Incredible Shrinking Transactions... and What to Do – Part 2

by Sid Raisch

Incredible Shrinking Transactions, and What to Do - Part 2

by Sid Raisch

[Continued from Part 1 - Click to review from Group Blog]

The Garden Center Group’s 2023 P&L Study shows a continued trend of flatness of the three top KPI’s with nearly flat revenue, transaction counts, and average dollars per transaction (barely keeping with inflation). Of course there are the above average performing companies who lift this average, along with the corresponding below average performers. No matter which side of average a garden center is, this is an alarming trend. The most alarming thing is the slide, which began in 2008 at the start of the Great Recession and continued to 2019 (after a brief COVID relief in 2020 and 2021), has returned and it is sticking. The reason - Baby Boomers are aging out. The real reason? We as an industry are failing at replacing revenue from Baby Boomers.

Incredible Shrinking Transactions... and What to Do – Part 1

by Sid Raisch

I’m writing this fully knowing that some of you are going to be mildly irritated and full blown mad at me about it. But I will speak the truth as I see it and will ask you to either deny it at your own risk, or deal with it as effectively as possible. This isn’t only to define the reality of the problems we face, it is to offer a simple solution. The challenge isn’t having a solution. The challenge is to convince enough people to embrace the opportunity to accept it and to step forward decisively and boldly. It is also to ignore the naysayers and those who will stand in your way - our way.

Over 215 million Americans across three generations (Gen X, Gen Y aka Millennials, and Gen Z) now understand the critical importance of plants and pollinators for life and sustainability. They seek knowledge beyond what previous generations did, recognizing that neither big-box stores nor online searches can fully satisfy their quest. This awareness presents an unprecedented opportunity for the garden industry. If we keenly observe market trends and respond smartly, we can achieve our industry's highest aspirations. For those who might not find inspiration in this vision, it's a cue to step aside and watch as proactive leaders make impactful strides putting preparation for opportunity well ahead of hoping and wishing and blind luck.

Magnetic Personnel-ity

by Sid Raisch

Finding people is one thing, finding people who CAN actually do the job we need them for, and who actually WILL do the job is quite another. People fitting these two criteria don’t often walk in the door asking to fill out an application, outside of the dwindling luck we may have had in the past, or hope to have now.

It’s not good people vs. bad people, as in, you have to go to the county jail on Monday morning to bail them out and bring them to work. It’s about good people as in developing a workforce of effective and productive people. We can’t passively wait for another person who can pass a drug test and background check to walk in asking to fill out an application. And we can’t spend enough money on Internet ads, job boards, apps, and so on to hire people with any confidence they’ll be right or will show up, or stay long. Innovatively attracting the right candidates who match up with our ability to develop them into fully functioning, long-lasting associates is the relevant objective today.

What Recession? Why the Tide is Rising for Plants and Landscaping, and What to do about it!

by Sid Raisch

There’s a lot of noise about the economy with a tendency for businesses to join the gloomy predictions - that always follow good times, and often cause gloomy times. It can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. There’s also evidence that even better times are ahead. You probably want to know about it.

There are several MAJOR reasons a recession has not begun, even though economists have been predicting one for over a year now.

The Horticulture Declaration of Poverty - Breaking the Cycle

by Sid Raisch

You may not have actually signed a Horticulture Vow of Poverty, but did you sign up for it?

When it comes to the Horticulture Vow of Poverty, some may see it as a joke. But the reality is far from humorous. Sometimes, in the face of tragedy, all we can do is laugh. However, what if there's a way to transform that laughter into a solution?

Unreasonable!

by Sid Raisch

This spring has a lot of people scratching their heads as some pretty interesting things you could also call unreasonable have been going on.

• Introduction of Artificial Intelligence via Chat GPT, for FREE. 
• Consumers paying prices that were unimaginable in 2019-2020, (and plants are included).
• An elusive recession has economists stumped.

Save More Now, So You Can Spend More Later

by Sid Raisch

The best time to save money is to reduce spending precisely when and where we are spending the most.

There is never a time that we spend more than right now in the peak of spring in this business. Reducing spending by a small percentage now yields greater dollars of savings than saving a big percentage, but a small amount in July, August, January, or February. Let’s spend less all the time.

Survival, Success, and Significance: Phases of Spring

by Sid Raisch

Have you noticed the Phases of Spring that occur as we approach, endure, and emerge from the annual 100 Days of Horticulture Hell crisis?

There is a naturally occurring progression of events and associated emotions during the early spring through until the summer seasons.

