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.