I was wondering what everyone's system is for allotting your frame board space?
I have five frame boards, I assigned each board (Mens, Womens, Unisex, and Sun). Then I break it down even further by price range, plastics, metals. I try to allot fairly and limit the amount of companies I use to make it worth a rep's time to come see me as often as I like.
What is your method of madness???
I have absolutely no regard for "fairness to the reps". If the day ever comes that the reps start buying more frames from us than the customers, I will change my thinking on the subject.Originally Posted by Ladyoptician
:hammer:
Ladyoptician,
Disregard my last post; I didn't see your location unitil after I posted.
I thought you were serious!
(My bad...)
:cheers:
Oh, I was not clear. My fairness was in regards to price range, meaning I try to allot a fair number of price ranges as oppose to lots of higher end and hardley any budget and vice versa. My limiting to the number of companies is mostly for selfish reasons. We are out in the middle of nowhere and reps don't like to make the trip out, so I figured that I will get better service from them if I do it that way. But I love your second post, it was funny!!
Hey Lady,
Sounds like you already have it pretty well in hand. Just leave some open space for what you might not have thought out yet. Too many people board manage themselves into a hole so that when a great deal comes around, or a new product you want to try, you end up passing or going into a huge long process just to try to bring in something new to see if it will fit in the long run. Compute a little flexability into your management.
Your style should also depend on how many spaces you have to deal with.
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Thanks for the good advice!!
Ladyoptician,
Just don't let the reps turn "board management" into "account management". Manage your own boards, which it sounds like you are.:)
Lady,
Look at your turn rate. # of "X" brand frames sold this year divided by the # of board spaces you give them. Even the best lines have a few frames that don't fly off the shelves, but this helps average that out and make sure you're giving the space to those who make it worth your while!
No rep sells me anything. I display over 1000 frames and keep about that many in reserve. I have no reps calling on me and I "work" my own inventory. I NEVER return anything after I have recieved an order and am given 30 days to decide which ones I will keep. I then return the ones I don't want in the orginal package and pay the bill. The deals I get are fantastic, you would not believe it. My cost is a fraction of yours, not you John. I can't believe you would have a rep from LC calling on you,DUH.
If it wasn't for people who DON"T KNOW how to buy all reps would be gone. Frame rep is a TOUGH job today.
A rep from Lens Crafters?
This is not a riddle, this is not a test.
Lux & Lc = one and the same.
Yes, I know that. But Lens Crafters does not either see or send out reps. I was wondering if YOU knew that!
(Besides, if someone's seeing a rep from Luxottica at all, I think they're nuts. They're feeding the evil empire!)
I'm not sure who you are refferring to, but I absolutely don't carry any luxottica lines and don't see any reps from them. Do none of your companies require RA numbers? How do you return your defects or warranty frames? I need to see and feel frames I order, how do you make your selections?
There are many frame companies such as Royce that will send you a "collection" to preview, review for 30 days and then send any back you either did not sell or want.
That way you can see the frames, feel the quality and the get to know their shapes, sizes, etc.
They even send a prepaid label for the returns.
Cassandra
"Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland
Not reffering to anyone just a general remark. Some people still do buy from Lux, hard to believe but true. I don't warranty products, I teach customer responsibility. If it falls apart I replace it, you break it you pay. If you would like to find good deals e-mail me privately, I usually do not share my sources but you are far away.
We don't have a frame board system. I just eyeball it. If it doesn't sell in 90 days, it goes back. If it's a hot number, I want more. Know your market and ask your staff for input. I like to see the reps. How else would I get the gossip? Separating men's, women's and unisex went out with the 80's. I have them arranged according to collection with only the children's and sunwear separate. This has worked very well and allows the dispensers to be more involved. And we get compliments all the time from new customers for our frame selection, which is really not much more than anyone else has but is presented nicely. If you love product and have an eye for fashion, color, and style, frame board management is one of the fun parts of this job.
I recently switched from organizing frames by brand and on my one large glass wall, have the "top sellers" of each type of frame. Drill mounts, semi rimless, Zyls, magnetic clips, Bolder metals and traditional styles. Then on my turnstyles I have my kids and teens on one, and my insurance styles on another. Overflow from "non top sellers" are on a third.
So far this har worked really well for me. Some frames lines that weren't performing for me have taken off as people aren't so aware of brand. They see the majority of semi-rimless styles in comparison to one another, and all of a sudden they don't care that this one is $30 more than that one cause it "look great!"
It can be a pain at times finding that one frame you had in mind for someone.. and rebalancing the boards, but it is working great! only on my overflow areas are they seperated into guys and gals...
Cassandra
"Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland
So, you only give a frame 90 days to sell? I don't get that at all. That's not much time, you must return a huge number of frames.
1. If you know your market, you sell what you buy, and nothing goes back.
2. If you are buying correctly, the company WON'T take anything back.
3. I'm assuming that it is not your office, or you would be concerned about the shipping cost.
4. If you like to see reps for the gossip, you're wasting their time as well as yours.
5. The "fun" part of my job is watching my bottom line grow by seeing almost no reps, and spending more time selling to my customers (w/o the gossip).
This would specifically be for those collections which I catagorize as "we'll see how they do". I am in a very conservative area, but sometimes getting a little ahead of the groove with something fun and trendy works, and sometimes it doesn't. I return a fair number but always buy more than I return.
1. My market demands new product.
2. I buy pretty conservative but if they won't take it back I don't deal with them.
3. Shipping is minimal. We are a small office. No complaints from the boss.
4. I have known my reps for 20 years and furthermore, it's a girl thing.
5. Our bottom line is growing quite nicely, thank you.
If you are returning frames 90 days from purchasing...you don't have a clue as to what your market is!
My market is hard to pin down. I would mostly say, women my age. However, it is a transient area. Many foreigners here on visas, middle management that comes and goes, etc. We are smack in the middle of the auto industry's corporate area. The reason for returning frames after 90 days would be that they were perhaps an experiment or consignment.
I am no longer a fan of returning slow moving frames. I have changed my buying and selling mindset. I am RESPONSIBLE for MY purchases. If I pick a dud.....shame on me. I will sell it one way or another. I am dealing more and more with smaller frame companies that do not have reps. They offer very good frames at very good prices. I buy what I want and need and deal with the few slow sellers as they appear. I sell them at deep discount or give away as part of a package or second pair deal, etc. My inventory dollars and shipping costs have never been better! This philosophy has also gained me a new respect with the few reps that I see. They know that they will not be burdened to do exchanges with me and when I say lets deal...they deal!!
Of course..your mileage may vary!
That is complete BS. I return/swap things out quite frequently. I keep the same frames on the board at all times, replacing as I sell (although I wait until I have enough to order to justify the shipping cost) and when I get tired of selling the same frame over and over, I swap it out. Or, if something just hasn't moved, I swap it out. There's nothing dishonerable about doing so. Fezz and all you guys who commit to what you buy, I applaud you for it. But instead of giving a patient $30 off to get rid of a frame, I'd rather spend $3 and send it back to the manufacturer.
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