…succeeds or fails together (sorry, that’s the best I could come up with). But that’s the essence of how this family operates their eclectic stores throughout Ireland, according that country’s Independent.ie.

The siblings who run the company make it a point to not take individual credit when sales are up or individual blame when sales are down. “We’ve all essentially got one voice and one vote. It’s important with us that no one has tried to push an individual agenda or individual authority…So we have a very flat structure and respect for what each other does,” the head honcho brother says.

That attitude seems to be working because even in Ireland’s down economy, their Avoca locations are doing quite well, with sales projected to equal or exceed last year’s take of 50 million euros. It’s hard to call the Avoca retail locales “stores” since they also include gourmet food, an artisan bakery, weaving mill, clothing, accessories, a design studio, cafe and gardening nurseries that are mostly set in large landscaped grounds. Like I said, eclectic.

But the siblings who run the outlets are rather eclectic as well. With no real boss to oversee things, it sounds like the business runs more on respect than on personal agendas. That’s something you can’t always do if you’re a sole proprietor. But instilling a team attitude with your associates or partners is well worth pursuing, especially in these crazy economic times. Read my headline and first sentence again. Maybe it’s time to think about how working together will prevent your retail efforts from falling apart.

New Mexico Tea Company sounds like the name of a big business. But it’s really just one shop whose owners think and act big. This article in New Mexico Business Weekly reveals how the mother and son who founded the Albuquerque company two years ago go to great lengths to keep their customers satisfied – and coming back for more.

They give away free glasses of freshly brewed tea, give a free ounce of bulk tea with each issue to monthly newsletter subscribers, give free tea tastings and give lots of relevant information on their website. Notice there are four instances of the word “give” in the previous sentence. That’s “give” as in “tithe,” the principle that “whatever you give away will eventually come back to you.”

Everything the duo does is designed to get another foot in the door. Even those who just come in for the free tea and don’t buy are certain to “give” the shop great word of mouth. I really like how co-owner David Edwards thinks: “A lot of [business] people get so wrapped up in the bottom line, they won’t take the risk and trust the customers to decide for themselves if they want to support the company.” Bingo!

What a great concept. He and his mom do what any successful retailer should –“give” customers something special with each shopping experience. If they like it, they’ll be back for more. If they don’t, they’ll let you know by either telling you or telling their friends. So it’s best to keep trying until you know you’re satisfying the majority.

The owners also are doing all the things a modern, tech-savvy retailer should. Their website has a blog with short, homemade videos about certain brands and products. The site also has information on the shop’s tea tastings and classes, complementary recipes, a Tea Handbook and an RSS feed for those who want automated updates. They’ve also created Facebook and MySpace pages to take advantage of social networking.

It seems like Edwards and his mom are doing just about everything right. And it shows on their bottom line: Revenues leaped from $60,000 their first year in business to $100,000 the second year. Read the article. Learn from their success. I say they’re doing a terrific job, with a capital “tea.”

Distinctive shopping bags are nothing new. But finding used ones listed on eBay for $15 each is. This article on Boston.com (free subscription may be required) examines how popular these status-symbol bags have become. A quote from an executive with the group that owns the New England Patriots sums up the new trend: “We spent more time designing this bag than we spent designing the items we will sell to put in it.”

Regardless of the merchandise you sell, it’s not a bad idea to offer shopping bags that help customers remember your store. You don’t have to spend a fortune; we list some very affordable bags on our site. Wherever you obtain them, add a logo or tag that makes your bags stand apart. Like the article says, they can become marketing tools that your customers use on your behalf. The article doesn’t say that bags also help with customer loyalty.

At our house, a few sturdy Crate & Barrel bags with handle grippers are always laying around, either for their originally intended use or for toting things from place to place. We’ll even take them back to the store when we know we’re going to buy something else. The bags of the yoga retailer mentioned in the article are the ones so popular that they end up on eBay. I like that the retailer urges customers to reuse them. They even urge staff at their stores to come up with ideas for encouraging this, like donating 50 cents to a local charity each time a customer reuses a bag.

