Shop Talk

Name: Christina Kenchington, Store Manager. Shop: MOOCH Address: Market Place, Olney, Bucks

Please describe your shop. MOOCH is on the Market Place in the centre of Olney; an idyllic market town known for being the home of the hymn Amazing Grace, plus it’s where the pancake race originated. The store is a fair size with its own Card Room. It’s an old building (previously the post office). However, it has been split in two, MOOCH on the left and Out of Office Coffee on the right (best coffee in town!). How did you get into the greeting card industry or retail? Purely by chance. I worked in London within the insurance sector, but years of long hours and travelling began to take its toll. I decided I needed a change of pace. MOOCH was a new shop coming to the town and I jumped at the chance of working where I live - I’ve not looked back. What are the best and worst things about working in retail? The best thing about working in retail is the customers. We have a wide range of ages that visit us and we love to chat and assist each one of them. As we are a fairly small town we have lots of regulars that we are on first-name terms with; some of the stories we are told are so interesting. We also get huge pleasure from assisting customers with their purchases as we also wrap every gift and dress gift bags if purchased. It’s small details like this that keep our customers coming back time after time.

The worst thing I’d say is unpacking boxes; but it’s always worth it when we display the gorgeous gifts. What cards are selling well in your store at the moment? Lagom; these are simple sentiment cards, but they are so popular. Customers buy handfuls of these at a time, especially during the pandemic as they were a lovely way to communicate with friends and relatives. What card range or category do you always keep in stock? Woodmansterne cards are always in my Card Room. Their variety and designs cover every occasion with well-known names such as Sanderson, Quentin Blake, Emma Bridgewater and The National Trust. They are very popular, good quality and plastic-free packaging. What’s in your window at the moment? There are three windows. I dedicate one to children’s gifts, another howcases artwork, and the middle one is seasonal. I am currently prepping to dress that window for the Jubilee plus incorporate Father’s Day. What’s by your till at the moment? At the till I currently have Oli Olsen Metalmorphose bookmarks and lipbalms. What plush toys do you stock in your shop? The Puppet Company, Wilberry, Kaloo, and Best Years. What are your best selling plush toys? Definitely the puppets, especially the Finger puppets and Sockettes (see above). What advantages are there to selling plush toys in the shop? I soon realised that plush toys appeal to the young and old, and everyone in between. I ensure I have a variety in the children’s window and often get asked for help with finding something they have seen while outside, either for gifts or themselves. What’s the most surprising thing a customer has done? I think the most surprising thing we have had at MOOCH are customers coming back and giving us thank you cards /chocolates / flowers. We are always so humbled that they want to show their appreciation for our help and service.

Best Selling Greeting Cards

Wooden Forever Cards / Plaques

www.lovecountryuk.co.uk support@lovecountryuk.co.uk Tel: 01502 507352

Name: Roy and Julia Beswick Shop: The Card Collection Address: East Molesey, Surrey

Tell us a little about your shop. Our shop is based in the busy commuter village of East Molesey, which is situated on the River Thames and has a railway station on the mainline directly into London located next door to Hampton Court Palace, one of the top tourist attractions in the UK.

We have been based here for 24 years in May and most of our customers are now ‘friends’ who buy cards from us. We are regarded as a massive part of the community and are really well supported. How did you get into the greeting card industry or retail? We got into the greeting card industry because Julia was a real cardy person who loved to send cards for any reason ( and still does) and then our friends started a business selling cards at markets in Norfolk and eventually opened a shop up there, and kept saying to Julia how good she would be at doing the same thing.

After a change in our circumstances we decided to give it a go and found the empty shop in East Molesey with the plan of me being in the shop for the first six months to get it going, while Julia kept her full-time job. Then she would leave and run the shop and I would get a ‘proper job. Anyway, 10 years later Julia did leave her job and join me in the business! What are the best and worst things about working in retail? The best thing is meeting our customers every day who love to have a chat and a laugh and tell us all about what’s happening in their lives… it’s a really social atmosphere and our customers really enjoy their shopping experience. Another area of the shop that brings joy is our wide selection of pick n pix sweets; we have all the old-style sweets that we remember from our childhoods and the customers are more than happy to share their memories. We also have a huge selection of Belgian chocolates in a cabinet; a lot of fun is had when customers are choosing the best flavours for their friends and family.

The worst thing is how much time it consumes to run a really busy shop. We used to open seven days a week but since lockdown we have managed to restrict opening to six days, but parties are now beginning to be held again on Sundays, so we may have to have a rethink! We don’t lock up at 5.30pm and forget about it until 9am the following morning, we have to sort out the ordering of stock, the paperwork, and answer online enquiries, etc. What card range or category do you always ensure you keep in stock? We always make sure we have full stock of new home cards and also the first to 10th birthday aged cards, as we have five local primary schools. What’s the most surprising thing a customer has asked for? Last week we had to deliver a large balloon structure to a customer who, on the day of delivery, phoned to say she would be out when we had arranged to deliver the structure so she was going to leave the front door key to her multi-million pound home under the front door mat! Would we let ourselves in and put the balloons in the room, lock the door and put the key back under the mat?! We messaged her when we had done that so she could shut the front gate. We waited in the road until the gate closed and went home.

The following day she brought a massive bunch of flowers into the shop for Julia as she was so grateful and pleased with what we had done, and her son was very happy to receive balloons for his birthday. That’s why we love running the shop, and that’s why we are successful - because we care about our customers and we are passionate about the business. If you could send a card to anyone, who would it be? I would send a card to George Best, telling him how much I enjoyed watching him play football when I was a kid and how unbelievable he would have been playing football today on beautiful grass surfaces with the lightweight balls and defenders not being allowed to kick him 6ft up in the air! How do magazines like Greetings Today help you? Trade magazines are informative on what trends are popular and what’s next. Also we like to see how other retailers are managing the different problems and situations we all find ourselves in.