How Scary is Your Halloween ROI?

I hope you took great notes from last year’s Halloween! 2021 will mirror 2020. I suggest you get your Halloween decorations and candy on the shelves as soon as possible. IF this is your year to call it quits on Halloween seasonal sales, then break my golden rule and place the decorations and Halloween greeting cards on sale now. If you haven't ordered your Halloween candy yet, maybe you shouldn't do it at all. If you do, expect single-serve candy like Reese's peanut butter pumpkin to do "just ok." When it comes to the bag, and boxed candy, continue to avoid the seasonal packages… and check out my Halloween worksheet.

High Blood Pressure – Nothing to Sneeze At

ABC News reported on the rise in hypertension. The report stated that since 1990 the number of people with high blood pressure has doubled to a staggering 1.2 billion people worldwide. Now is the best time to create signage to help customers find cough & cold relief remedies geared to hypertension patients. Start with Coricidin HBP. As always, consult with your pharmacist before making signs for health-related OTC.

Be the High Blood Pressure Destination

ABC News also reported that nearly half the people with hypertension do not even realize they have it! Consider asking the pharmacist to make a short video discussing hypertension and end the video by mentioning your new signs. Place the video on your store website and business Facebook. This evening, grab your smartphone, choose your background, create a short script with bullet points and "action"!

Attractive Diapers

Baby Care Health Beauty Wellness is a category that many merchandisers update in September. Like many stores I have visited, the baby care section tends to be a slow-moving department. If you want to attract young moms and dads into your store, skip adding baby gifts and instead market and sell diapers at or below your cost. Use your road sign to promote this new offering. It will take a while, but you will be happy with the results.

I'll Be There

From my mailbox: "Hey Gabe, now that you are semi-retired, will you be at NCPA's Annual Convention? If so, will you be wearing the red shoes? I need to find you and ask you some questions about our floor plan".

Reply: Yes, to the Convention, Yes to the red shoes, and Yes, I will be ready for your questions! Register here to join me at the Annual Convention!