Check this out

Ann McRae

the web is a funny place - I was looking for a local supplier of soccer equipment, and found this ad for a photography and retail store for sale. Vegriville is about an hour out of Edmonton.
http://www.markmarek.com/sale.htm

ann

John Mueller

So when you taking over Ann?:D

David_S85

Ann McRae wrote:

the web is a funny place - I was looking for a local supplier of soccer equipment, and found this ad for a photography and retail store for sale. Vegriville is about an hour out of Edmonton.
http://www.markmarek.com/sale.htm

ann

Hmmmmm. Check out their store for sale on the web site you provided. A couple things disturb me.... There are photos of the photo store (itself not a bad thing), but.... they are not real good shots, nor are they processed very well. Look at their last store shot (click, display larger picture) they need to have how many signs telling people that they're OPEN ??? Ugh!

Shay Stephens

This is a great example of poor marketing.

One can safely assume that the store is open, so there is no need to advertise that. Instead of advertising something people already know or assume, they should be advertising something that people want, or maybe even something they don't yet know that they want!

They probably wonder why no one comes in to the store, and assume that people must not know they are open, instead of trying to figure out ways to interest people coming into their store.

What I see when I look at their store front, is a messy weak disaster.

Left window
Looks empty to me. I don't see anything there that would interest me. How about some honking large prints in there? How about an interesting diorama? Anything but nothing. That is prime advertising space and it is going totally unused.

Door
The open signs have the look and feel of do not enter signs. It looks more like a barrier than an invitation.

Right window
A cluttered mess of nothing you can make out from the road. There is no visual draw here. The only thing you can see is the big, non photographic sign selling something most people are not in the market for. I mean really, do you ever wake up and say to yourself you want a second set of prints as your primary motivation?

Why not use that space to sell something primary and profitable. People are interested in cameras. At a minimum, they could be advertising the hot new xyz camera.

It is little wonder they are going out of business, they are doing nothing to promote it.

David_S85 wrote:

Hmmmmm. Check out their store for sale on the web site you provided. A couple things disturb me.... There are photos of the photo store (itself not a bad thing), but.... they are not real good shots, nor are they processed very well. Look at their last store shot (click, display larger picture) they need to have how many signs telling people that they're OPEN ??? Ugh!

David_S85

Agree, Shay
Shay, very astute comments about their store front. Being in retail for 33 years has me looking at the ad and the photos in much the same way. The inside displays are also just as much of a disaster. I could get specific, but its just not worth delving into it. Quote from ad... "Owner is very motivated to sell." Yup. I bet he is!

Ann, have we talked you out of it yet?

Ann McRae

Actually, you guys didn't need to talk me out of it - I can't afford it!!!! And besides, I don't think the family wants to pack up and move to Vegriville!

And then there was my husbands comment: fine til Wal Mart comes to town!

I thought there was a tonne of equipment included in the price - but probably not the building, for what that might be worth.

Thanks guys

ann

David_S85 wrote:

Shay, very astute comments about their store front. Being in retail for 33 years has me looking at the ad and the photos in much the same way. The inside displays are also just as much of a disaster. I could get specific, but its just not worth delving into it. Quote from ad... "Owner is very motivated to sell." Yup. I bet he is!

Ann, have we talked you out of it yet?