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 Merchandising
Merit
booth
on a budget
Floral department builds a multipurpose merchandiser to handle
Valentine’s Day overflow.
When Valentine’s Day rolls around, does it feel as if your
department shrinks? Suddenly, you have more work and extra staff
and nowhere to put either one. Last year, the floral staff at
Scott’s Foods Store No. 16 in Fort Wayne, Ind., handled the
overflow by building a large—yet inexpensive— booth/merchandiser
in their department.
On the outside counter of all four sides, the staff merchandised
a variety of gifts. At the large counter inside the booth, extra
Valentine’s Day staff processed flowers and greened containers
for custom arrangements that designers completed elsewhere.
Although the booth didn’t have a cash register, the extra staff
answered customers’ questions about the gift items merchandised
there.
Floral Manager Serena Anderson estimates that Valentine’s Day
sales last year increased 2 percent to 3 percent over the
previous year, which she credits to the display, an entry in the
2004 “Merchandising Award of Excellence” contest, sponsored by
Super Floral Retailing and Bˆrgen Systems.
CONSTRUCTION Three staff members built the four-pillar
booth two weeks before Valentine’s Day using milk crates. They
covered it in white corrugated paper printed with a Valentine’s
Day heart pattern. Then, the floral department strung fishing
line from pillar to pillar in an “X” format. From the line, they
hung a variety of Valentine’s Day decorations.
It took about five hours to complete the entire project.
The only problem with the design, which Ms. Anderson is working
on for this year, was that, occasionally, customers would wander
inside the booth and attempt to buy custom arrangements awaiting
pickup.
MERCHANDISE Products featured around the outside of the
booth came
from departments throughout the store. They included plush,
balloons, Russell
Stover candy, conversation hearts, wine and heart-shaped
“cookie-grams.” Also
in the display last year was a special new feature targeted to
men. Inside a box for
a dozen roses, the staff placed six Corona beers, limes, peanuts
and, sometimes, a
single rose. Then, the staff placed a bow on top of the box.
COST The cost of the booth display was minimal. Ms.
Anderson, with the help
of Ann Glass, her floral assistant, had to purchase only the
corrugated paper
and the Valentine’s Day decorations that hung from the fishing
line.
You can reach Merchandising Merit writer Monica Humbard at
mhumbard@superfloralretailing.com or (800) 355-8086.
To enjoy the rest of this
issue, please go to the
Subscriptions page and get your
copy of Super Floral Retailing today!!!
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Super Floral Retailing • Copyright 2005
Florists' Review Enterprises, Inc.
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