For the first time in a long time, I was able to start a month's budget fresh, not having pre-spent any of it. (Of course, pre-spending a budget isn't budgeting at all, but I always convince myself that getting it earlier, rather than later, is beneficial.)
Last week, I was able to start ordering from Diamond, and this week and next, I'll be able to start ordering from everyone else.
I maybe made a mistake by ordering too many books from the liquidators last month -- they're good books, but they are coming in faster than they are selling. Yesterday I made my regular book order and it came in at 2000.00 worth of books, which will be a challenge to fit in.
Most of them are replacements for evergreen sellers, like To Kill a Mockingbird and Clockwork Orange and 1984, plus some new intriguing books like Swamplandia. Stocked up on Patrick Rothfuss and George R.R. Martin.
It just seems like a complete and total no brainer to keep on buying the classic and cult books --which sell and sell and sell. All I need is enough them, right?
I like to refresh the store by buying books like Cutting For Stone and Water for Elephants, and newer books like Swamplandia which sound intriguing....
Meanwhile, on the gaming front, I filled in most of the holes in the game inventory with one last March order, that came in last week. I'm going to fill in the rest of the holes this coming Monday and Tuesday.
All in all, I'm well satisfied with the level of inventory in the store -- which, as I keep saying, I spent literally decades trying to get to the point where I could say that and mean it.
The store just keeps perking along. My 'minimum sales level' is actually pretty easy to reach, which is by design -- low enough overhead.
And the diversity of the store seems to be working. If one category isn't selling one day, another category is. Downtown and longevity is providing the customers (though it's still dismaying how often I hear the words "I didn't know you were here" and "I didn't know you carried this stuff."
But, my feeling is that the store is where it needs to be, and that's very satisfying.
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It's hard to explain, but just being able to order what the store "Needs" without worrying about cahs flow is very refreshing.
I'm sure you're saying, but of course!
But for years, decades, I couldn't seem to do that. I would have to scrimp on buying "enough" so I could pay the bills.
So either I wasn't selling enough, or my overhead was too high, or my margins were to low.
Or, most of the time, all three.
Too much debt. Too much building inventory for stuff that was selling enough (yet) and too much having to bend and discount to raise cash.
So the fact that I don't have to do that anymore means the store has finally reached a solid level.
It only took 30 years, meh.
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