As a retailer, there are so many hats to wear, it is often daunting to "do it all." Between all issues that relate to the physical location, inventory, training and HR, there’s the promotion and marketing of the business that always needs to be addressed. Marketing is not everyone’s favorite...
Like many independent retailers in our industry, I started my business fueled by a passion to help people with safe natural options to live and enjoy wellness. Opening the door each day and being successful was a one-day-at-a-time endeavor, a committed challenge I willingly took on as I helped...
Over the now three and a half decades I have been on the health and nutrition field, it has always been common knowledge that the independent retailer health food supplement store was the “go to” place for all things health and nutrition. In the beginning, it was the place to...
For independent retailers seeking to compete in a mass-market world, differentiating ourselves through customer service and an educated staff has become more important than ever. However, when you own your business and are responsible for everything from paying the bills to buying product, finding the time to build a successful...
Our customers trust us, and that is no small thing. And because they trust us, they trust the companies we trust. “If you’re stocking it,” they say, “I know it must be good.” But is that true? I think it should be. I believe I am ethically bound to...
New faces walk through our doors all the time, most are customers, many are old friends and a few are there to represent a company and build a relationship with that store. Every once in a while, when a new face shows up and that stranger is a sales representative—the...
(This piece was originally published in a newsletter from Whole Earth Center, Princeton, NJ) A recent report on organic food and beverage shoppers suggests that there has been a growing distrust and discounting of organic certification over the past few years. So, we would like to take a moment...
Twenty years ago, shopping in a natural foods market was considered quite “alternative”. Customers only went there if they were “sick” or needed a quick remedy that was perhaps shared as an Old Wives’ Tale. Now, in 2015, natural foods markets are becoming the new grocery store. People are...
Embarking on an adventure known as opening and owning a natural grocery store leaves one open to questions, comments and conversation: questions of disbelief, comments of support and conversations—many conversations—about logistics, operations and procedures for everything from the produce coming in the door to the average ticket price walking out.
Many of us view social media for our business as a necessary evil: it’s time consuming, we wonder if it works, but we know we must participate to stay relevant and connected to an important segment of our customer base. This conundrum leaves us scratching our heads and saying, “OK,...
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