The High Cost of Lost Opportunity...
Another Spring is a Terribly Costly Thing to Waste

by Sid Raisch

We’re all busy. I’ll get straight to the point.  

What’s different this year? What isn’t different but could be or should be, and what impact would that have? Do you even know? Read on.

Will this year be another 2022, yet another spring of about the same as the year before, if we’re lucky?

SHIFTing

by Sid Raisch

Note: Spring is about to take off (for some of you now, and later for others), this is for your winter-like weather morning cup of coffee thinking time. Since it’s the slower time of year, I’ve added several rabbit hole links to go down for more depth on the SHIFTing.

Focus on executing your Spring plan now, while allowing this article to wash over you so you can recognize signs of change in the coming months, and come back to it in Summer to allow it to influence your decisions about your future so you’ll be able to get to work on them before Spring 2024.

A Better Brand Execution = Better Marketing

by Sid Raisch

Part 6 of a Series with the Theme “A Better _______ = Better Marketing”

Marketing is an important part of the job of everyone in a company. It’s everything a company and everyone in it does within, outside, around, and beyond. In this series of articles, we’ll be discussing how different views of marketing make a huge difference in choosing, taking, and owning our position now and in the future. 

A Better Recession Effort = Better Marketing

by Sid Raisch

Part 5 of a Series with the Theme “A Better _______ = Better Marketing”
   [Go to Part 6 "A Better Brand Execution = Better Marketing" - HERE]

A Better Pricing Effort = Better Marketing

by Sid Raisch

Part 4 of a Series with the Theme “A Better _______ = Better Marketing”
   [Go to Part 5 "A Better Recession Effort = Better Marketing" - HERE]

Marketing is an important part of the job of everyone in a company. It’s everything a company and everyone in it does within, outside, around, and beyond. In this series of articles, we’ll be discussing how different views of marketing make a huge difference in choosing, taking, and owning our position now and in the future.

A Better Traffic Flow = Better Marketing

by Sid Raisch

Part 3 of a Series with the Theme “A Better _______ = Better Marketing”
   [Go to Part 4 - A Better Pricing Effort = Better Marketing" - HERE]

Marketing is an important part of the job of everyone in a company. It’s everything a company and everyone in it does within, outside, around, and beyond. In this series of articles we’ll be discussing how different views of marketing make a huge difference in choosing, taking, and owning our position now and in the future.

A Better Merchandise Selection = Better Marketing

by Sid Raisch

Part 2 of a Series with the Theme “A Better _______ = Better Marketing”
  [Go to Part 3 "A Better Traffic Flow = Better Marketing - HERE]

A Better Facility = Better Marketing

by Sid Raisch

Part 1 of a Series with the Theme “A Better _______ = Better Marketing”
  [Go to Part 2 "A Better Merchandise Selection = Better Marketing - HERE]

A Better Facility = Better Marketing - Architectural Word of Mouth

What Recession?

by Sid Raisch

“It’s the ECONOMY!”

Once in a while there’s a phrase that’s quoted and wins an election as this one did. Similarly we are running for election by our customers and other constituents (all the people in our audience) to support if not come into our store every day they go to a store, or could (including online store).

Yes, This One IS About YOU!

by Sid Raisch

“Is this about me?” This is a common question as most things I write about are common among garden retailers. No, you’re not alone in this weird business. (Other article writers tell me this also happens to them.)

Weird is as weird does. Everyone is weird in some way. Some of us are weirder than others, some are weird in a weird way, and some are really weird in every way. Nobody escapes, not even you or me. Outside of our weirdness, we have many things in common with each other.

Mitigating Buyer’s Remorse

by Sid Raisch

(You don’t have time to NOT read this right now because you have customers deciding whether you’re too expensive, or they spent too much in your store and if they’ll never be back.)

What is “buyer’s remorse”? In a word, buyer’s remorse is regret. There are two main sources of buyer’s remorse. One is a cognitive dissonance, where the investment in the purchase consumes the financial resource that could have alternatively been invested in something else of near equal desire. Another is a fear that the purchased item or service isn’t worth the amount it cost. There is some lag time between the customers decision to purchase and the questioning of that decision and in that gap of time is precisely where an appropriate and intelligent effort to counteract the emotion is necessary.

Mitigating Sticker Shock

By Sid Raisch

“Oh, I didn’t think it was going to be THAT much!”

(You don’t have time to NOT read this right now because you have customers thinking, if not saying that very thing in your store.)