Being responsible for and participating as planner in many flea-markets at the scouts and other charity clubs and over the years I have learned some tips for better income and turnover in cash with the same physical sweat just by schedule a better event days.
It its planned as a traditional project but the preparation and the carry out might differ. The process for the project goes like this:
Idea -> Planning -> Preparation -> Carry Out -> Close Down -> Evaluation
In order to plan this type of event there are a lot factors and variables to take into consideration so let’s start with beginning and get the big picture of the situation and from that make the rest of our planning. I will use my 5-bullet structure as planning tool:
1) The Situation
2) The tasks we have to do
3) The carry out; how to and who
4) Logistic
5) Communication
Let s go!
Let’s imagine you have a yearly flea-market in which gives you the income to run your club. Doing this have one purpose: to get as lot of money at the shortest time as possible when the big rally takes places. This is the task!
Lets answer some question now that belongs to the situation, and the most important must be:
When do people have money?
-If they have any at all. Here in Denmark, the Nordic Countries and Europe have a very static routine throughout the year. Typically, they spend a lot of money on summer holiday and at Christmas time.
August is typically a month with poor will to do charity donations, and in January people goes in saving mode after Christmas and keep the wallet tight.
The good news is, people here in Europe mostly have regular monthly income with their salary on their bank account the last or second last normal weekday in the month.
Many craftsmen (carpenters, mechanics, smiths etc.) got their money every second week instead of monthly.
Just after a salary roll, people usually have money and are more likely to spend them on charity, wellness, the pub, bars or night clubs and buying things. So simply planning for letting your flea-market takes places just after a monthly salary payroll can give you 25% or more in sale!
I have seen this in practice several times. And this post could end here, but…
Also factors as time of years has to be taken into consideration.
As example when we have Easter or Great Prayer day in Denmark people are more likely to be together with their family or travel abroad => Less visitors to turn into customers. Then you have big events where people in your local community general are occupied with something else and hence hard to drive to your activity if taken place simultaneously.
Next important question for you will be:
When do people like to spend money?
Sometime people are more in spending mode in December for charity, which mean you may consider the indoor flea market with all the sale of Christmas decorations to take place last weekend of November or first in December deepening of the payroll.
With all these calendar info, your club can now decide a date to let the event take place. Should it be more than one day e.g. Saturday and Sunday? Based on experience the Sunday sale is usually between 30 to 50 % of the Saturday sale in total. So consider whether the effort for Sunday is this worth, or should your just go stick on Saturday? Staff shortage is very often the reason to not holding anything on a Sunday. On the other hand 25-50% more in the cash income are also very welcome.
One thing is to drive people to your event the right day with money, but you may also have make them happy at you your event. Read my post about sales techniques.
Best location to make the flay-market
Do you have space yourself or should you rent a sport arena or community hall somewhere or maybe a barn at a farmer? Having goods standing for many many months may take lots of your normal facility temporarily out of production if using as storage and prepare room. Consider a remote stock place and have the your articles moved to your event facility 7-10 days before so you can prepare them and the sales area.
If you don’t have space indoor some tents outdoor might give the sufficient space and cover against rain, sunshine or wind in easy way on your own premises.
At the end of the event its a matter of making most money with less cost, less work for you and less moving around of your goods.
Make a Temporary Plan
Now you can make a temporary plan for your tasks you find and put them in bullet #3, and plan for finding staff and helpers, and input for the logistic as vehicles in bullet #4 and the communication – and the marketing as bullet #5, plus all the other small and big pieces of the puzzles where they fit into your plan.
Write everything down so you can share it in you planning group and make it work even if you are becoming sick or got other things to do.
Marketing is the key to gold
When you have the date determined and scheduled it’s now time to do marketing and advertise for your flay-market. This might come in two phases:
A) for getting stuff (items) to collect and put on stock for some weeks before selling;
B) the actual flay-market event day(s).
Thus covered the external marketing but you also have to do internal marketing to find your helpers and so members can advertise to their friend and families months before the even takes place.
End of the Event Day Cleaning Up
The cleaning up and take away not sold parts to a reuse station or selling it to other in bunches must be considered and planned. What do you do with a lot stuff you really don’t have the space for, but still to good to let go in the bin? Do you have any other charity unions that can benefit of it for their flay market, or reselling in their shop so they can generate money. So to say make the close down a more sell situation when possible.
Maybe you can have contacts to some professional dealers who can buy the rest for go prices for both of you. A price with you don’t have to spend money and work on driving to the reuse station far away and low enough for the buyer to have a margin for profit.
Happy Planning 🙂