This past weekend I stopped in at the Bronck House in Coxsackie, NY, it is the original home of the family that the Bronx, NY are named after. It is the oldest surviving dwelling in Upstate New York and was hosting a craft fair. That’s where I met Ralph Hill making Bee skeps. I didn’t even know what they were but I had to know more.
Ralph Hull's Bee Skep
He told a group of us crowded around that bee skeps are made of coiled rye straw and used to transfer a swarm of bees to a new colony. They had been used since before the Bronck house and were constructed to hold up to 65 pounds of honey. As he talked about how he made them from natural rushes and rye from around his home in Oak Hill, NY, I saw the three elements of great retail at work and one of the most common to be avoided:
1. Obey the law of scarcity. Ralph only displayed one at a time. This made me interrupt at one point and ask if I could buy one. If you have a bricks and mortar store, don’t fill up all the shelves with product, it makes them look like no one wants them. As I walked away, I thought someone would have to wait for him to build another; I looked back later and he had several hidden out of casual eyesight.
2. Stories sell. Ralph was animated talking about the history of the bee skep, how they were made, how they functioned in colonial times who were looking for a way to maintain their supply of honey and the care he took with them. Every item you carry should have a story, something besides the features. The “why,” that product exists because someone was looking for a better way.
3. Show don’t tell. While Ralph presented me with a three-page single-spaced handout about the Bee Skep after I purchased it, he knew the visual of watching an 89-year old man hand make a basket with a Diet Coke bottle would draw a crowd. From that experience of watching, he then just answered questions. When I was selling western wear I used to have an employee steaming hats at the front of the store to create interest. What can you show to create interest in your store?
4. Don’t know their own worth. As fascinating as this all was, Ralph said it took him 8 hours to make one. I overhead another woman say they were expensive online, over $200. The trouble with so many retailers is they don’t price according to what the market will bear but what they fear they can’t go over. They don’t figure in their time or talent. I figured the bee skep would be about $50. I was shocked when I found they were $25.
Lessons for retail are all around in everyday common activities. What are some you’ve had presented to you that made you change the way you do business?
