Christian Retailing

GENI: Reaching the rest of the church Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:31 AM America/New_York
A message from Geni Hulsey, president of the Church Bookstore Network:

Focus, focus, focus! That's what I keep hearing from every corner of the marketplace, whether it be financial, retail, wholesale, oil or books. The advice of the sages is to find out what you do best, what your market is, and stay focused on that. Buy for that market, market to that market, and don't go chasing rabbits (tiny markets that just drain you of time and resources).

As church bookstores, we have one primary market-the members of and visitors to our church. It is our ministry to respond to the needs of the individuals in that market.

It is a difficult statistic to measure because of factors like repeat visits and business from church staff, but it seems to be the consensus that most church bookstores are only reaching about 20% of their membership. My constant question, is how do we attract the other 80%?

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INSIGHTS: Reducing the fat Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:29 AM America/New_York
by Bob Steele

On the surface, inventory management is a simple process. After all, there are only two things you need to avoid: having too little inventory and having too much.

Keeping a perfectly balanced inventory is no easy task, though. Out-of-stock items may easily attract your attention and quickly get corrective action, but overstocked items sit quietly on the shelves. Understandably, these overstocked titles are easily overlooked, as the daily tasks of bookselling and taking care of customers take precedence.

However, to achieve a balanced inventory, you need to pay as much attention to the bottom of your inventory as you do to the top. This will enable you to recover valuable dollars that could be better invested in other titles.

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PICTURE OF THE WEEK: Go big on small Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:25 AM America/New_York
Providing resources for the church's small groups is an important service, warranting more space for the category than would be found in other Christian stores, such as this display at Vine Books & Music at Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati. The store even changed its opening hours to be available to participants in the Monday night small group meetings hosted at the church. Small group members can buy not only their course materials, but also be introduced to other resources.
 
ADVICE: Dear Betty Bookstore Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:22 AM America/New_York
We're getting new carpet in the store-do you recommend plain or patterned?

Making a decision about flooring has always been a hard one for Betty. I like the feel of cool tile, yet last December when Sister Angela dropped a Christmas ornament and it broke into hundreds of pieces, for a moment I wished we had all carpet. But then when overzealous Clyde--the season's self-appointed wassail maker--spilled a pot full of Christmas cheer, I longed for tile.

Carpet is economical to install but has a shorter life expectancy than tile. Although the newer carpets have built-in, stain-resistant fibers, they still show dirt and wear and tear. However, carpeting can also work as a valuable noise buffer for your store.

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CHURCH LIFE: Bigger churches 'more biblical' Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:19 AM America/New_York
The bigger the church, the more biblical it is likely to be.

That's the evidence from a Barna Group survey which found that "congregational size is related to the nature of a congregation's religious beliefs, religious behavior and demographic profile." The study found "clearly significant" differences between small and large Protestant churches in terms of adherents' theological beliefs.

From a a survey of more than 3,000 adults, "statistically significant" differences on 17 indicators of religious belief and behavior-such as whether or not the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches and church involvement-were found between churches with 100 or fewer attendees and those drawing more than 1,000.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Questionable content? Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:17 AM America/New_York
You don't have to agree with every word in every book in your store, but where do you draw the line? When do doctrinal differences become important enough to choose not to carry a particular title? And how do you deal with a customer who may think that the store should not be carrying a book you are comfortable with? What policies and procedures do you have in place?

Share your experiences, thoughts and ideas with others at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:15 AM America/New_York
"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another."

John 1:16, NIV