have or the wrong size or color. It might just not be something they need.
• Secondly, this gives you a chance to show your ability to give really good customer service and show off your store. Most of us have experienced both ends of this spectrum. You take in a return and the salesperson, or store owner, treats you like it is your fault that you got something you didn’t like or want. They might even be a little bit on the rude side. Then there is the other side: You take in a return and you are met with the nicest, friendliest person who makes the whole transaction seamless and makes you glad you came in. They don’t expect you to have a receipt for a gift you received. They make sure you leave feeling satisfied with their service. By making this a pleasant experience for them rather than them feeling like they are intruding on your time or making them mad, you have the chance to make them loyal fans of your business.
• Thirdly, they might see something else in your store that they want when they might not have come in otherwise. Make sure your store looks appealing and well-merchandised to attract their attention and want them to move around rather than just standing in line with a return. I know this is asking a lot considering you just went through the holiday season, but if you can at least keep it from looking like a disheveled mess.

Winning the War

As a brick and mortar store you are always competing against the giant online warehouse operations or the big box stores. In most cases, they can stand to lose a little business so they make it fairly easy to return an unwanted item. Customers notice and appreciate that. The goal for brick and mortar store owners is to meet or exceed that kind of customer interaction to win their business.

Hopefully your November and December sales were really good to cushion anything you might experience in January. Besides all of that, this is another opportunity for you to show them that shopping locally is not hard or time-consuming or inconvenient and that interacting with a real person can be a great experience.

Here’s to a great and prosperous 2020!