Everyone is Red Hot for "green" Products

How about your local newspaper? Are they focused on local eco-friendly businesses?

Trade magazines and newspapers in the retail packaging industry are all concentrating on "Green" businesses. The local newspapers have been highlighting local manufacturers, growers and businesses trying to be enviromentally friendlier.

So how about the retailers? Don't you think if you have a custom paper or plastic shopping bag made from recycled and biodegradable materials with your name on it, use giftboxes made from 100% post consumer waste, and recycled kraft tissue that might be news worthy?

So retailers go ahead and try it. Have the packaging made and then write a press release to every newspaper within a 50 mile radius of your location, tourist publications and community websites and tell them. You will be surprised how interested an editor will be of the simplest local interest story and you will be more surprised in how many locales will respond to a news paper article.

If new packaging isn't in your budget then offer a discount to those customers bringing in their own shopping bags to take away their purchases. Tell that to the editor. I know I would come visit and make a purcase for a discount. A local grocer gave five cents back for every plastic bag I re-used on every purchase. I know I used 10 bags with most of purchases and that wasn't a huge savings but I thought it was a great attempt by the grocer.

Of course if you are in a "green" community and everyone is already doing it then it might not work. Well then you send out a press release stating you finally joined the "green" movement and some locales might visit your store because you finally came around to their way of thinking.
Watch for my next blog on how to write a press release.

Price verses Quality

So many business owners look at the actual price of a single product as opposed to looking at the bottom total of the order.

What I mean is:

As a sales representative I work with my customers to reduce their actual invoice total in turn reducing the actual product cost.

See the company that I work for as a sales representative, Gift Box Corporation, offers our customers quantity discounting and annual usage discounting.

For my customers that place bag orders in the first quarter of the year for the entire year, they get 15% off for the first quarter special and then we add up the total number of bags and give them a quantity discount based on annual usage on top of it. We can ship multiple times through out the remainder of the year providing the customer with bags when they need them instead of overwhelming them with inventory with one large order. To save the customer even more money we offer a half off frieght allowance on all orders of $350.00 or more.

Does your packaging distributor offer those deals?

Take another look at the bottom line.

Some times it pays to work directly with your packaging rep and ask for specials and cost cutting measures. I also suggest having a competitor of your current packaging company provide you with a quote on all packaging products. Give that second packaging rep the quantities for the packaging products used in the previous year along with exact descriptions of your products, color, shape and materials or supply them with actual samples of your products. You do not have to tell them the dollar amounts, a good rep will not need that information. Have that second packaging rep provide you with the costs for reordering based on annual usage and company discounts.

As an example, a potential new customer that I am currently working with purchases paper bags, gift boxes and tissue from a competitor. When asked for pricing on shopping bags, I provided them with first column pricing. They stated that I was way over priced. My first response was how many bags do you order a year? Thousands was her answer. So now I re-adjusted my numbers based on her annual usage. I also provided her with information concerning the discounts available to her in the coming year. When all said and done my cost was less. I didn't provide her with any extra discounts only the ones she earned. I don't play games when it comes to pricing. So many sales reps/manufacturers will reduce the cost of the first order to secure the new business then up the cost on future orders. I will not. I want my customer to get the actual pricing due to them so they don't have sticker shock in the future. I am also suppling this customer a quote for custom shopping bags. A full years worth of inventory but I am hoping to drop her cost per bag even futher.

Will I get the business? Maybe not because her current sales rep/packaging provider might meet my pricing or even beat it to keep the business. As much as I want the order thats OK. I know that customer is getting the pricing they deserve and that sales representative/manufacturer is being kept honest. And this is why I suggest you should occasionally work with your packaging provider's competitor for pricing at least every few years.

Who is going to hurt? No one especially not you because you will know you are getting the best price available to you.

So the last few blogs have been about "green" packaging and you ask what does this have to do with any thing green - well I have two answers. One, you will have more green in your pocket!
and two, Gift Box Corporation maintains stock products that are made from recycled products, products that are recyclable and products that are re-usable. Check them all out at http://www.800giftbox.com/.

The start of a great blog dedicated to packaging!

This blog will consist of my thoughts and experiences while working in the retail packaging industry. I hope to highlight the trends in the retail packaging, offer links and information pertaining to products and manufacturers creating and offering new products or just great opportunities in packaging. I look foward to your feedback to fuel this blog with topics that are of interest.

This blog is for anyone that uses, will be using in the future, or selling retail packaging include:

shopping bags - paper or plastic,
gift boxes - one and two piece,
jewelry boxes,
tissue paper,
gift wrap,
ribbon and bows,
labels,
tags,
anything else to do with packaging products
for resale or for during product developement/manufacturing.

This blog will be a great source of options for those using custom packaging and looking for alternatives and quoting opportunities.

You can be from any type of business:

retail stores including gift shops, floral shops, gift basket business, grocery stores, clothing stores, shoe shores, music shops, pottery shops, furniture stores, any type of store that needs to packaging their products for their customer.
Corporate business that give VIP presentations.
Non-Profit Organizations including museums, art galleries, historial societies or any non-profit trying to stay within their budgets and still provide appealing packaging.
Entertaining Industry Members/Organizations including bands, orchestras, theater groups, solo artists and music teachers.
School Organizations such as PTA/PTO's, Sports groups, School Bands, Fundraiser groups -- FAB, Booster Clubs, Class Advisory Groups, anyone trying to raise money for future student groups.
Manufacturers of food, clothing, gift products, anyone packaging their product for re-sale.
Sales Representatives for packaging distributors and manufacturers.

The list is endless of people who will benefit from this blog. As time goes on, I will continue to add to this endless list.

I encourage success stories and stories of failure as part of the feedback I receive from my readers. Tell me why something was a failure not necessarily who the failure was.