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Cindy’s Newsletter for Gift Shop Managers | September 11, 2019 💮

CINDY’S NEWSLETTER

for

HOSPITAL GIFT SHOP MANAGERS

 SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 

Cindy’s Newsletter provides managers an opportunity to exchange success stories and share thoughts on industry hot topics. We report on breaking news, product trends, survey studies, business tips and other articles that give valuable insight into the market dynamics that affect hospital gift shops. There are over 3,000 hospital gift shop managers presently benefiting from the information in Cindy’s Newsletter. 

JOIN THE DISCUSSION!   

Submit a tip, hot seller, question, or answer to cindy@cindyjonesassociates.com. Include the # of beds in your posts. While we try to keep the content at a reasonably advanced level, we occasionally post items for folks newer to hospital gift shops.


CALENDAR


September 13-16, 2019

51st Annual Conference & Exposition for the Assoc for Health Care Volunteer Resource Professionals (AHVRP) at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, TX. 

Retail Mathematics [Concurrent Session]

Sunday 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Presented by Mary O’Brien, UnityPoint Health, Sioux City, Iowa

Learn the essential concepts, practices and procedures for successful retail operations. The focus would be on mathematical concepts and their relationships to the many factors involved in achieving a profitable retail business. A foundation would be provided and easily applied to any retail business.


September 15-17, 2019

Minnesota Association of Healthcare Volunteer Conference (MAHV) 2019 Annual Conference at the Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes, Baxter, MN. 

Gift Shop Successes: Celebrate Big and Small [Breakout Session]

Tuesday 8:30 am – 9:30 am

Presented by Deb Anderson of St. Joseph’s Medical Center and Janene Riedemann of St. Cloud Hospital

Join the leaders of the MN Health Care Gift Shop Association for a facilitated discussion and networking session. The workshop will highlight best practices for gift shops of all sizes. We’ll discuss best sellers, display ideas, marketing tactics, and take the Gift Shop challenge quiz! Presenters Deb Anderson and Janene Riedeman will not only share what they’ve learned, but will engage the audience in the session in a fun and entertaining learning style. Bring one (or more) of your shop’s best-selling items to showcase, including contact info for the vendor you purchase from.

enlightened

Where are you going next? Send us your state’s upcoming conference dates!  


Thanks to all of you who emailed your appreciation and gratitude for this Newsletter. It’s good to know that the information is helpful. Preparing the Newsletter is always a priority in my schedule. You can help make it even more valuable by contributing the names of product lines that are selling well for you. Be sure to provide the company phone number and web address. 


Recognition
An unknown author wrote “The deepest craving in man’s soul is his desire to be appreciated and recognized.” Don’t you want to be told when you’re doing something right? Aren’t we all suckers at heart for a bit of praise? Sometimes, all it takes is a bit recognition and encouragement.


Let’s Set Goals and Create an Action Plan

I hope you have all have had a great summer! The weather here in Michigan was wonderful, I played lots of golf, we traveled, we threw a few big parties, and, now, here it is fall! Time now for me/us to buckle down, set goals and make our plans for a busy, productive and successful season.

  • Ensure that shop hours are consistently maintained.
  • Discuss the importance of checking in, pricing and restocking merchandise in a timely way throughout October, November and December.
  • Encourage buyers to think in terms of “total shop success” instead of just their own category and turf. Working in harmony as a team will produce profitable results for your gift shop.
  • All summer merchandise goes on clearance.
  • Change window or in-store displays every 3-4 weeks.
  • Integrate cross-merchandising into displays.
  • Begin displaying higher-priced holiday merchandise and Christmas collectibles.
  • The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah 2019 will begin the evening of Sunday, September 29 and ends the evening of Tuesday, October 11.
  • Begin displaying Halloween merchandise.
  • Order and display next year’s calendars and datebooks.
  • Mark down slow selling merchandise to acquire space for just-arrived items.
  • Request that all staff and volunteers indicate when they will be out of town during the holidays.  Ensure that their job responsibilities are covered while they are gone.
  • Present a short training session on proper phone etiquette, “What Should I Say?”

