How to Manage a Thrift Store

Thrift stores can be a great place to get a bargain on clothing, household items or even antiques. Even though many people do shop in thrift stores, very few have actually thought about what it takes to manage one. If you are interested in managing a thrift store, here's some things to consider.

Instructions

1. Know your store's clientele. The types of people that will shop in your thrift store are very important because they will help you determine what items you choose to sell, and how to price those items. Think about if you will have families shopping your store or single people. Consider the ages of the people that may shop in your store, as well as their ethnic backgrounds.

2. Determine how you are going to obtain items that you will sell. Thrift stores use donations or consigned goods, or both. If you are going to get goods for your store via donations, it will be important to have a posted list that clearly states which types of items you accept and which items you do not take.

3. Post the hours and days that you'll accept consignments and donations. If you will be using consigned goods, determine how you will pay the sellers for those goods. You can pay them on delivery, or wait until their item actually sells.

4. Price the items that you will be selling. You'll need to consider the item's quality, how much it cost originally and how popular you think the item is. In addition, knowing your clientele will help you calculate a selling price. If your clientele is made up of more affluent people, you may be able to price items higher than if your clientele is primarily people on government assistance.

5. Arrange staffing for the thrift store. The number of people you will need to hire will vary depending on the size of your store and the operating hours. When you hire paid employees, make sure that they have clearly defined and agreed upon work schedules and job duties. If you will be using volunteer employees in the thrift store, it is important that they know when they will be working and their job functions. Make sure that volunteers know that you are counting on them to perform their jobs and show up when they are on schedule.

6. Have all necessary supplies that you will need to run the store, including shopping carts or baskets, pricing labels, hangers for clothing, display racks, bags for purchases, receipts and a cash register. The specific items that you will need will depend on the individual store.

Tips & Warnings

• When selling clothing, be mindful of the season. You will want to sell summer clothing, for example, during late spring and in the summer. Try to arrange the clothing seasonally.

• Price guides, that you can purchase online or in book stores, can be useful in helping you price toys, collectibles, jewelry and antiques.

• Think about having seasonal sales. At the end of a season, a sale may be a good way to move remaining seasonal items and clothing that has not yet sold. This can be a great way to help you sell items so you don't have to keep them in storage.

• Most thrift stores receive some goods that they cannot use or sell. These items may include broken jewelry or stained clothing. However, in your community, there may be businesses and organizations that can use these items. Try to search out and make ties with such businesses so you can pass on some of your unusable and unsellable goods.