Safety Day promo draws extra traffic to year-old store

Retail center neighbors boost -- and share -- big turnout

Just one year after opening his first store, Scott Miller is ready to double his floor space and go on trying more new ideas that make sense.

A veteran of corporate retailing in the greater Dallas area for some years, Miller chose for his first location the community of Allen, a fast-growing suburb where people have money and spend it wisely.

"I sell merchandise that you won't find in the big box stores, but I use some of the good ideas from that retail sector," Miller said.

One such idea was a Safety Open House that brought out his neighbors in the up-scale shopping center where he operates Allen Vacuum.

The star of the open house was Taser, and the best supporting actor was Larry Coursey, sales representative from VCP International Inc.

"We had a VCP Land in the middle of the store," Miller said, "and Larry was there throughout the day, answering questions and demonstrating the Taser products.

"It really worked because we have discerning shoppers. They walked in knowing the questions they wanted to ask because they are the kind of people who do their research on the Internet. They come to the store to refine their knowledge and get hands-on experience."

Miller said he was impressed by the fact that Coursey knows the products so thoroughly that customers are confident that they can learn whatever they feel they need to know.

"Larry was using cartridges liberally, so customers knew he was sparing no expense to make sure they were satisfied," Miller added.

Coursey said, "It is VCP's job to help our dealers reach out, be creative, introduce new products and concepts. When that means we go to their stores and help gain shoppers' esteem and confidence, we appreciate the opportunity."

Miller said VCP has been supportive in important, unique ways during his successful first year.

"I know if my order is in by 5 p.m. it goes out to me that evening. I can give my customers quick turn-around without tying up expensive lease space because VCP is my warehouse in effect," Miller noted.

The Safety Day was one in a series of Saturday open houses Miller has instigated in the relatively new shopping center. The first time, he purchased a quarter-page ad in a regional newspaper that reaches 11,000 households within the center's trade area. That ad and the half-page Miller used more recently for the Safety Open House featured cooperative advertising from some VCP majors like Casabella. But other merchants in the center opted in for special offers and tombstone ads within the format.

The ad goes in Miller's list of good ideas for retailers, along with the theme days and open houses that bring merchants together to welcome shoppers.

Miller's neighbors were able to promote their own business that day: a day-care center closely monitored a bounce house for kids and handed out invitations to their own open house; the café next door and a pizzeria down the way offered samples all day; a karate school demonstrated martial arts and handed out coupons, as did a hair salon and a tanning spa.

"People who came for the food stopped in to learn about Tasers and other featured products, and people we drew to the center were enjoying the treats," Miller said.

Even though Allen Vacuum is about floor care and household cleaning products, Taser and other personal safety products have contributed substantially to the traffic and sales the new store has enjoyed.

"(Personal safety products) are a good fit for us because these are the kind of things that people can't usually find elsewhere, and certainly not with the kind of support a store like ours can provide," Miller said. "Several shoppers had daughters away at college, and the girls are legally old enough and mentally mature enough to carry a Taser. The parents said they are considering Taser Christmas presents because they will enjoy some peace of mind knowing their daughters can defend themselves."

Tasers are not impulse buys. But neither are higher-end vacuum cleaners. Miller said, for instance, that about 90 percent of the people who took a serious interest in high-end products at a previous open house at his store returned within weeks to purchase machines that fit their needs and their budgets.

Miller's expansion plan is to move in early 2010 into new space in the same shopping center, at least doubling the square footage Allen Vacuum is occupying.

Coursey said Miller is typical of the successful vac store operator, trying new ideas, keeping his Web presence (allenvacuum.com) fresh and informative, cultivating a sense of community among his retail neighbors as well as his customers.

"In Scott's store, you get the sense that this is a retailer with the personal interest many customers really need -- a sense you don't get in big box. At the same time, Allen Vacuum is 21st Century. It has a Web presence, a savvy modern look about the premises, and a freshness about its presentation," Coursey said. "Success overcomes a weak economy."

Reprinted from Floor Care Professional, January 2010