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For retailers, pricing is never an easy task. Finding the sweet spot between growing sales and maintaining margins – while astutely managing turns and cash flow – is not a no brainer.
Then there is today's environment. Consider these recent headlines:
Tariffs have changed summer and holiday shopping in the US. Almost 40% of surveyed consumers spent less on Amazon Prime Day than in years past. — Retail Brew, July 24, 2025.
After Pledging to Keep Prices Low, Amazon Hiked Them on Hundreds of Essentials. Analysis found increases on 1,200 low-cost goods, while competitors such as Walmart made them cheaper —Wall Street Journal, July 20, 2025.
So, shoppers are trying to spend less. But prices are creeping up, no matter what.
The big problem, of course, is how the shoppers are dealing with all this. More uncertainty is NOT what they want or need.
That's why we get particularly concerned when we see stickers such as the one below on items in local grocery stores:
What the fine print reveals – often only at checkout, to the chagrin of employees – is that it is only the THIRD one that is free. This is not a BOGO offer.
Feels a little like a ripoff, doesn't it? A technicality.
Sigh. Should being a shopper require eternal vigilance?
"All I wanted was a beer. And now I have to do math??"
Which would you buy? 🧐
The 18 pack of 16 ounce cans for $14.99?
Or the 24 pack of 12 ounce cans for $22.69?
True; high school math teachers applauded this as a great example of needing math in real life. But is confounding the customer really a good approach?
Here's the opportunity for retailers. And it’s especially warranted in today’s environment. Make it more obvious that you are trying to team up with them.
Customers are not your adversary. You’re not trying to take advantage of them.
Make it more clear that your goal is to find the best products at the best price for your best customers. Not to fleece them. Show them some respect!
In today's environment, you need as many loyal, respected customers as you can serve. Don’t you agree?
Let's assume your stores have been closed for weeks now.
We recognize how conscientious you are. So, after paying what you can to your employees (and yourself), the next most-worrisome dilemma is your rent.
As you likely have discovered, a common choice for many landlords is to offer to defer your payments. But that means taking on more debt, as those payments are only being postponed to a later point in time. You need a better solution than that.
It's that time of year when all the talk is about all that's new and different for retailers. As the trade show season gets into full swing, there is no shortage of reminders of all the elements you need for your business to "keep up."
We get it. Keeping pace with the relentless changes in retailing is not easy. Retailers know it demands constant adjustments.
But you’re the owner. How well is your business keeping pace with your personal goals and ambitions?
Remember, the point of owning your own business is to make the business work for you! How are you doing so far?
As your stores are able to re-open after the coronavirus shutdowns, how they look tells a powerful story. And for you, a great opportunity. This is no time to try to go back to normal, back to business-as-usual. Nor to simply have all kinds of protective shields in your store. While necessary, how welcoming is that? Instead, this actually IS a second chance to make a good first impression! Take full advantage!
There's a very important annual job for you, the owner, and all of your senior staff. It's vital, and it involves your presence. The pressures are mounting on your stores, and in particular, your front line staff.
This is, after all, The Retail OWNERS Institute. We long have specialized in alerting, coaxing, and applauding retail owners worldwide. Today's message is a major heads-up. Keeping pace with the relentless changes in retailing has never been easy. Retailers know that constant adjustments are demanded. Then, the three pandemics of 2020 happened: COVID; the economic meltdown; the social unrest. And life changed modestly or enormously for almost everyone, including owners of retail businesses.
The Retail Owners Institute® makes it easy for you to get a quick financial health assessment of your own stores, as well as the retail industry, and every vertical within it. From farm stores to apparel stores, wine stores to tire dealers, gift shops to convenience stores; all 45 verticals. Here's how to get started.
Quite a picture, isn't it? Which ratios are trending up? Down? Any suggest some shaky times ahead? Any surprises? But most importantly, how will yours compare?
Incredible value! 👀
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