Help for a new Trading Post Manager?

[le Voyageur]

Not to worry, I know your boss....you'll do fine as you've got great support from this fine lady...

 

see you staff week.....

[shortridge]

General advice: Go to the bathroom immediately after dinner, because you won't get a chance for a while during the evening rush hours.

 

A trading post can't go wrong with ice cream, of any sort.

 

Order a ton of Hot Sparks (or whatever the equivalent is these days). They're relatively cheap and popular. Fuel-tab stoves (Esbit is one brand) and miscellaneous firestarters also go into that category. Could also offer homemade tinder bags (lint from the staff laundry!) or firestarters.

 

Have plenty of gimp/craft lace on hand. Ditto for cheap and popular.

 

Consider selling multitools (not just Leatherman - there are plenty of relatively inexpensive off-brands). Also try selling non-BSA knives that have a lower price point. I can't tell you how many young Scouts' faces I've seen fall when told how much that official-issue logo will cost 'em.

 

For some reason, collapsible cups were still big sellers when I worked at a TP in the mid-90s. Cub Scouts especially love 'em. I can only hope they've been redeveloped since then and don't leak.

 

Keep a good stock of emergency "space" blankets, water purification tablets, waterproof matches, small magnifying glasses, signaling mirrors and small first-aid kits on hand for Scouts who want to take Wilderness Survival but forgot certain items.

 

Discount old camp patches still lying around taking up space. Selling the 1994 summer camp patch for the same price as the 2008 version doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

If you have room, make a cool display of your "neat" books - the tomes on backpacking, cooking, survival, etc.,- arranged prominently alongside the "neat stuff" - packs, cooking kits, knives, etc. (Synergy!)

 

Have a large stock of Bjorn's "Be Expert With Map and Compass" books and want to clear them out? Try a package deal - pair the book with a compass and knock a few bucks off the combo price. Ditto for woodcarving and knives, cooking and utensil sets, etc.

 

Have a bargain bin - "Everything $1.00," or a similarly low price point. Fill it with bubble compasses, whistles, water bottles, thermometers, snakebite kits, etc.

 

Some TPs have even gone to selling water balloons, slingshots, squirtguns, foam airplanes, etc. - the type of stuff you'd see at a carnival booth, almost. I'll reserve comment on that trend.

 

However, Nerf footballs and Frisbees would seem to be good sellers.

 

I've never seen it in action, but it would be pretty neat to encounter a trading post with an "Experienced Gear" section - used packs, knives, sleeping bags, tents, tarps, etc., lightly used and in good condition for reasonable costs. Might be a good experiment to see how well it sells.

 

Two digressions:

 

- Has anyone out there who's run a trading post ever sold a dutch oven?

 

- Any rules or restrictions on certain items (i.e., shaving cream isn't sold to kids with peach fuzz)?

[pinkflame]

There have been hot afternoons at camp when I woul have given up my batttery powered ceiling fan for a cold, shimmering can of Diet Coke