Write down this year's experience

Do you remember how many Easter cards you sold last season? What do you wish you had more of, Cadbury Single Eggs or Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs? Hard to remember, isn't it? Here is help for taking notes for next year: Download our Easter Sales Worksheet today and be an even better buyer for next Easter.

Impulse, companion and add-on Easter sales.

As your Easter cards start selling down, create a row for Easter Candy in the rack, the bunnies in the flat box are a great fit. See "Candy in card racks" in our photo gallery. Fasten a clip strip of toothbrushes next to the greeting card rack and in line with your Easter candy. You still have time to offer Zollipops, the clean Teeth Pops, find them at Front-End Marketplace.com, they make a good all year round healthy candy for your store.

Careful what habits you teach

Important: Discounting Easter merchandise of any kind before the actual day is teaching customers to wait for a sale. Discount only after Easter!

Pricing due for a review?

Many store owners are in the process of rejuvenating their pharmacy, painting, putting in new flooring, updating fixtures, and introducing new product lines. The next step is to evaluate if it is time to remodel the OTC pricing. This is especially true for stores that have been in business for more than seven years. Retail pricing strategies have changed a great deal over the past few years. Do some price comparisons, don't bother with the dollar stores, stick to the pharmacies near you. It may be time to become more competitive.

Spinning too much?

Today is the day to ask yourself "why do we have so many spinner displays in our store." Spinner displays were invented to put product on the floor when there was no real room to put it where it belonged. Spinners are a great sales tool for the manufacturer, not so much for retailers. Spinners end-up where we think they fit, up against a pole, next to an end-cap or in a back corner. Evaluate the inventory tied up in each spinner, look at your retail sales for the product and then decide if it's time to open up your aisle and get rid of a few spinners, or remerchandise the product on an end-cap.

Don't forget the ticks

Right about now you are ramping up your inventory on sun care and insect repellents; don't stop there! Stock up on the product for relief from itching and pain for those who are suffering from contact with poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Make sure to carry the brand and the private label of the OTC topical solution. Add to your insect repellents by including Tick repellents!! You can get tick repellents by going to the Unique OTC Solutions section of NCPA's Front-end Marketplace.

An Itch You'll Want to Scratch

In April, get an itch for the deals our two vendors of the month are offering to help keep your customers from scratching the summer away. Annie Oakley's Don't Touch Me Outdoor Body Spray and Healing Tree's Go 'Way All Natural Insect Repellent are sure to stop pesky bugs from biting.

Get 20% off and free freight on orders of $75.00 or more from either vendor (and this applies to their entire product line on the frontendmarketplace.com website!).

Demand for Natural Skin Care Products Poised for Growth

The growth of "better-for-you" products has never been stronger, and the natural skin care category is charting a similar course. Here is a joint research brief developed in partnership between the Free From Forum and Hamacher Resource Group which describes both skin care consumer attitudes and behavior and how the CPG industry has responded to date... See the research brief here...