Start and Run a Retail Business (Start & Run a) [Paperback]

Ted Topping (Author)

Book Description

Series: Start & Run ... | Publication Date: February 15, 2008

- Beat the big-box retailers - Provide outstanding customer service - Use technology to your advantage

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Now includes a bonus CD-ROM with marketing and business tools to help you get your new company started successfully! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Thirty-five years ago, opening and operating a retail business was a fairly straightforward process. But things have changed dramatically. Owner-operated retailers now face competition from category killers, multinational big-box retailers, and even stores that exist only on the Internet.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Self Counsel Press; 3 Pap/Cdr edition (February 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155180817X
• ISBN-13: 978-1551808178
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,034,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Retail Businesses

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Retail is Detail..., August 27, 2003

By 

Mark D (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Start and Run a Retail Business (Paperback)

For anyone who is looking to delve into the abyss of retail planning & success, this is a proper place to start. The invaluable tips & worksheets provide a good starting point. Also, the author(s) put a great deal of emphasis on determining whether retail is right for you & the fact that you need to spend at least 1 year planning. As for me, I am happy to have read this book, and plan on keeping it as a reference guide.

MD

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written! Well organized! Worth reading., September 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Start and Run a Retail Business (Paperback)

"The Start and Run a Profitable Retail Business book is a comprehensive guide and reference book for every new retailer and even ones who have been in business for some time. Complete with examples and illustrations backed by real-world experience and rigorous research, it is a powerful resource. Well written and well organized, it makes a great book for individuals, small and large businesses alike. I found it easy to understand and apply."

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok, but out of date, July 23, 2006

By 

Chris O. (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Start and Run a Retail Business (Paperback)

This has some good information as noted by other reviewers, but also a few shortcomings. Some of its advice will be useful only for particular businesses. It contains many references to fashion retailing and will be very relevant for people doing that.

The major shortcoming is that the technology chapter is woefully out of date. Written in 1998, it contains such chestnuts as, "We believe that every one of the personal computers in your store should have a CD-ROM drive." and "Providing information over the internet is a much better business proposition than selling products over the internet. Even if you could get your home page address to a huge number of potential customers, we do not believe that you should try to sell things to them." Considering I bought ther book online, I must respectfully disagree with the authors. This is not to say the chapter is entirely irrelevant. No better website advice has ever been given than, "Customers are not interested in bells and whistles when they visit a website. Instead, they want useful information and they want it quickly." I would give a new edition of this book with an updated technology chapter a four star rating.