We have tasting parties beginning in October to the end of December. They work in two ways. First, it is our busier season and they help manage waiting time. Customers enjoy talking with their friends and sampling as they approach the check-out area. Second, we can introduce people to new items. Many times people buy things they might not have, if they had not sampled them. We also offer volume discounts — such as, buy four, get fifth one free.
Hazem Jaber, operating partner of World Gourmet Foods in Bloomington, Illinois
We have First Thursdays. The first Thursday of the month we are open late and have in-store demonstrations. During the last one, we showed ways to decorate cookies and cupcakes. We have drawings with prizes and we also offer a store-wide 10 percent discount that night.
We are planning a huge holiday open house. We will send out mailers and put an announcement on our website’s reader board. In December, First Thursday’s topic will be gift packaging your own baked goods or store-bought mixes and baking utensils.
Lorraine Hitchcock, owner of Beyond Pots N Pans in Stockton, California
Toward the holidays, we have sampling of our cheeses, crackers and native-to-the-area choke berries. We offer choke berry jellies, jams, syrups, and candies. We also have some books on cheeses. We make up Christmas gift boxes with these local products and ship all over the United States, beginning the end of September. We advertise our specials on the LED sign outside the store and in the tri-county area newsletter.
Tom Apple, owner of Kitch’s Cheese Mart in Lewistown, Montana
We have an annual Christmas open house the first weekend of November — Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We have been doing it for 33 years and we do a mailing to 15,000. We have food, goodies, prizes, and attendees get the first look at new products. People sign up for the event. We sample every weekend, but that weekend we serve all our samples of products geared for holidays, everything from dips to cookies.
David Boroch, president of Old Allegheny Shoppe in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
We have tasting parties beginning in October to the end of December. They work in two ways. First, it is our busier season and they help manage waiting time. Customers enjoy talking with their friends and sampling as they approach the check-out area. Second, we can introduce people to new items. Many times people buy things they might not have, if they had not sampled them. We also offer volume discounts — such as, buy four, get fifth one free.
ReplyDeleteHazem Jaber, operating partner of World Gourmet Foods in Bloomington, Illinois
We have First Thursdays. The first Thursday of the month we are open late and have in-store demonstrations. During the last one, we showed ways to decorate cookies and cupcakes. We have
ReplyDeletedrawings with prizes and we also offer a store-wide 10 percent discount that night.
We are planning a huge holiday open house. We will send out mailers and put an announcement
on our website’s reader board. In December, First Thursday’s topic will be gift packaging your own
baked goods or store-bought mixes and baking utensils.
Lorraine Hitchcock, owner of Beyond Pots N Pans in Stockton, California
Toward the holidays, we have sampling of our cheeses, crackers and native-to-the-area choke
ReplyDeleteberries. We offer choke berry jellies, jams, syrups, and candies. We also have some books on
cheeses. We make up Christmas gift boxes with these local products and ship all over the United
States, beginning the end of September. We advertise our specials on the LED sign outside the store and in the tri-county area newsletter.
Tom Apple, owner of Kitch’s Cheese Mart in Lewistown, Montana
We have an annual Christmas open house the first weekend of November — Friday, Saturday
ReplyDeleteand Sunday. We have been doing it for 33 years and we do a mailing to 15,000. We have food, goodies, prizes, and attendees get the first look at new products. People sign up for the event. We sample every weekend, but that weekend we serve all our samples of products geared for holidays, everything from dips to cookies.
David Boroch, president of Old Allegheny Shoppe in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania