Originally Posted by
elZorro
I do live in the real world FP, it involves me being able to provide well for my own family, and quite a few other families and individuals, with a business started from scratch. I don't tend to sell services to the public, or be very interested in adding no value to whatever I sell. I know some retailing operations quite well, and I know it's tough out there. A small, underfunded, copycat business is always going to find it so. The business owners will need to work long hours, and eventually they should be able to find some profit centres that make it all worthwhile. I was reminded of one small firm, started with some spare capital, bagging edible goods at home that were then sold to retailers. 18 years later, the firm employs 600 staff. I don't know their pay scales, but I bet it's a liveable wage for everyone at the very least.
I don't have many answers for smaller retailers, but if I had spare time in a shop I'd be selling other stuff on a website or on TradeMe, for example. Or working out what I could export via NZPost.
I don't like seeing the decay in many retail areas of provincial NZ. When shopkeepers and their landlords stop spending money on the premises, when the shelves get low in stock, stock gets old (even in the cafes!) shops empty out, and locals spend precious money on petrol to shop further afield in the cities. And even there, the new malls get most of the trade it would seem. While all this is happening, new businesses are starting up all around the place, and they would like to showcase their manufacturing or products in retail premises, but that's too big a step by themselves. The large chains that run everything will not normally be interested. These same struggling small stores should access that need, selling stock on consignment. IMHO.