Customer Reviews

Retail Business Kit For Dummies

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I should preface this review by saying that I am probably not the typical reader the author had in mind when writing this book. As a marketing consultant, I was recently was engaged to develop retail feasibility study and project plan for an Internet retailer planning their first bricks and mortar store. Although I have retail marketing experience, I bought this book to make sure that I had all bases covered and to get some fresh ideas on visual merchandising, retail POS systems and operations for small retailers.

This book is a great tool for a would-be entrepreneur thinking about starting their first retail business. It covers all the basics needed to plan, set up and manage a retail business, from writing the business plan to making the business a reality. The author makes good use of case studies which illustrate some of the retail successes and failures that he has observed. Another feature I found particularly useful are the tips on all aspects of retailing that could take years of trial and error to learn on your own. Last but not least the CD contains a wealth of useful forms and checklists.

Some areas that I would like to see developed in future editions are:

* Visual merchandising and store layout - more on principles and examples of floor plans
* Software suggestions - small business retail POS systems, planogram and merchandising design software
* Sample budgets and project plans
* Links to online sources of information - where to find designers, software, sales staff etc

To summarize, an excellent book on retail basics and if Rick Segel writes an "Advanced Retailing for Dummies" book, I will be the first customer.

Hi, Amazon.com shoppers. I would like to say a few words about Retail Business Kit For Dummies. I work in the retail industry, and I was drawn to this book because I heard Rick Segel speak several years ago. He was so funny and inspirational, and I really enjoyed his presentation, unlike some speeches I've heard that put me to sleep. So, I was curious about this book. Let me say that I was not disappointed. I felt that Rick's personality really came across, which made the material very fun to read. (IMHO, it doesn't matter how valuable the information is if it's written in a dry and boring style.) I think the little anecdotes and true stories that he scatters throughout are a great way to illustrate the points he makes. For example, I really liked a story he told about a jewelry store owner who sent out a very elaborate (read, expensive!) invitation to a private sale to his best 78 customers. Almost 50 of them came to the event and spent money, results that totally blew away the response he had gotten to the thousands of cheap postcards he sent out in past promotions. The moral? It pays to focus on your very best customers, even if you have to spend a little more.
Basically, I learned a lot of tips and tricks of the trade that I can share with my colleagues. What a great book! To anyone who's reading this review, check it out! It gives you a ton of great insights you'll appreciate.
Thanks for listening (well, reading!) and have a great day!

What can I say about this book?
I bought it because I'm thinking about opening my own little gift shop. It's been a dream of mine for a long time, but I've never known where to begin. You know, it's not all fun and games. With all the stuff you have to learn about taxes and legalities, it can be downright intimidating.
After reading Retail Business Kit For Dummies I understand a lot more about what it's like to operate a store. It covers everything. I don't feel so intimidated now!

Thanks, Rick Segel! I'm still not sure if I'm going to do it, but at least now I can make an informed decision.

I'm a CPA in Redmond, WA with a heavy retail clientale. (I'm also the author of QuickBooks for Dummies and Quicken for Dummies.)

This is a great book for people looking to start successful retail stops. Tons of great ideas. It's also a great book for established retailers looking to improve their profitability.

My one gripe with the book is that the tax advice and information is wrong. But your accountant or attorney can and should provide that information to you.

...P>Steve

This book is filled with practical advice for retail business owners that is truly helpful. I have followed Rick Segel for many years now, and the advice he gives is down to earth, solid business advice from a completely different angle than most authors, his is from actually having owned and worked a retail business.

Advertising is something that most business owners I know struggled with and I was really impressed with the advice that Rick gave on what to include in my advertising arsenal. It has helped me to focus on effective advertising that has attracted new customers.

I implemented one of Rick's ideas for a one day sale in my shoe store, and it caused me to run $10,000 in sales on that day, without killing my business the next week. I had over thirty people standing in line just waiting to get into my shoe store at 8:00am, it was amazing.

I highly recommend this book for anyone whether just starting a business, or if you've been at it for a long time...there is way more stuff in this book than you will probably ever use...it is a must add to your business book collection.

The good thing about this book is that it keeps the retail business simple. The author does not complicate the retail business. He makes book keeping, sales, marketing and inventory management simple and easy to follow. However, this book is not fully comprehensive. If you are starting off in retail or even if you are an experienced pro who's been around for several years you will learn quite a lot of tips and tricks from this book. This book will definitely help you but it will go past it's utility pretty soon. So read this book but don't expect this book to go into serious detail. Overall, my recommendation would be to buy the book. I think it's worth the time and money!

I recently opened a small shop in an antiques mall and found this book to be quite helpful. The information is presented in an interesting and easy to use format. The book covers all the basics and is loaded with useful suggestions for marketing your business.

I could hardly put this book down after receiving it. I especially liked the section on writing a business plan. Lots of detail in this book.

We're in a tough market -- no surprise to anyone. Understanding your customers is crucial to staying afloat and Rick Segel gives some excellent advice on how to make sure customers stay satisfied. Customer Service is fundamental to business and he really gets that. This book gives some great advice on how to give extraordinary Customer Service.

Advertising has always been of particular concern to me and I was delighted to find a wealth of information on this topic in Retail Business Kit For Dummies. For years, we had been dumping dollars into old advertising methods. After reading the chapter on advertising, I decided to revisit our advertising methods and I really think that this has been a good change.