Why gift shops need a POS system

Why do you need one? Most importantly, so you can generate reports that will provide you with valuable information for decision making; what’s selling, what’s not selling, stock levels, what departments are selling fastest, what needs to be reordered, when to take markdowns, etc.

– Look for affordable 24/7 support

– Try a free test of the software

– Don’t choose solely on others’ recommendations. It may not be right for your shop.

– Evaluate all the pros and cons

– List the features you need and want

POS systems can generate automatic purchase orders for items that should never be out of stock, such as candles, candy, etc. Do your homework, evaluate your needs and establish a budget.


Snoozies

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to stock and sell Snoozies in your
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What Makes a Hospital Gift Shop a Destination?

What makes a hospital gift shop a destination…its appearance, pricing, sales staff, environment, selection and assortment of inventory, and let’s not forget location, location, location in the hospital! All of these factors combine to make your shop both a convenient shop for some customers and a destination for others to enjoy. So, what specifically will bring people into your gift shop?

Here are a few tips to increase curb appeal (so to speak) and recognition. These suggestions address the appearance of the outside of your gift shop.

  • Make sure there is good wayfinding signage so customers can find the shop.
  • Add flowers and balloons by your entrance to attract attention
  • Make sure windows are clean and sparkling. Dust before the gift shop opens.
  • Make sure the shop smells good. A ‘used-book’ gift shop that smells like old books is fine but not a hospital gift shop.

Remember, the end goal is not just getting your gift shop noticed, but it’s selling your merchandise. Keep in mind that most shoppers today are looking for the unique. Offer something the “other guy” doesn’t to add value to your merchandise. An on-line survey asked customers why they made an on-line purchase rather than in-gift shop. The number one response was to purchase unique items.  Next was convenience and third was price. You may offer superior customer service, a great front entrance location, and a friendly staff, but your merchandise also needs to boast some truly unique items.


Does your Merchandise Excite Your Customer?

There’s more to maintaining inventory than simply buying new products and goods. Like illusionists who devise new tricks to thrill their audiences, hospital gift shop managers must continually experiment with the magic of their merchandise mix – adding new lines to engage and excite sales while ruthlessly dropping or shifting other lines to titillate the jaded sensibilities of their customers (hospital employees).


October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

By Roxie Campbell

Now is the time to be planning your product and displays to support Breast Cancer events in your hospital. Many hospital groups plan special walks and events during October. A feature table with a pink theme and specialty items for Breast Cancer patients is a must for October. Most hospitals have a breast cancer program they support. I have also done a fundraising event for the month and donated the funds to the hospital’s breast cancer charity. One that was especially successful was “Add On For Breast Cancer”. The customer could add monetary increments to their purchases for the donation. Most rounded up to the even dollar.  It was surprising to see how that total added up at the end of the month. In the past I have purchased these items to support this cause:

  • Novelty socks with the pink ribbon motif. It’s a great item for any patient going through treatment or simply hospital staff wanting to call attention to cancer events
  • Hydration items such as water bottles are a great item for organized breast cancer walks and events
  • Caps and tee-shirts
  • Novelty jewelry
  • Anything “pink” can also be used in the display to make a statement.

Roxie R. Campbell, Specialty Retail Consultant, Roxie and Company, LLC. roxie@RoxieandCompany.com 713-417-2207


Order Now for Men’s Gift Giving!

From a buyer, “It’s really hard to find men’s gifts that sell! Customers will ask if we have any men’s gifts and when we ask what they are looking for, they really can’t tell me. This is an ongoing challenge!  Guys just don’t like “stuff” as much as women do!” Here are two ideas to start with: pro or collegiate paraphernalia from Jenkins Enterprises and American Expedition 800-205-4332. They carry items that are masculine and tasteful and are nicely packaged and easy to display!

 

A few more things that have had some success are barbecue tools, aprons, wall clocks, auto tag frames, travel mugs, etc. A good vendor is Don Mark for flashlights, work lights, digital tire gauges, roadside emergency kits, aluminum wallets, golfers tools and ‘7 in 1’ pocket screwdrivers, extendable back scratchers and magnifying glasses. A top seller for men is Joey Series by Outback Flashlights.  It has a super-strong magnet in the base which allows the user to see under the hood of a car.  It will also attach to a car and flash either red or white light to let traffic passing by know that there is a vehicle on the shoulder.



A problem is a chance for you to do your best!


Return Policy for the Holidays

Have a return policy in place before the holidays or your poor cashiers will have a lot of frustrations. Be sure to publicize it. It should be visibly posted in your shop. Train your sales staff to get in the habit of referring to the return policy when finalizing a sale.


And for items on sale that are exceptions to your return policy, cashiers should state to the customer, “And you know that these sale items can’t be returned?” One proactive sentence can significantly cut down on the number of returns you have to deal with.


Train staff/volunteers to handle returns. Training them will be easy if you have a clear, written-out return policy. Then it’s just a matter of going over it with staff and showing them how to do the return process. 
Keep a calm and friendly demeanor.

People are not normally cheerful when they’re making store returns. They may even be rude, obnoxious and foul-mouthed. It’s imperative that staff be trained not to respond in kind and to remain calm and friendly throughout the return process.


Pricing Guidelines

From Cindy


Be sure to take a higher markup when an item warrants it.

Gifts, toys, apparel, stationery, plush, infant and accessory items

Double the price and add 6 -10% for shipping

Formula: Cost x 2.4

Jewelry

Take a 60 – 70% mark-up

Formula: Cost x 2.6 or more

Sundries

Take a 30 – 35% mark-up

Formula: Cost x 1.4

Flowers

Take a 33 – 35% mark-up

Formula: Cost x 1.54

Candy

Take a 33+ % mark-up**

Formula: Cost x 1.5

** A 33% mark-up refers to an average for your over-all candy assortment total. This assumes candy bars are priced at 50 – 55¢. Specialty candy can take a higher mark-on.


Start Planning for Annual Performance Reviews Now!

By Kourtney Whitehead


“I just love working on my performance review,” said nobody ever!
Unfortunately, most performance review seasons start in the fall. Before you know it, you will be tasked with drawing up a list of the things you’ve accomplished this year. And while it’s tedious and can even feel like a waste of your time, you can use the review as a tool to help you measure if you are making progress on the things that matter most to you.
Your boss wants to know what you accomplished for them, but you need to know how much you care about what you worked on.

Are you addressing the problems you want to impact?

Are you learning things that are meaningful to you?

Are you using your talents fully?

Who are you helping with your work and does that align with your values?


Take the time to capture a well-rounded view of what you accomplished this year. Reflect on this year and note what you are most proud of and where you have regrets, if any.


Goal-setting season is just around the corner

If you remain aware, and anchor your fall in reflection and soul-searching, you will enter goal-setting season with a fresh perspective.The winter, January in particular, is the most popular time for launching new goals. But in the past, you may have been too distracted during the fall to effectively evaluate what you really want next. Don’t let that happen this year. Don’t find yourself in December wondering how you can shake things up and then choosing some arbitrary goal in January.  It takes time to observe your life and it takes time to let ideas grow. Commit to spending the fall in assessment mode and you will naturally attract inspiration about where to direct your talents next.


Kourtney Whitehead
is a career expert and author of Working Whole. You can learn more about her work at Simply Service.


DISCUSSION


EIGHT QUESTIONS

I would like to know everyone’s staffing model? (I’m the paid Manager, three part-time staff, and ten volunteers. My three PT staff works in the shop full-time basically and fills in for absent volunteer openings. I do not have an assistant so I handle all the buying, merchandising and the basic bookkeeping excluding the paying of invoices.)

How much storage space in your shop is allocated to store merchandise? (I have several small storage rooms and my office is used as one as well)

What is the square footage of your gift shop’s selling space? (Ours is about 450 sq ft)

What is your annual sales volume? (We do roughly around $300,000 to $390,000 annually)

What is your average price points on merchandise? (We have mid to high-end prices)

What type of high-end merchandise is carried in your gift shop?

Do you ever get complaints on your prices? (Sometimes we get complaints about our prices being too high but we have always set the standard on our merchandise. We sometimes like to consider our gift shop as a small boutique.)

How much does your shop’s net profits donate to your hospital annually? (We donate over $100,000 annually.)  LaDonna Kelley, Gift Shop Manager @CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler, Texas. 450 bed hospital. 9/5/19


Who Determines where your SHOP’S profits go?


Our gift shop makes an annual donation to the hospital from our proceeds. We select a date for our “shopping spree” donation meeting. Next we get a list of ‘requests’ from the hospital. Then we label individual gift bags for each ‘request’. Invite hospital employees who can speak about the need/benefit of each item requested. After volunteers have heard about each item we pass out play money – 1 five, 1 ten and 1 twenty. Volunteers vote by placing their money in the gift bag of their choice. They can place all of their money in one bag or divide it. The bag with the highest amount of money is the source of the donation to be given. Often the total amount we have to give is divided between a few items. The volunteers love having involvement in this fun way. The employees who come to present have a chance to connect with the shop volunteers and personally thank them.
Toni Gildone, Gift Shop Manager and Volunteer Coordinator, Monadnock Community Hospital. 9/4/19


The profits from the gift shop and vending services (we stock and collect from all 19 vending machines in the hospital) are given to the Volunteer program. These profits along with proceeds from our outside vendor sales (held 6 times a year) are placed into the Volunteer bank account. A team of people including the Volunteer Services Director, Gift Shop Manager, Volunteer President, Committee Chairs for Projects (Vendor Sales) and Gift Shop/ Vending Services, and the Volunteer Vice President (head of Budget committee) meet to prepare a budget mid-year for the upcoming year. We have some standard items such as teen scholarships, employee scholarships, etc. that we fund year after year. Other requests from hospital departments are considered and then a proposed budget is set before the entire volunteer group for a vote.
Angela Quinn| Cheer Corner Manager, UNC Lenoir Health Care, Kinston, NC. 8/18/19


Our shop has a board of volunteers who review the “wish list” from the hospital. Our board then meets with the hospital foundation members and together they determine where the money goes. If the foundation tells us about a special need in the hospital that is not on the list we will also consider their request. We have been handling it like that for 65 years and so far so good.
— Linda Cloud, Manager, The Window Shop, Blodgett Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI. 7/14/19


VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION IDEAS


Q.
How do you recognize a volunteer’s high level of volunteer hours (such as 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 – other than with the usual volunteer recognition luncheon plus a generic token gift? Thank you!
 Anne Trocano, Twig Gift Shop Committee Chair/Co-buyer, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY. 530 beds.  6/11/19

We mail a computer-created card with photos of our volunteers to gift shop volunteers three times a year thanking them for their time and letting them know their $$ cumulative register total in sales and what that means in profit towards our pledge. We do this right before we give our donation so when they are present for the check presentation at our luncheon they know EXACTLY how they contributed. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and maybe the necessary pat on the back they didn’t know they needed. — St. Joseph Gift. 8/17/19


Our volunteer recognition luncheon is held each June. I plan each event around a theme. This year I was honoring our blue-ribbon volunteers (all of our volunteers are blue ribbon!) So, it was a county fair theme. Name tags were in the shape of blue ribbons, carnival type games were set up around the venue with silly little prizes to win, the menu was county fair food, and there was live music with a sing-long. Some volunteers couldn’t resist jumping up and dancing! Door prizes were raffled off pies and cakes baked and donated by many hospital employees. It was a lot of fun!  
Thank you so much for the newsletter. It is invaluable at keeping us all connected and focused on the cause! Toni Gildone, Gift Shop Manager and Volunteer Coordinator, Monadnock Community Hospital. 9/4/19


Our hospital gives each of the volunteers a small gift of some sort for Volunteer Week
A MN shop manager

We have purchased gifts for the volunteers. One of their favorite gifts in the past was an insulated lunch tote (the kind that holds a six pack of drinks). They also LOVE tote bags of most any kind.

Our Volunteer Services Director holds a Volunteer Appreciation Brunch and gives a hospital logo gift or something with “Volunteer” imprinted. We give all hospital volunteers a 25% OFF discount all week.

I send each Gift Shop Volunteer a $5.00 Gift Shop Gift Certificate to their home. This seems appreciated since most of them do a lot of their shopping in our shop. Many of us do not have budgets that would allow us to spend $6-8 for a gift for each volunteer. Midland, MS  — 7/11/19


HOSPITALGIFTSHOP[DOT]COM


Q.
Our gift shops have struggled with our on-line presence and for a variety of reasons we do not accept online orders. We take over-the-phone orders and I would like to increase that business. We are considering partnering with hospitalgiftshop.com to provide on-line access to our customers. Does anyone have experience with hospitalgiftshop.com?
Judi Stallings, Manager, Auxiliary Services, Gift Shops/Espresso Cafes. 8/8/19


We are just launching our online gift shop finally! I would like other shops to share their links and any tips or tricks to make it a success! I would also like do know if anyone has used the Demdeco link on their site or a company called
Healthy Commerce?

Jenny Inglett, Retail Coordinator, Gift Shop, Corner Stork Café & Daily Grind, Yuma Regional Medical Center, Yuma, AZ. 8/4/19


We are in the final stages of launching our new website through hospitalgiftshop.com. We are very excited to have it up and running. We have a web presence already, but the fees doubled in the past year. We like that we will still have a web presence, but we don’t have to do any of the work. Just sit back and collect our quarterly commissions. The process was fairly easy, and our marketing and IT Departments were very helpful accomplishing this mission. I highly recommend this service.

Eric Wininger, Manager, Reading Hospital Gift Shops, Tower Health. 700+ beds


GIFT CARDS


Q.
I have been asked to look into selling gift cards for other stores like Best Buy, restaurants, etc. Does anyone have any experience with these? If so, where do I go to find a vendor? Thank you.
Donna Sant, Retail Manager, Carle Hospital Gift shop, Urbana Il 350 beds, 8/1/19   
I would also like to know if anyone has purchased one of those gift card centers? If so, what company did you purchase from and what are the margins? Do you think it is successful or do you feel it competes with your business? Thank you for the feedback!   Jenny Inglett, Retail Coordinator, Gift Shop, Corner Stork Café & Daily Grind, Yuma Regional Medical Center, Yuma, AZ. 8/4/19


For about two years we sold gift cards to Walmart, Target, and about 20 other stores and restaurants. We purchased them from Shop with Scrip.
It worked out great for a long while. We got a small discount on the gift cards, sold over $100,00 worth per year, and made about a 5% profit on average. The problems started because of payroll deduction. It was small, at first but we had a number of employees who would charge more than their paycheck could cover. We would then have to make special arrangements with them to get the rest of what they owed. Some paid us back, some did not. Sadly, it got to the point of a few bad apples would charge a few hundred dollars, and then quit. At that point it is nearly impossible to recoup that money. We had to change our policy that the gift cards could only be purchased via cash or credit card. Once that change occurred, we saw a 99% reduction in gift card sales.

Eric Wininger, Manager, Reading Hospital Gift Shops, Tower Health.700 beds. 8/19/19

Our VP wanted us to carry gift cards, so I found them through our Food Services vendor, Sodexo. A word of advice, if you have payroll deduction, do not let the employees put gift cards on payroll deduction. We just experienced a Christmas season which was dramatically affected by the sale of gift cards, especially Visa. Unfortunately, employees bought the Visa cards to go shopping at the mall instead of in our shop!!

Minerva Fox, Gift Shop Manager, Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, NC


POS SYSTEM: SQUARE


Q.
I’m curious if anybody is using Square POS system? Does it give you the same options for reports and if it’s easy to track inventory as in Quick Books for example? Thank you for the newsletter. I always find lots of helpful information, new vendors and ideas from others.
Sviatlana Masenzhuk, Gift Shop Manager, Vail Valley Medical Center, Vail, CO 49 beds. 8/19/19


We switched to Square two years ago and have been pleased with the program. For what we pay for it, we get accurate information and fast transactions. We have created some easy work arounds to get all the report information we need. Unfortunately, it does not do payroll deductions, so we still have a manual process there. The company is constantly updating, and responsive to requests.

— Karla Glanzman, Manager, Seattle Children’s, Seattle, WA. 340 beds. 8/13/19

We have NCR Counterpoint in our gift shop. We are in our 6th year with this product and are heading towards an upgrade before year end. The system is fairly user friendly (esp. for the older volunteers).

Angela Quinn| Cheer Corner Manager, UNC Lenoir Health Care, Kinston, NC  8/18/19


AUXILARIES


Q.
I would like to know how many of you still have auxiliary’s, twigs, or other volunteer organization? We keep hearing that auxiliaries are disbanding. While we are small, we are able to contribute over $150,000 each year to our medical center. Sherry Miller, Gift Shop Coordinator Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center, Cambridge, OH. 177 beds


We still have an auxiliary of 240 members. Our Gift Shop alone donates approximately $30,000 to the hospital each year plus what is taken in from vendor sales. We have had a Flea Market for the past 35 years (a one-day sale with two weeks of setting up and pricing items donated by the community and a 50/50 raffle) but had to cancel this year due to the aging of our volunteers. This may take a toll on our numbers as many of our auxilians got their “hours” working at the Flea Market. Thank you so much for this newsletter, Cindy. We’ve gotten many good ideas from it.

Linda Hocking, Manager War Memorial Hospital Gift Shop, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. 85 beds.


We have all volunteers in our store. I am the only paid staff as manager. We still have an Auxiliary but we are not as active as a few years ago. We hold fund raisers, a Holiday Bazaar, Rocker-thon, Support Fund and The Corner Store/gift shop. We are blessed with great volunteers that work well together and are very dedicated to their scheduled time. Since we no longer handle our big fund raiser, we are still able to donate back to the home between $50,000-$75,000 a year for the Agape Fund that assists residents whose money has been depleted. I enjoy the newsletter.

Alta S. Yoder, Manager of Gif t Shop and Auxiliary, Living Branches Retirement Community, Souderton Mennonite Homes, Souderton PA. 9/19


CANDLE LINE


Q.
I am looking for a new candle line. Right now, I sell A Cheerful Giver, which has been good but I would like to try something different. I would love ideas. Thank you
Jodi Babineau, Sunshine Gift Shoppe Rice Lake, WI. 40 beds. 8/12/19


I have a candle recommendation for Jodi who is looking for a new candle vendor:  Swan Creek Candle Company
 or email info@swancreekwholesale.com.  I have carried several lines of candles in the past and this one outsells them all consistently.  Also, Stony Creek at Home, Inc. has some wonderful Christmas light up décor and snowmen. 
Some other Christmas items that I would recommend are items from DM Merchandising, candles, clothing, jewelry, Snoozies socks, anything with snowmen on it, scarves and gloves. Our christmas décor is selling less than it used to; I am noticing that the younger generation prefer minimal items in their homes for décor. Love your newsletter!

Diane Honsberger, Manager, Volunteers/Gift Shop, Mercy Health, St. Anne Hospital Gift Shop, Toledo OH. 8/23/19


We were also looking for a new candle line and decided to start carrying the Swan Creek Candle line. The sales representative helped us determine the best-selling scents and sizes. We chose to start with 12 scents in the 12 oz. vintage glass containers and purchased the basket displayer to show 16 of the sample-size glass containers (tiny jar with lid). We put them out and customers were amazed by how strong the fragrances were when you opened the lids. We sold so many the first 4 days we placed a reorder of both the sample size jars ($6.99 retail) and the 12oz jars ($16.99). I think the combination of the great fragrance, cute container and the great retail prices make this line a winner. We have been looking to make a change for quite some time from Woodwick and the price increase and move to in-house sales sealed the deal for us.

Anne Sutton, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Gift Shop, Cincinnati, OH. 8/19


TWO SUCCESSFUL IDEAS


I am still very new at managing our gift shop. These are two things that I have had success with:

  1. I have a volunteer who has a flair for displays come in for special holidays displays. I have her come in and do themed displays in the shop to draw attention to the store and get people browsing. This has increased sales. Hospital staff who have not previously been a patron of the store are now coming in regularly to see what’s new!
  2. While time consuming, I have been taking pictures of the new products that come in. Then, once a month I send a house-wide email sharing what’s new in the gift shop for that month. I will add some commentary with the pictures. Christina Blaskie, CPXP, Manager, Patient Experience, Volunteers, Gift Shop, Community Health, LaGrange, IN. beds 25. 8/17/19

CBD OIL

Q. I would like to know if any hospital gift shops here in Arizona or other states are currently selling CBD products? If so, what was your process to obtain approval from administration? Were there any barriers that you faced or guidelines that needed to be followed? If you were able to carry CBD products what company do you buy from and what products are you successful with? I appreciate any feedback or advice you may have.Jenny Inglett, Retail Coordinator, Gift Shop, Corner Stork Café & Daily Grind, Yuma Regional Medical Center, Yuma, AZ. 8/8/19.  +: It seems that CBD Oil is all the rage right now. I am wondering if anybody has stocked it in their Gift Shop? If so, how are the sales? Jodi Babineau, Lakeview Medical Center, Sunshine Gift Shoppe Rice Lake, WI. 40 beds. 8/17/19


With approval from Administration beforehand, I purchased Twine CBD oil in Atlanta at the Link2Sales Showroom. In fact, Link developed the product. However, I put it out and it got downed by the medical doctors doing the drug testing and the pharmacy so I am discontinuing it. It is selling all over our community. I am not a medical expert and our gift shop does not need to be seen as controversial so it is not for us right now. The problem is that in companies where they do drug testing, there is an issue with CBD oil causing them to fail drug test. I sold out of the cream first and am on the last of the oil.
Connie Slingluff, CDVS, Director of Volunteer Services, Blount Memorial Hospital, Maryville, TN. 8/17/19


FOUR GREAT SELLERS!

  1. We were purchasing the crisscross undershirt from Accent Accessories but found they were the middleman so they cost more. We found them at Yelete (323-201-3770). They also have great leggings.
  2. Soxland International, 800-643-4769
  3. Dr. Motion Compression Socks
  4. Large wooden 3-D signs; Blessed, Gather, Family, In This House. The larger size sells out quickly. They all sell very well. Pine Designs – Handmade Wood Signs, Dahlonega, GA (706) 867-8509Linda J. Bacon, Mgr., MHP Medical Center, Volunteer Services/Gift Shop, Shelbyville, IN. 85 beds.

PROMOTIONS

QUICKCHARGE POS
QUICKCHARGE POS provides all of the point of sale features you need
in an easy-to-use solution with automated payroll deduction capabilities and reliable customer support.
Transitioning from your current POS system is fast, easy, and affordable.
800-348-5545  •  www.mmhayes.com/giftshopPOS


SNOOZIES
See our exciting 2019 Spring collection of foot coverings!
What’s the most important reason to stock and sell Snoozies®
in your hospital gift shop? Because they simply sell like crazy!
Soft, comfy, warm, and simply adorable.
More colors and more new styles – the largest spring selection ever!
Check out our Opportunity Buys for great discounted deals.
252-650-7000 ext 206 or 210  •  www.snoozies.com


High-quality, inexpensive CELL PHONE ACCESSORIES!
Fast moving point of sale items with over 125% ROI!
Risk-free 90-day money back guarantee on all products.
No minimums and FREE shipping on orders over $100.
FREE acrylic display with kit purchase. PPP Member
888-317-0154  •  chris@SmashDiscount.com


ANDREW DISTRIBUTION for MAGAZINES & PAPERBACK BOOKS
For Hospital Gift Shops! Crossword Puzzles! Cell Phone Accessories!
Largest Percent Discounts!
Customize and change orders anytime!
Receive credit on all unsold magazines. Huge Magazine Selections!
708-410-2400  •  www.AndrewDistribution.com


COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Cindy’s Newsletter may not to be forwarded, redistributed, reproduced, reprinted, or posted online without prior permission from Cindy Jones Associates. Subscribers may share one issue with a fellow manager. Thereafter, the manager may subscribe at cindyjonesassociates.com to receive future issues.

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