A few questions......

[cutecub79]

Hello, as you can tell I am new to these forums and I’m trying to get a bit of advice.

My Husband currently works in a small Model shop, owned by his mother. I have also started working there part time, along side my full time job.
We need some advice on how to solve the following problems.

1. We have no till, just a safety deposit box that all cash goes in. I hate this and find it unprofessional! All adding up is done on a calculator which could potentially lead to mistakes.

2. Keeping tabs on what is in/out of stock is a nightmare. There is no stock control system.
Is there a system where we can have a till and keep control of our stock? I have read about Epos? But don’t really understand how it would work or the costs involved. Can a company come and set up a Taylor made system for our shop? If so, any recommendations?

3. Our main attraction as a shop is rare 2nd hand/discontinued items and servicing and repairs. How can we promote this easily? We have a website which my Husband created, but having no background in web design makes it difficult to know how to generate more business from it. We get maybe 2 - 3 sales a week from it. Any help on this would be beneficial.

4. Advertising and working hours - We have very low footfall during the weekdays. We are near a busy train station, but Husband and Mother in law are reluctant to open earlier to get any of the potential passing trade (current opening hours are 12pm - 5pm) We have tried advertising in the most popular magazines, but have found this generates no additional customers. I find it crazy that we do not open earlier, am I making a big deal about this, or is it not an issue?

Any help on these questions would be much appreciated!

[tigger]

Hi
I'm no expert - I am finding my way back into the family retail business too, having had my own career for the last 15 years, and only hitherto been involved to hold the fort during holidays etc.
We have a 'normal' till at our business, and it is quite lo-tech but we have a website too, which is very successful. I am trying to persuade them that EPOs is a good thing to work towards for the future. My sister does all the web stuff but she is a professional website designer so that helps. I think Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) would help you - it would mean that your products would pop up more easily on Google etc - but you'd need to get some guidance from elsewhere (on the web) as to how to edit your website to do this.
At a guess you would be completely missing out on any passing trade from commuter traffic with your opening hours - unless your weekend hours are both Sat & sunday might it be worth a late night until 7 once a week?

Does your hubby want to make a living from the shop or just keep the family business ticking? He doesn't sound that committed to the business side of it? maybe he is an enthusiast who has branched out? That's fine if you are happy to give your time, advice and expertise for free - and expertise can be part of your unique selling point , just beware of customers who take up all your time chatting & asking for advice, and hanging out, instead of spending money. Cheers
tigger

[e-Possible.co.uk]

Hello,
1. An Epos system would indeed make for a more professional image, whilst making transactions a lot easier. Obviously there is quite a big initial cost involved, but if you’re intending to be in this business for a long time it will generally pay for itself over the years.

2. There are many Epos systems which have stock control built into their software or can be purchased as a separate unit. This is the one of the most advantageous feature of an Epos system and can literally save you hours of manual stock checking.

In short, an Epos system is designed exactly for that - transactions and stock control. It normally consists of a PC of some sorts and software which allow you to take transactions and manage your stock at the same time.
I'm actually from e-Possible and we design tailor made systems for different businesses. You can view more details at our website http://www.e-possible.co.uk/
Please take a look if you wish to, but don’t feel obliged to purchase anything, this is merely a suggestion.

3. Advertising is a tricky thing; it normally involves more than one type of medium. A few examples are internet, local paper, sponsorship, word of mouth, etc, etc. Try a few and see what works for you. To generate more traffic to your webpage you need to do some SEO like tigger said. You could also try some of the tips on this webpage........
http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=32162

4. I think your idea of opening early to catch the morning passing trade is a good one. I mean you could always try it for a few weeks and with any luck it might just pull in a few more customers.

Good luck, and remember perseverance is the key!

[m8internet]

My Husband currently works in a small Model shop, owned by his mother. I have also started working there part time, along side my full time job
How is the model shop trading in general?
Many model shops have closed due to falling sales / increased costs


1. We have no till, just a safety deposit box that all cash goes in. I hate this and find it unprofessional! All adding up is done on a calculator which could potentially lead to mistakes!
Presumably you transfer this to the AC87 on a daily basis
Your accountant must love you then!
Are the sales high enough and is the business registered for VAT?
Does your commercial insurance not have a clause that any daily takings MUST be in a secure box with a separate secure area?
So long as you have basic record keeping, then a cash box and cash book is all that you legally require!


2. Keeping tabs on what is in/out of stock is a nightmare. There is no stock control system.
Is there a system where we can have a till and keep control of our stock? I have read about Epos? But don’t really understand how it would work or the costs involved. Can a company come and set up a Taylor made system for our shop? If so, any recommendations?
This is my field of expertise
You can have anything from manual stock control right through to EPOS
However, it depends on what is of benefit to you and your customers
Most model shops are arranged by product type (such as sailing, aircraft, etc) and then by generic items (such as bolts, electrics, etc)
If you are a small outlet then you should know what you have, EPOS is then pointless
However, if you have a large shop AND large sales, then EPOS makes sense
You would be looking at about £2000 just on a system alone


3. Our main attraction as a shop is rare 2nd hand/discontinued items and servicing and repairs. How can we promote this easily? We have a website which my Husband created, but having no background in web design makes it difficult to know how to generate more business from it. We get maybe 2 - 3 sales a week from it. Any help on this would be beneficial
I can revamp your website, at a rate of £5.00 per page
Contact me via PM with details of your website
Most model shops, like you describe, simply have their website as a point of contact, and that is all you need
However, you could add to that reviews and seasonal offers
Servicing and repairs are well sought after now, esepcially things like DCC conversion


4. Advertising and working hours - We have very low footfall during the weekdays. We are near a busy train station, but Husband and Mother in law are reluctant to open earlier to get any of the potential passing trade (current opening hours are 12pm - 5pm) We have tried advertising in the most popular magazines, but have found this generates no additional customers. I find it crazy that we do not open earlier, am I making a big deal about this, or is it not an issue?
Have they actually tried early morning trading?
One thing I have noted from local model shops is they trade 5 days a week, rather than limited hours, say Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10:00 - 17:30, Saturday 09:00 - 16:00, so they are CLOSED on Wednesday and Sunday

Equally, is it worth staying open longer on Thursday?
I would suggest trying those revised hours during November and December

How large is the shop front and how dominant is its location?

Advertising in magazines is hit and miss
A basic advert with name, location, and opening hours it will get little interest
Double the advert with "Authorised Hornby repair" and maybe one special offer "cut out and get your free tree", and people may cut it out and bring it to the store

[retailworld]

Welcome to the forum - you've had some good answers already but I'll have a think and post some suggestions tomorrow...

[JZK100K]

Hello friend,
I think maybe you should go to business link, they will be able to give you advice on what you need to do, and they can offer you contacts to people that can help you find grants to get those things you need for your business and also put you on a course on how to keep book.

Good luck with your firm.

Regards John