1. You are going to need some extra help. If you can manage to keep a big crowd happy, then you will turn a lot of curious first time shoppers into long-term customers. You should probably hire some seasonal help.

2. Stock enough inventory to get through the busy season. If you’re having trouble securing credit to get what you need, consider having online sales and pass out rain tickets to customers looking for something that you ran out of.

3. Keep your clothing racks stocked. Don’t let things run too low without consolidating them. It gives the impression that you are not restocking for some reason, like you’re not going to carry that product anymore because you weren’t happy with it. Have employees restock the shelves and garment racks about every hour or as you notice them running low.

4. Keep the store tidy. No one wants to dig through a pile of clothes or sift through giant stacks looking for their size. Keep stacks folded nice and stacked in order from the biggest size on the bottom to the largest size on the top.

5. Clearly display what you have for sale. Using mannequins is a great idea. It shows customers what you have to offer and they can see it from far away. They can see what the garments look like when worn and also which accessories you recommend wearing with the garments. This is especially helpful in a boutique where the clothing is often custom made and people shopping may not realize what it would look like on. If they couldn’t figure it out, they would have to try it on. If the store is crowded or if they’re tired of shopping, they’re not going to bother. Mannequins also help to keep people from unfolding piles of clothes to check out certain garments.

6. Avoid shoplifting problems this holiday season by positioning your clothing racks so that your employees can easily keep an eye on them. Don’t pack them so full that you can’t see through to the other side. Keep circular racks near the register and don’t put a garment rack too near a wall or other fixture. Use spotlighting and consistent customer service to keep shoplifters from getting comfortable.

7. Get into the holiday spirit and keep a happy attitude. Customers will feed off of your mood, so be careful about showing how busy you are on the outside. Be patient, helpful and available to customers. Use these tips and your boutique Christmas could be your best yet.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

Black Friday is an important day for retailers. This day marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Advertisers have made Black Friday a very popular shopping day. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade features the arrival of Santa and the Christmas season. Business owners know that people will be spending a lot of money the day after Thanksgiving, so they strive to get as much of that business as possible.

If you run a boutique, you will also want to prepare for this momentous event. Many stores open really early, as early as 4:00 AM to let shoppers in. They advertise special deals for weeks before the event. If you want to get in on the action, then you need to make sure that your customers and potential customers know that they will be getting great deals when they shop in your boutique on Black Friday.

Competition will be steep. Most people will determine what they are going to buy and from what stores before they go out shopping. You may need to advertise exact prices, even if you normally don’t. Many companies will list on their web site a Black Friday list, revealing what will be on sale and for how much. However, they will usually only do this at the last minute because they are worried that their competitors will simply beat their prices and get all the business from savvy shoppers. But, boutiques have unique apparel and gifts that aren’t usually going to be sold at the competitions’ boutiques. So, you can reveal some of your prices without worrying about other companies undercutting you.

Getting the word out is so important for boutiques because you will be competing with the big department stores for shoppers’ time. Sending out coupons or e-mails with printable coupons is a good way to get on shoppers’ agendas. Be prepared for a crowd by having plenty of workers on hand. If you decide to open early to get some of the die-hard Black Friday shoppers, offer your employees special incentives, breakfast, coffee, and other perks to ensure that they are prepared for a long hard day.

Stress the fact that garment racks and clothing racks need to be kept stocked and straight all day. Make sure you have enough inventory on hand so that you don’t miss out on sales. Full displays sell more items. An organized garment rack display looks attractive and appealing. Your signage, presentation, organization, and communication are so important.

After Black Friday, you can have a Cyber Monday sale to sell what you didn’t on Friday. The Monday after Thanksgiving is a huge online shopping day. People have determined what they need to buy that they didn’t get on Black Friday, or they’ve simply decided to avoid the crowds. Make sure that you tell your Black Friday shoppers about the Cyber Monday sale when they are leaving.

If you don’t make as much as you had hoped, there are still a few weeks before Christmas. Retailers still make a big percentage of their money for the year on the few days before Christmas.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of clothing racks including garment racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.