http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2006 by the authors Tue, 26 Dec 2006 13:35:58 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/30/101600.php#comment-499639 What's the answer then? The big temporary mega stores are not going to go away. Is there 'middle ground'? 499639@blogcritics.org Tue, 26 Dec 2006 13:35:58 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/30/101600.php#comment-244827 Dave, We compete with the "temps" and the Big box retailers, Walmart etc. exactly the way you describe. We have many loyal customers that would not even dream of stepping into a temporary store. We still need to increase volume by attracting the price conscious consumer and impulse shopper. The temporary stores with thier buying power and lower overhead (2 months rent verses 12, no need to carry inventory after Oct 31)take many of these customers from us. We contribute to other businesses in the community and donate time and costumes throught the year for charitable events. The tempoary stores come in for two months, and take the profits out of the communities they are in, giving nothing back. If this trend continues, soon there will be no more costume shops open year round. 244827@blogcritics.org Wed, 28 Sep 2005 16:15:40 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/30/101600.php#comment-244796 Most of what these stores sell is generic crap. I would think that a local store that's open year round could outdo them easily by carrying quality products - plus by renting higher quality costumes that would be too expensive for people to buy. Dave 244796@blogcritics.org Wed, 28 Sep 2005 15:52:56 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/30/101600.php#comment-244794 As an owner of a small costume shop opened year round, I can empirically state these "temporary" stores do not help raise our sales. As they try to open as close as possible to our store they take sales form us. These stores contribute nothing to the community and are not there for families that need costuming/makeup for school events. As the halloween season is the time we make the majority of our sales, it is bscoming increasingly difficult to cover our over head the remainder of the year to service our customers. This trend is another attack on the small independent retailers and the continuing homogenization of America. These stores contribute to the blight of the "big box" stores that destroy the locale flavor of the towns. 244794@blogcritics.org Wed, 28 Sep 2005 15:49:22 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/30/101600.php#comment-94943 Great story Anita, thanks, you see this at most of our area malls. Mike's idea is very interesting too, and is just the next logical step in the process. 94943@blogcritics.org Sun, 31 Oct 2004 20:34:52 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/30/101600.php#comment-94939 Mike, That's an intriguing idea. After all, it's just one step beyond malls that rent out floor space to tenants. And the advantage to the "rentable big box" concept is that consumers would get accustomed to looking in the same location for the temporary store. They'd know where to look at Halloween, at Christmas, etc. 94939@blogcritics.org Sun, 31 Oct 2004 19:58:47 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/30/101600.php#comment-94852 Y'know, it strikes me that there's a market here for some enterprising developer or businessman. With this apparent trend in temporary superstore / big box stores serving a particular holiday for a short time, it seems like someone should build a configurable empty big box -- with its own POS / registers, modular shelves, blank signage, etc. -- that companies can rent out for set periods. In other words, I own the store and maybe even the employees, but rent it out to some temporary "Halloween marketer" for Halloween, some "Fourth of July marketer" for Independence Day, some Valentine's Day company etc.... Seems like an opportunity there. 94852@blogcritics.org Sun, 31 Oct 2004 12:47:27 EST