Cindy’s Newsletter for Gift Shop Managers | December 15, 2022 💮
| CINDY’S NEWSLETTER for Gift Shop Managers |
Cindy’s Newsletter for Gift Shop Managers delivers practical, ready-to-implement content to gift shop managers, retailers, and volunteers across the country. We help our readership of over 3,000 retailers optimize shop operations, grow revenue, and connect with one another. The newsletter is published monthly and free since 2001.
Have you paid your dues this quarter?
The value and richness of this newsletter comes from your participation. Do your part by submitting two comments per quarter, at minimum. Reply to reader’s questions listed throughout the newsletter (in green) or simply share what is working or isn’t working in your shop, a great selling product, a helpful website or resource, an operating question, your biggest challenge right now, a terrific vendor you’ve come across recently, tips on managing volunteers, or tips on managing yourself!
LEAVE A COMMENT! Click the green comment tags 
throughout the newsletter, enter it in the comment section, or send to cindy@cindyjonesassociates.com.
DECEMBER 15, 2022
Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Barrie, ON, Canada
Welcome to all the new subscribers and Happy Holidays to everyone! Can someone just say it out loud: the last few years have kinda been hell, haven’t they?
| trending for 2023! |
|---|
| Tenacity |
| Gusto |
| Striving |
| Leader |
| Unhinged (it happens) |
| Zen mode |
| Most Likely to Succeed |
The retailing world has been really, really tough. But, part of life is traveling through those ups and downs. It’s a cycle, just like the seasons. Vitalize, devitalize. Degenerate, regenerate. The good times allow one to just breath, fortify your strength and refuel your heart. The tough times come along to challenge and even weaken that strength and heart. Then the cycle starts again. Hopefully everyone is beginning to see some hint of sustained normalcy, regeneration, growth, vitality, and tenacity!
Our goal is to provide you with useful content, a way to get advice from your fellow shop managers, and a place to connect with others.
If you left a comment, shared a tip, asked a question in 2022,
thank you on behalf of all the other gift shop managers!
We thank you for contributing to the community. Everyone is beyond busy and YOU were generous enough to share new products, best practices, and helpful tips that make the hospital gift shop business easier. Your comments help sustain this publication.
If you’ve been a recipient of others’ comments, but haven’t contributed, we want to hear from you in 2023!
Looking forward to a terrific new year and wish you the same,
– Cindy and Nicole
♡ Connect. Share. Grow. ♡
Robots deliver shop purchases to patients
It’s time to update your delivery options with: “Inpatient delivery via robot”. Yes, the future is here and it’s pretty cool. Robots are being deployed in hospitals across the country to help ease the load of nurses and staff. In addition to their medical duties, robots are delivering gift shop purchases to patients.
Moxi, the robot, was created by Diligent Robotics and is currently deployed at several hospitals across the country including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, Shannon Health in San Angelo, TX, and Mary Washington Healthcare in Fredericksburg, VA.
Moxi performs time consuming but simple tasks, so nurses can do more complicated tasks. Nurses at Cedars Sinai use Moxi to run prescriptions, deliver lab samples and even bring patients gifts from the gift shop.
The robots use artificial intelligence, machine learning technology and social engineering to interact with people. They can navigate doors with their arms and store goods in their bases, which contain three locked drawers. Moxi waves when it sees someone new, and even poses for selfies.
SOURCE: The Robot Report
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4 ways to crush it in 2023
Here are four lists to help plan and achieve your goals in 2023. Write these down. Crystalize them. Draw and build a concrete framework for your future. Then direct your life in that direction, like a laser beam. 🚀
2. Annual Goals
List what you want to accomplish in the next 12 months for your shop.
3. Annual Action Plan
List the steps you need to take to accomplish your Annual Goals.
4. Daily Action Plan
List the specific daily steps to implement your Annual Action Plan.
Product Pick: Luckables
Whatever the reason may be, any hospital visit warrants a little bit of good luck. Luckables give the gift of luck and encouragement when it’s needed most. Each Luckable represents an iconic lucky symbol, or animal, from around the world. Not to mention, they’re irresistibly soft and are guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face! Please contact Heather at Heather@Luckables.com to place your order.
A. How to work around IT firewalls for gift cards?
For those of you who have gift cards or certificates, how did your POS vendor work around the healthcare system IT firewalls? We have Clover, and are having a lot of issues getting them to work due to firewall issues. – Jill Dugaw, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Spartanburg, SC.
Our hospital shop sells and accepts gift cards, but only for our own shop. It was set up through our POS vendor. We are not able to sell other retail gift cards, (Visa/Target/Starbucks/etc) – Michaela. CHI CUMC Bergan Mercy Hospital, Omaha, NE. 400 beds. 11/17/22
VENDOR RESPONSES
Hi Jill, we completely understand your pain. Hospital firewalls, although extremely important for security, can be difficult to navigate. In most cases the hospital will completely lock down the firewall’s ports and simply make exceptions for the ports necessary for the POS and credit card processing. With Clover, the firewall ports necessary to process a credit card are different than the firewall ports that are used for Clover gift cards. Per our Clover rep, you will want to ask your hospital IT to open up ports: 50101, 50100, and 443. Having these ports open will ensure you are able to reach out and process the gift cards. – Alec Overly, National Account Executive, i3 Verticals
The ARBA POS system does not have any firewall issues with gift cards and certificates. In the ARBA POS system, connection to the database and connection to the credit card payment gateway information is added to the firewall exception list. Hope the insight is helpful. – Kathy de la Torre, ARBA Retail Systems
Connect. Share. Grow. ♡
2022 Income Statement
Your income statement should be prepared at the end of each fiscal year. How did you do?
✏️ Income Statement for Fiscal Year 2022
Gross Sales (Less tax)
Gross Revenue (Less cost of good sold, discounts, and markups)
Gross Profit Margin (Less operating expenses and salaries)
Net Profit
Net profit should be 15-20% of gross revenue for a shop with a paid manager. As a general rule of thumb, a 10% net profit margin is deemed average, while a 20% margin is deemed high and 5% low.
Tallahassee Memorial Gift Shop
Tallahassee Magazine / Nov 10, 2022
One of Tallahassee’s nicest gift shops can be found in a most unlikely place — Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. Maria Heil is the shop manager. The shop is strategically located in the hallway between the Dozier Atrium and patient rooms. They sell clothing, purses, jewelry, books, spiritual gifts, seasonal items, live plants, home decor, a kids’ corner, self-care galore, puzzles. The shop’s bestsellers are men’s and women’s colognes.
While commerce is the foremost purpose of the store, Heil said it has another important function is providing a “friendly face” and a serene respite for stressed family members and TMH colleagues. “It’s very inviting to come in here. And that is my goal — that the people who work here and the way the shop is displayed — that it’s a welcoming place,” Heil said. “Yes, we want to make money. But if there is a need, we do our best to help. And sometimes that means giving merchandise away. You do what you need to. And it always, always, always, always comes back to us.”
A second shop, located in the Brickler Women’s Pavilion, offers grab-and-go salads and sandwiches and microwaveable meals for dads and nurses who might find it hard to leave the floor and trek to the cafeteria.
Shoppers will find a variety of popular names in gifts and accessories, including Mud Pie, Spartina, Scout, enewton and Brümate. Heil says she tries to support Tallahassee businesses in her search for unique items. Flower arrangements are from Hilly Fields, and other offerings include books by local authors, Coton Colors tableware, cake and cupcakes from The Cake Shop, and Valentine’s Day and Christmas sweets from Peterbrooke Chocolatier.
The Gift Shop had $710,000 in gross sales in the fiscal year 2018–19, but like the rest of the hospital, the auxiliary was upended by COVID.
The shop closes for two days early in the shopping season to reset the store with holiday-themed decor and gift items. It reopens with a three-day Black Friday event that begins Wednesday, Nov. 30. Everything (with a few exclusions) will be 25% off. The first day’s hours are actually 10pm-2 am to accommodate the late-night workday of the hospital’s third shift. TMH colleagues actually are the gift shop’s most loyal customers, Heil said.
Pace shared her long-term goal for the shop. “…..reach $1 million in sales. It’s sort of a personal goal to see that happen before I retire,” she said.
SOURCE: Tallahassee Magazine
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The costly impact of too much inventory
Is stock coming in faster than it’s going out? If you find yourself overstocked, whether from overbuying or missing your sales projections, you can take decisive action to bring your inventory back into balance. The key is to act quickly. The longer you keep excess inventory on hand, the more it will cost you.
High inventory decreases your gross margin, increases operating expenses, and negatively effects cash flow, all resulting in reduced profits.
How to quickly cut the amount of inventory you have:
- Cancel or reduce any open order that hasn’t shipped and isn’t a critical need right now.
- Cut out optional merchandise.
- Delay adding a new line for 2-3 months.
- Discount items that have been difficult to sell.
- Bundle items or offer BOGO sales on overstocked items to sell more products per customer.
Identify and rectify any large inventory errors that happen throughout you process, including any inaccurate counting, tracking or re-stocking. Many of these issues come through human error, which can be addressed by ensuring all employees, especially new ones, are fully trained.
Move merchandise with a Power Lunch Flash Sale
Help move your merchandise by planning several Power Lunch Flash Sale from 11:00am – 2:00pm one day a week for three weeks. Mark down holiday merchandise or overstocked items at progressive amounts each week during these hours.
The restricted sale time drives urgency – customers can’t look at something and just think about buying it. If they want it, they have to buy it right then to get the discount. Turn up the music and watch them line up at the door. 🎉
Have you written your resolutions goals for 2023!?
by Cindy Jones, Editor
Resolutions are nice. But, you might remember, around here we like to set New Year’s Goals instead. Quoting myself here, “If we had the discipline to keep resolutions, we probably wouldn’t need to make them in the first place!”
Goals are challenges you set and conquer. They are short term. They are achievable. Resolutions feel heavy, have permanence and feel forever (e.g., lose weight, stop smoking, start exercising, save money).
Goals last only as long as it takes to meet them. Commence your celebratory dance and, then, on to the next goal. They are chunks of accomplishments – like purging old files, running a seven-minute mile, writing a book, mastering that celestial chocolate cake, prepare a shop budget for 2023 and so on.
They often motivate people to make a list of priorities and then to work to accomplish them. Here are a few to consider!
- Better manage your gift shop financially by implementing 3 new reports or KPIs.
- Commit to creating financial statements every quarter.
- Schedule monthly customer service training or round table sessions for your volunteers and staff.
- Write down 5 ways to determine if your shop is a good place for all to work (i.e., survey, retention, perks, pay).
- Praise your volunteers and staff in public. Only share constructive criticism in private.
- Set an annual deadline and then commit to finishing your holiday inventory buying no later (for August delivery).
- Resolve to reorder fast selling merchandise before you run out. Note “Inventory gone: ____” on your calendar throughout the year for a year-end perspective.
- Do more MBWA: Manage By Walking Around
- Implement a monthly notice informing volunteers and staff of sales goals and new products.
- Create a ‘Buying and Planning Calendar’. Know where you’re going and when to buy. Check out Cindy’s Twelve-Month Action Plan for Gift Shop Managers!
- Determine 5 ways – big or small – to declutter the register area by May 4, 2023 (or any memorable date).
- Commit to rotating displays every two to three weeks in 2023.
- Balance inventory levels with sales levels all year around.
Resolve to work on as many of these as you can. Decide on a handful, write them down and make two copies: one for your morning mirror and one for your office wall. Start with an easy one. Break the harder ones into smaller steps.
UPCOMING HOLIDAYS
| JANUARY |
|---|
| Jan 1 – New Year’s Day Jan 16 – Martin Luther King Day Jan 19 – Nat’l Popcorn Day 🍿 Jan 21 – National Hug Day |
| FEBRUARY |
|---|
| Black History Month Feb 3 – Ntn’l Women Physician Day Feb 4 – World Cancer Day Feb 12 – Super Bowl Sunday Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day 💕 Feb 20 – President’s Day Feb 21 – Mardi Gras/Paczki Day |
| MARCH |
|---|
| Mar 1- World Candle Day Mar 2 – Ash Wednesday Mar 3 – Employee Appreciation Day Mar 12- Daylight Saving (Start) Mar 17 – St. Patrick’s Day ☘️ Mar 22 – First Day of Ramadan Mar 30 – Doctor’s Day |
Sometimes we include some pretty unique “holidays”. Use them to help generate off-season sales. “National Sunglasses Day – 15% Today Only!”. Build some fun displays. Be creative! Put all umbrellas on sale for National Pina Colada Day! 🍹 ….by the way, it’s July 10th!
It’s Inventory Day!
If your fiscal year ends December 31, it’s time to schedule your shop’s annual physical inventory.
Hospital gift shops are required by tax and, often, accounting rules to provide an accurate on-hand value of the merchandise in its shop. Although the shop may be using a perpetual inventory system or other software to keep track of all items, it may still be required to physically count all inventory.
Here are the basics on how to conduct a physical inventory with as little disruption and as much accuracy, as possible.
- Replenish shelves with merchandise from the stockroom. Try to clear as much inventory from the backroom as possible. Be sure there is no merchandise under cash wraps, in the office, or any other location. If an inventory service has been hired to do the physical inventory, follow the guide they provide and prepare the shop according to their instructions. If the physical inventory is being conducted by shop employees, meet with staff to explain the inventory counting process.
- Assign each employee a location and provide a pre-numbered inventory Counting Worksheet. Those conducting the inventory should count each item on their sheet and only record the exact quantities.
- When the physical inventory count is completed, compare the physical count to the perpetual inventory record. Discrepancies should be further investigated and resolved. A recount may be required by a different counting team for any major discrepancy.
- At the end of the inventory process, adjust the perpetual inventory record for each line item to reflect the quantity and value of the physical inventory.
Get the 10-page guide on How to Conduct a Physical Inventory. Includes planning and preparation checklist, worksheet templates, Per Category and Total Shop Inventory calculations, formulas for Cost of Goods Sold, best-practices, and more.
PS: Buy lunch for everyone on Inventory Day!
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SURVEY: Do you use a cash register or POS system?
In the past, our observation is that only about 55% of hospital gift shops use a POS to run their shops. We want to find out if this is still the case. Are you using a cash register or POS system?
If your shop’s annual sales are over $200,000 you should be using a point-of-sale (POS) computerized cash register system.
A cash register is best-suited for single-location small businesses with limited inventory and without the need to take credit or debit card payments. But, but most shops use feature-filled point-of-sale (POS) systems that improve customer experience and business operations
A. Does your shop use Emporos POS?
I run The Orchard Gift Shop at Indiana University Health. They want to change our POS system to change to Emporo. We currently have Keystroke. Does anyone currently use Emporos POS? If so, what are your thoughts on it. I would appreciate any feedback. Thank you. – Jodi Tyrie, Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital, Lafayette, IN. 191 beds. 10/15/22
I would not recommend using a system like this. If you are going to the expense of bringing in a new system, I would definitely use a system that is better suited for retail with a good inventory management system. We are currently in the process of getting a new POS system with NCR/i3Verticals. Good luck! –Deb Kerr, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City. 385 beds. 11/17/22
FROM CINDY
We are not familiar with Emporos. It has not been mentioned in our ongoing POS survey as a system in use. At first glance, it appears to be designed for pharmacies. I would question its ability to meet the unique needs of a gift shop. Keystroke is designed specifically for retail operations. Emporos does have two nice features: native payroll deduction and a mobile bedside delivery option. But, because it is optimized for pharmacies, the user interface might be confusing in a gift shop environment unless they adapt it.
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💮 GIFT MARKET CALENDAR 💮
| **Always double-check show dates** | Jan 4-10, 2023 Dallas Total Home & Gift Market | Jan 10-17, 2023 Atlanta Winter Market | |
| Jan 16-20, 2023 LA Mart Winter Market | Jan 23–27, 2023 Seattle Winter Mart | Jan 29-Feb 2, 2023 Las Vegas Winter Market | Jan 31-Feb 4, 2023 Atlanta Apparel Market |
| Feb 5-8, 2023 NY Now Winter | Mar 1-3, 2023 Atlanta Spring Market | Mar 21-24, 2023 Dallas Apparel & Access Market | Apr 22-26, 2023 High Point Spring Market |
| May 8-10, 2023 Atlanta Spring Cash & Carry | Jun 21-27, 2023 Dallas Total Home & Gift Market | Jun 27-30, 2023 Dallas Apparel & Accs Market | Jul 11-17, 2023 Atlanta Summer Market |
| Jul 30-Aug 3, 2023 Las Vegas Summer Market | Aug 22-25, 2023 Dallas Apparel & Accs Market | Sep 18-20, 2023 Atlanta Fall Market | Sep 19-21, 2023 Dallas Total Home & Gift Market |
| Oct 14-18, 2023 High Point Fall Market | Oct 24-27, 2023 Dallas Apparel & Accs Market | Nov 6-8, 2023 Atlanta Fall Cash & Carry |
STATE CONFERENCES: VOLUNTEER & GIFT SHOP MANAGER
GSVRP will be held at The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, St Simons Island, GA from February 19-22, 2023
NOVEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER: ISSUE #636
Did you miss last month’s articles, surveys, and discussions?
- Retailing tips for the holiday season
- Free guide: Developing & Managing Volunteer Programs
- Q. Work around firewalls for gift cards?
- AmazonSmile for foundation/ auxiliary
- Holiday idea: LIGHT-UP SALE
- Q. What are your best selling products that light up?
- Small Business Saturday: Nov 26, 2022
- Job Openings
- A. Who are some vendors for cancer items?
- Two winning lottery tickets sold at local hospital gift shops
- Q. Does your shop use Emporos POS?
- Grafton City Hospital gift shop reopens 3 years after COVID!
- Gift Market Calendar
DISCUSSION
POS SYSTEMS
Q. I am taking over our hospital gift shop and have never run a retail shop before. I need to purchase a POS. Our shop is about 800 sq ft and only has one location. Any suggestions on POS systems? I want something that can track inventory and provide data on sales. The majority of staff for the gift shop will be volunteers (older women) so the payment terminal needs to be easy and user friendly. – Erica Ballard, Ascension Providence, Waco, TX. 225 beds. 8/31/22
We use Quickcharge (MM Hayes) – Kristi King, Ozark Health, Clinton, AR. 114 beds. 9/22/22
We utilize Quickcharge (MM Hayes). It integrates with Kronos for payroll deductions, making that process (if your organization allows payroll deductions) much simpler. – Cherie Towers, Redlands Community Hospital, Redlands, CA. 229 beds. 9/21/22
We use RITE. – Nancy Williams, Director Volunteer Services, Piedmont Healthcare, Atlanta, GA. 9/20/22 
We recently upgraded to Counterpoint by NCR and it has been amazing so far. It has tons of capability than we could ever possibly need . It is also very user friendly! – Juli Chrisman, WPR Cancer Institute Gift Shop, UAMS, Little Rock, AR. 9/19/22
I use QuickBooks. Very user friendly – Carol Colpitts, Milford Regional Medical Center, Milford, MA. 9/19/22
We use Square for Retail. Our senior volunteers thought it was much easier to use than our previous register. A simpler system, but tracks inventory and provides sales data is multiple ways at a reasonable cost. – Karla Glanzman, Seattle Children’s Hospital. 350 beds. 9/16/22
Hi Karla, I would love to visit with you further about utilizing Square for Retail. I’m definitely curious about the inventory management and reports. If you have some time to chat sometime, please reach out via email. Thanks! -Vicki Holcombe, Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, TX. 9/19/22
Erica, We have the same size gift shop and same size hospital. We have Quickcharge by MM Hayes. I also have volunteers running the gift shop. I oversee inventory and reports. Reports are easy and inventory management is as well. Feel free to contact me if you would like more information. – Catherine Taschler, Volunteer Coordinator, Marshfield Medical Center-Weston, Weston, WI. 9/16/22
We will be using NCR (Counterpoint) starting in the new calendar year. I would highly recommend this system. We vetted many and found this to be far outstanding from the others. – Deb Kerr, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City. 385 beds. 9/16/22
We use the Clover devices and absolutely love the system. – Jessie Davis, Hannibal Regional Hospital, Hannibal, MO. 99 beds. 9/16/22
PRIOR COMMENTS
We are using NCR Counterpoint. We installed this system almost 6 years ago and have upgraded successfully (and easily) twice since that time. Once was a minor upgrade to install an Ingenico Card Machine and most recently was to allow us to be compatible with Windows 10 software as required by our hospital. We have been pleased with the software and especially with the ease of use for our volunteer population. – Angela Quinn, UNC Lenoir Health Care, Kinston, NC. 1/16/20
We transitioned to Vend as our POS in May 2019 – Shellee Laubersheimer, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, CA. 600 beds. 2/4/21
Did you miss this question? Click to comment.
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CANCER ITEMS
I have recently taken over our Cancer Resource Center. It’s located in another building and much smaller than my gift shop. I am looking to make it a much more inspirational and inviting space but still keep some of the cancer related items available to the patients (e.g., scarves, hats, turbans, medical alert bracelets, nausea remedies, wig care products, synthetic bangs, apparel, gift items, skincare products, night caps, wig halos). Who are some vendors you use for cancer items? – Lanie Ray, Cancer Resource Center, Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, OH. 9/28/22
LympheDIVAs makes stylish and colorful compression arm sleeves, gauntlets, and gloves for managing lymphedema post treatment.
Cancer Be Glammed carries a large assortment of cancer related recovery products and lifestyle solutions (gowns, easy-access recover clothing, wraps, skin and hair care, cooling jewelry)
Brobe breast cancer surgery recovery wear (bras, robes, belts, etc)
Chemo Beanies offers a nice array of head covers in lovely styles casual to elegant. Great customer service! – Michelle Suggs. 10/17/22
MCCC Sportswear – Stephanie Barnes. 10/17/22
LippyClips for breast cancer themed chapstick holders. Demdaco for themed jewelry. Headcovers Unlimited for hats & head scarves. PsiBands for nausea remedies. – Elizabeth Hall. 10/17/22
Headbands of Hope. Amazingly soft and she is working to get us more variety in color and patterns! – Tricia Rochman. 10/17/22
MCC Sportswear has breast cancer apparel and jewelry. Their sweatshirts and t-shirts have sold well for us. – Tamara Szarszewski, Logansport Memorial Hospital Gift Shop, Logansport, IN. 83 beds. 10/17/22
We use Ganz for our turbans. – Helen. 10/17/22
PRIOR COMMENTS
We carry a large selection of turbans and other headwear from Hats with Heart. They are great to work with. – Anonymous. 2/3/20
We have purchased basic turbans for chemo patients for years from Betmar and a lesser expensive style from Kelli’s. We also recently started carrying a line of greeting cards called KimoKards. We have received a lot of positive feed back on these from our customers. – Sandy White, Shop Manager. 12/25/19
Click to leave your response.
SHOPPING BAG VENDORS 🛍
Q. Looking for options for custom shopping bags for the gift shop. You know, those pretty bags you give to customers after they make a purchase in your store! We have a current vendor, but am interested in hearing what others do and vendors they use. Thank you in advance! – Shellee Laubersheimer, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, CA. 600 beds. 8/23/22
We use PaperMart here in California. – Cherie Towers, Redlands Community Hospital, Redlands, CA. 229 beds. 11/30/22
Nashville Wraps is who we use. We make sure to qualify for free freight each time or it will eat up your profits, quickly! – Ali McCrary, Good Samaritan Gift Shop, Vincennes, IN. 9/15/22
We use Nashville Wraps also. We carry 4 size white kraft bags that we sell to customers with colorful tissue paper. – Stephanie Hubbard, General Manager and Senior Buyer, Memorial Healthcare System, FL. 9/15/22
We have used Nashville Wraps for bags and tissue for years. – Vicki Holcombe. 9/15/22
We use Nashville Wraps. Love the Christmas ones. – Nancy Williams, Director Volunteer Services, Piedmont Healthcare, Atlanta, GA. 9/15/22
Nashville Wraps. They also do stickers if you want to use them. We are the Pink Geranium Gift Shop, so I get pink bags. Everyone knows where you were :) – Tricia Rochman, Carbondale Memorial Hospital, Carbondale, IL. 154 beds. 9/15/22
Kelli’s Gift Shop Suppliers. Used to use Benton Kirby but they are no longer in business. We use paper bags. – Peter Waugh. 9/15/22
We also use Nashville Wraps. We have bought the pretty designs but have had to go to the brown and white to help cut costs. We are planning on ordering Christmas designs for the season and we will be selling those to our customers/employees who ask for a handled bag. We just can’t give them out like we use to. :( – Lanie Ray, Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, OH. 8/24/22
We use Store Supply Warehouse. They also have decorative/holiday gift bags that we sell all year round. We also insert tissue paper in to the gift bag, which the customers always appreciate! – Suzanne Storelli, The Guthrie Clinic / Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, PA. 254 beds. 8/15/22
We use Nashville Wraps for our bags. Then we put a “Friends Gift Shop” sticker on the bag for promotions. Right now we have sunflowers. – Nancy Collins, New London Hospital, New London. 25 beds. 8/15/22
PRIOR COMMENTS
Hi there!! We use Nashville Wraps for our bags and boxes and it has worked out well. They are also a member of PPP. – Christine Parker, Kent Hospital, Warwick. 2/15/21
I have wonderful luck with Bags and Bows. Great prices, great customer service. – Grace Hutchinson, Piedmont Medical Center, Rock Hill, SC. 180 beds. 2/15/21
Nashville Wraps and S. Walter Packaging – Gale Cialeo 2/18/21
We use Bags and Bows and purchase bright colored plastic T-shirt bags along with small brown paper bags and handled brown paper bags. We also let the volunteers know how much each bag costs so they can decipher which bag is the best choice for each particular sale. – B. Putman, Coldwater, MI 3/15/21
We have been using Nashville Wraps and very satisfied. If you order $300 or more you get free freight. Yay!!! We get tissue, ribbons, hi-density bags, and lovely gift bags in a variety of sizes and designs. Love this vendor. Highly recommend. – Debbie Swan, Baxter Regional Medical Center, Mountain Home, AR. 126 beds. 3/15/21
Click here to share your favorite bag idea or vendor.
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PROMOTIONS
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Click below to download the free job description for Hospital Gift Shop Manager!
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We use PSG Point of Sale by Bostwick Braun. It has a very extensive back office and reports. – Ginger Taylor. CoxHealth, Springfield, MO. 1014 beds. 10/18/22