Insider's Tips to Starting the New Year with a Bang

There's only one week left before a new year begins and people everywhere are thinking about how to start it off right. This "New Year, New Me!" mindset will contribute to frantic cleaning, organizing, and replacing unwanted items with new ones received on Christmas Day. During this time, thrift stores will typically see a spike in donations. This dramatic increase inventory may also be followed by a decrease in sales, creating the perfect storm for chaos in the back room.

By sticking to an efficient in-and-out system, you can overcome these year-end challenges. Here are a few ideas that will help keep your back room tidy and your sales floor stocked:

• Make the most of vertical space. You might not be able to add square footage to your back room, but you can increase your storage capacity with tall shelving units.
• Discount or discard old items. If a dining room table has been overlooked for over a month, push the needle by discounting it and moving it to the front of the store to grab your customers' attention. The quicker it sells, the quicker something else can take it's place!
• Use detailed labels. Correctly labeling shelves and bins and using proper signage throughout the back room will not only increase your thrift store's efficiency, but it will boost your sales. Flipping inventory effectively will help you keep a fresh sales floor, which will encourage customers to return to see what new items you have for sale.