WHAT ARE YOUR GRAY AREAS?

​By Eliana Barriga
Publisher and Managing Editor for The Retail Observer

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Eliana Barriga

Anyone who has ever painted their walls gray knows how hard it is to the get just the right shade. As in all paint color choices–the color takes on different hues depending on the lighting,  ooring and the other colors re ecting from within the room and even from the outside! Gray is like the chameleon of the paint world.

I had a wall full of samples that looked “gray” in the paint store and on the swatches, but weren’t even remotely gray when I painted them on the real walls. But WOW! After taking the time to find the right shade and undertones for the space, the results were well worth the time and effort. The gray walls tied everything together perfectly creating the perfect foil to highlight the furniture, paintings and accessories in the room, making them “Pop”!

So, what’s your gray area? That part of your business you haven’t gotten just right yet? It could be your POS, inventory or accounting systems. How about your show floor displays and store signage? Maybe it’s your marketing strategy? Or could it be keeping your staff trained and motivated? Oh yes, you’ve tried working on these areas here and there but never quite got them working the way they should. But since they don’t cause a whole lot of disruption in your business, it’s easy enough to just ignore these areas and let them blend into the background of your day to day operations. But what if you actually took the time to get them right? How much better would your business run, look or feel?

​We are all going to have gray areas in our business. But we can choose to treat them like ugly burdens that reflect our lack of effort or beautiful additions that highlight our accomplishments.

Until next time,
Eliana Barriga
​eliana@retailobserver.com

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