It is officially the holiday selling season now that Halloween has come and gone.  I wanted to share a couple of tips to make the most of your opportunity.

* Effective Displays - If you want to sell all that stuff you bought at the shows you need effective, compelling displays.  Find the best spots in your store for the most profitable items.  Utilize the signage available from your suppliers.  Don't forget to make the pricing a focal point in the display.  If there isn't a price on it; it's not for sale.
 
* Get "It" in Their Hands - Literally put the product in their hands.  If the customer holds the product they are much more likely to buy it; eighteen percent more likely to be exact.
 
* Up Sell - You know your customers; get them to know your products.  If they are buying a $10 bottle on a regular basis show them the $15 bottle.  Encourage them to explore your selection and be passionate about it.  They are in your store because they like your store, your employees, your selection, and your passion.  Get them exited about new things and they will buy them.
 
* Tastings and Rebates - Always be soliciting your sales people for tastings.  It gives your customers the opportunity to try before they buy and it really can ramp up the sales on the product being tasted.  Rebates are another great way to move more product.  Minnesota has one of the best redemption rates for rebates in the country so use them to your advantage.

Hopefully you can use one or more of these tips.  My contact information is directly to the right of this article so use it if you have any questions or ideas that you use to make your holiday season a success.
 
Brian Hachey

Stacy

MMBA Secretary / Treasurer

At the recent MMBA Regional meetings, former police chief, county sheriff, Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement head, and current Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association executive director Frank Ball spoke on liquor operation security issues.

 

Frank was recently featured in a StarTribune article discussing his experiences as a police trainer in Afghanistan.

 

Click Here to View the Article 

 

by Mandy Moran Froemming

     Anoka Union Editor

When Sherry Fields (pictured center) finishes her last day of work at Anoka's Better Values Liquors, she is going to be missed.


Missed by her customers, her co-workers and her supervisors.

Fields has worked for the city of Anoka's municipal liquor operations for more than 23 years, the last 10 full time.

"She's like my right hand," said Jim Pruse, manager of the East River Road store (right). "She's always on the ball and takes care of things I never even have to think about."

Fields connects with her customers at the neighborhood store.

It's the people, she both serves and works with, that are going to be hard to leave on Nov. 6.

"I like the people and I'm a people person," she said.

Fields runs the register at the store and stocks the floor, along with monitoring and ordering some of the inventory.

She goes through her days with a quick wit and sense of humor.

"She makes being at work a lot of fun," said Pruse. She knows the customers to joke with and lightens the mood with her laughter.

"Life's too short to take things too seriously," said Fields on perennially positive personality. "You've got to go with the flow."

She first started working for the city at the old Highway 10 store before it was remodeled, but after four years was transferred to the East River Road location, where she has now been for nearly 20 years.

"I've been in the liquor business a long time, either serving it or selling it," said Fields, who also waitressed at area establishments for 17 years. "I guess it was just somewhere I felt comfortable."

And for all that selling, what's Fields' personal favorite?

A glass of dry red.

Fields jokes that she's old and it's time to retire. But at age 67, Pruse said she has more than kept up with a physically demanding job and he has been the one to tell her to take it easy.

Operations Manager Dave Duwenhoegger (left) calls her both reliable and hardworking.

"She's going to be missed by Jim and missed by all of us," he said.

Her work ethic will be hard to replace. Just as hard as her positive personality and sense of humor, which shines when she gives her bosses a hard time.

But it's all in good fun, with great affection and respect.

"It's going to be hard to leave them," said Fields, who says she thinks of Pruse as a fourth son. "There are going to be a few tears."

And those tears already started when she found out about the banner flying outside of the store, encouraging customers to come in and wish Sherry well on her retirement.

"I missed it, I didn't even see it - a customer came to tell me it was out there," she said.

Fields has been thinking about retirement for a while and had originally planned to be finished in September 2008.

But the soft real estate market had her waiting longer than she planned to sell her Ramsey townhome, which she moved out of this week.

As she leaves her long-time employment, Fields has some exciting things ahead.

She is moving north to join her fiancé, Dave, at his Longville farm. The couple have been dating for more than three years and he is the brother-in-law of a former liquor store coworker.

"We've been talking about a wedding, but we haven't set a date yet," she said.

 

 

 

A fork lift driver in Moscow was sampling too much of his own product when he drunkenly plowed his vehicle into the stock shelves of vodka and cognac in the storeroom where he worked.

 

The result was a spectacular crash in which $150,000 worth of liquor rained down around him.

 

Amazingly, he

escaped with nothing but a leg injury. We doubt he can say the same for his

job. 

Beer Spas are gaining popularity abroad.

 

Plan your promotions carefully so that you avoid black holes of inactivity. 

 

You can do this by using a combination of weekly and monthly promotional events.

 

Weekly promotional events are effective because they help create a sense of urgency for customers to shop now for that week's featured specials.

 

Monthly promotional events are umbrellas that reinforce the overall position of your facility.