Offering a great shopping bag doesn’t guarantee retail success. But by letting customers walk out the door with a handheld reminder of what you’re all about, the more likely you are to have success in the bag.

Our neighbors to the north are great role models for large and small retailers alike. Good thing, since retail is Canada’s largest employer, creating about 2 million jobs, according to this article on OttawaCitizen.com. Retailers up there are getting lots of help identifying future challenges, including store layout and customer loyalty. The recently completed, year long Independent Retail Project, the largest of its kind ever undertaken, provides solutions that will help them succeed. Project leaders are even asking retailers to participate in a survey and a series of town hall-style meetings to find out more about what they want.

A design company is helping many Canadian big-box and smaller retailers undertake complete makeovers. They’re creating “an overall package of experiences that customers encounter when they’re trying to shop or buy or deal with using the product,” says a consultant quoted on Vancouver’s Business Edge.

Another consultant says retailers are trying to appeal to a customer’s sense of sight, sound, smell and touch. I love what he says about the merchandising mistakes some retailers make: “You want to invite customers to come and touch your product. I still come across stores where (a sign) says, ‘Don’t touch the merchandise,’ which is madness, unless you’re selling maybe very expensive wedding dresses.”

“Often, when people find stores and don’t want to go in, there’s a (sensory) clash. There’s a nice-looking Victorian kind of a store and it’s playing rap music. It’s amazing still how many times I’ve come across problems like that.”

Make sure you’re in tune with your customers’ senses. And keep your eyes open for research like the Canadians receive. Read it, study it, implement it and benefit!

We hope you enjoyed a profitable “Black Friday” despite this season’s less-than-merry economy. While “BF” is commonly known as the busiest shopping day of the year, another opportunity to rake in gobs of green is just around the corner. The post-holiday shopping season starts December 26th, and you’ll need to be ready to reel in the bargain-hunting consumers flush with holiday job bonuses who’ll be looking for even better retail deals than they found between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here’s a list of some often overlooked “must-do’s.” Take this list and check it twice, and feel free to add your own spice:

• Lock in great advertising rates in local newspapers and websites – they’ll be happy to give you better deals if you order insertions well in advance.
• Schedule extra staffing during the busy morning hours, and make sure you train them in crowd control to help avoid the tragic events that marred the ’08 “Black Friday.” Consult with security experts if you expect a throng of shoppers and have trained security personnel on hand if deemed necessary.
• Post your store’s return policies prominently for both customers and employees to avoid misunderstandings, but allow for flexibility to avoid losing any new or returning customers.
• Create and display compelling signage for each sale item. Remember the adage that an offer of “Buy One, Get One Free” is more effective than “50% Off.”
• Be extra vigilant about spotting shoplifters. They can blend in easier among the crowds and out your front door during this busy time of year.

These organizational measures can help improve your post-holiday bottom-line, but your efforts can’t stop there. You’ll also have to prepare your retail space, especially since the pre-holiday surge probably left little time for the usual store cleaning and maintenance.

Start by cleaning the store from top to bottom. Freshen displays, repaint or repair aged mannequins, clean the corners, make sure the aisles are clear, re-evaluate your window displays etc. Remember that since this is a major shopping event, there will be a lot of curious shoppers seeing your store for the first time. It’s an excellent opportunity to recruit and retain new customers.

Keeping key store supplies stocked is also very important. Unanticipated shortages such as running out of cash register paper rolls will surely lead to lost sales. Here’s a list of key display and store supply items that are essential to any successful post-holiday sale.
• Dump Bins and Tables
• Price Marking Guns
• Shopping Bags
• Gift Boxes
• Cash Register Supplies
• Revolving Graphic Displays
• Moving Message Signs

With enough foresight and preparation, you can have your cash registers ringing like sleigh bells in the post-holiday blitz. It’ll make your holiday season all the merrier.