How Retail Managers Can Stay Sane for the Holidays

By Malcolm Fleschner
Monster.com

Scratch beneath the surface of managers' scheduling and staffing woes, and you'll find the true source of all that holiday stress: Concerns about the bottom line. Retail managers know that the consequences for failing to hit their holiday sales numbers can be severe. As Patricia Norins, publisher of Gift Shop magazine and author of the Ultimate Guide to Specialty Retail, points out, training sales staff in the art of holiday upselling is an effective, inexpensive way to boost seasonal sales figures. "During the holidays, if someone comes into a store asking for help finding a gift for Aunt Jane, salespeople should know to ask questions that uncover what might be the perfect gift," Norins says. Other upselling techniques include asking customers if they need help selecting other gifts on their lists as well as asking if there's anything they might want for themselves, she suggests.

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