The Retail Buzz

One Step Retail Solutions is producing a video series, "Smart Retail with Scott Kreisberg" that features retail stores in the Los Angeles area, with a look at how they run their retail business - their successes and their challenges.

The first ten episodes will be broadcast at YouTube.com and SmartRetail.tv. Stores initially featured start in quaint communities that include Montrose, Burbank, La Canada, Studio City, Sunland, and even a store in Hollywood. These are:

• Body Factory, Hollywood, CA
• Prinzess Kastle, Montrose, CA
• Slender Swee Shoppe, Montrose, CA
• Annie's Scandal, Montrose, CA
• Lara's Gifts, Montrose, CA
• Critters, Montrose, CA
• Classy Jewelers, Sunland, CA
• Jasmine's Salon & Spa, Burbank, CA
• Active Ride Shop, Burbank, CA
• Glitz, Burbank, CA
• Hoity Toity, Studio City, CA
• Adobe Design, La Canada, CA

A struggling café in St. Paul, MN turned around their business based strictly on kindness. Just two years ago the Q Café had relied on nearby businesses for their customers. But when business moved out, the Q Café went downhill.

A bright idea came to the owner’s wife Lisa to teach others to be kind and she began promoting kindness. Random acts of kindness soon became built into the café, now called The Q Kindness Cafe.

People came from all around the city to experience it. It goes to show that, for this café, it pays to be kind.

See video: http://tinyurl.com/czzy9o (there’s a commercial first)
Visit their website: www.qkindness.com

In a recent case study by One Step Retail Solutions on Pump Station in Santa Monica, CA, the store increased its sales 20% in the last three years. A second store opened up 3 years ago in Hollywood, CA, watching sales go up 83%. Two more stores are being planned to open up this year, 2009.

Pump Station COO Cheryl Petran attributes their growth and continued success to point of sale technology which allowed them to forecast sales and manage inventory better. With better financial planning and profit goals, Pump Station owners have been able to gain insight into what is going on in their business and use the reports to make the right decisions.

Ms. Petran feels they are out-pacing the economic downturn by forecasting smart and managing the inventory to her forecast. “Being proactive means forecasting, facing the reality of it and dealing with it,” said Cheryl Petran, COO of Pump Station.

“If you can really look at where you think you’re going to be and be realistic about it, then you can survive. I have a POS system with history that I can use for expansion. With our POS system we can quickly evaluate if our decisions were good or bad. I learned many years ago to manage your inventory smart and manage your vendors smart.”

Pump Station is continuing to expand their retail business, despite the changing economy.

Note: One Step Retail Solutions installed Retail Pro point of sale software, robust POS hardware, and hand-held scanners. The system is integrated with POS QuickBooks.