More than Merchandise The Retail Picture at Hospital Gift Shops

Hospital gift shops are much more than small retail spaces where friends and family can pick up flowers, candy, or small items to lift patients’ spirits. Many medical facilities, with an incredible amount of support from auxiliaries and other affiliate partners, have invested resources into building out their retail operations. Some are full-fledged shopping destinations in communities with limited options for gifts, apparel, and a host of other unique merchandise. Gifts that comfort, inspire, and bring smiles are especially strong sellers in hospital gift shops.

Holly Verbos , supervisor of Gift Shops and Guest Services at Penn State Health/Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., said they do well with Willow Tree figurines and Demdaco’s Giving Bears. It’s no surprise Verbos said they sell a lot of plush, as younger patients always appreciate the company of a cuddly friend while in the hospital.

Kozy Korner Gift Shop at Sheridan Memorial Hospital in Sheridan, Wyo., carries a wide selection of merchandise for patients, visitors, and community members, as locals often come in to shop. Best-sellers include plush animals, candles, jewelry, and children’s

“We find new items by trial and error. If someone is looking for something, we try to find it. We’re always looking to carry new things.”

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books and toys, according to Jean Thomas , co-manager/buyer and member of the hospital’s team of volunteers. “We find new items by trial and error. If someone is looking for something, we try to find it. We’re always looking to carry new things,” Thomas said.

Arlene Flood , manager of Volunteer Services who oversees the volunteer staff at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center’s Pink Boutique in Cheyenne, Wyo., said, “Right now our best-selling gifts are comfort items for patients, like socks and candy. They sell well because they’re for the patient’s comfort—they’re fun, and they give the patient a little smile. We carry dif- ferent kinds of socks. For our staff, we carry logowear that is also really popular. It’s nice to be able to wear the items on the floor.”

In the wake of COVID, many hospitals have only recently started to relax their visitation policies. Most had strict limitations on the number of visitors allowed per patient. Reduced foot traffic in brick-and-mortar facilities meant fewer customers in the gift shops. Staff became an even larger customer demographic for hospital retail operations. “Eighty percent of our customers are our staff,” said Tomasean Kesig , assistant director, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) Gift Shops. She oversees the flagship Scarlet Ribbon Gift Shop and a second smaller retail space, OSU East Gift Shop. “It’s convenient. They can shop on their breaks. It’s an important part of our employees’ days—it’s a way to get away from some of the clinical aspects they may be dealing with. We have a large selection of logoed merchandise—employees want to represent the facility. We have a great selection for them to choose from.” Verbos pointed out, “I think it is important to remember that your largest customer base is your organization’s employees!”

While not straightforward gifts, personal care items for patients are always popular. “We provide a little respite for patients and family members,” Kesig said. “We sell a lot of sundries, like over the counter items. Often, patients come here unexpectedly, or they are staying for an extended time, and they may need things like socks, and other items they don’t have with them. We carry everything for them.” Kesig said their motto is “improve the lives of our customers by offering a variety of products that serve their needs while delivering excellent customer service.”

Flood said it’s important to give shoppers the right amount of attention. “We want to make them feel comfortable. Sometimes the person in our store is going through their worst day ever. We try to pick up on what we might be able to do for them,” she said.

Many hospital gift retailers were unable to travel to many of the trade shows over the past two years, so they rely on other methods to find new gifts. “When choosing what gifts to sell, I’ll ask our vendors what their top sellers are. Those of us on the management staff will watch social media, keep an eye on trends. Some of us have kids, some are elderly or have elderly parents. We all fit into a category of people buying in our gift shop,” Kesig said. “We also listen to our customers. And take risks. We bring in some unique items.” The Giving Collection by Demdaco, an assortment of soft items, including a plush bear, blankets, and shawl, with an attached canvas tag inscribed with an inspirational saying, is a top seller at OSUWMC. “Anything in that line sells well,” Kesig said. “It has a nice sentiment on the packaging. That’s really what sells it.”

Because of their affiliation with the university, OSU-branded apparel is by far their biggest category.

Displays are created to make shopping as simple as possible for the customer. Some want a convenient, “grab and go” experience; others want to take the time to browse. According to retailers, merchandising items so they are visible, easy to find, and arranged in an appealing way makes it easy for customers to find what they need. “Keep changing things up! I try to remerch daily and rotate items,”

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“Right now our bestselling gifts are comfort items for patients, like socks and candy. They sell well because they’re for the patient’s comfort— they’re fun, and they give the patient a little smile. We carry different kinds of socks. For our staff, we carry logowear that is also really popular. It’s nice to be able to wear the items on the floor.”

More than Merchandise (From page 41)

Verbos said. “[A good display] is full but not cluttered. It can be easy to over-decorate. It may look beautiful, but is it easy for the customer to find what they want?”

Flood recommended displays have “color and height. Try to bring things to eye level. Make it eye catching with color or sparkle. Make it feel like it should be theirs. We do grouping and/or themes with

“Eighty percent of our customers are our staff. It’s convenient. They can shop on their breaks. It’s an important part of our employees’ days—it’s a way to get away from some of the clinical aspects they may be dealing with. We have a large selection of logoed merchandise— employees want to represent the facility. We have a great selection for them to choose from.”

- Tomasean Kesig, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) Gift Shops, Columbus, Ohio our store layout—animal stuff, stickers, Chapstick, lip gloss, hand lotions…it’s all grouped together.” Kesig said rotating stock is very important, especially as hospital gift shops see significant repeat business. “You want a great assortment in a display. You don’t want to buy everything from a single vendor. You want assortment, and you want variety. And move your merchandise. We constantly have a new front window to make people want to stop in the store. And make it eye-catching. Many of the girls who work here were fashion merchandising majors, so they know how to make things appealing,” she explained.

As an extension of hospitals’ commitment to the communities they serve, stocking a little bit of everything in the gift shop gives a much appreciated “something extra” to patients, staff, and visitors. “Being convenient, accessible, and having my staff make those deliveries, and if there are questions or things we can help with, we have that one-on-one interaction with patients and their families,” Kesig said. ❖

When Retailers Don’t Draw a Winning Hand Strategies for Slow Sellers

Retailers are like gamblers in that they will sometimes stock merchandise that simply doesn’t sell. Whether it’s a new trend that just hasn’t yet reached a particular market, an overabundance of an item, or simply merchandise that is out of season, there are many reasons why certain items don’t sell.

If the items don’t sell at the regular price, grouping them together and putting a “Sale” or “Clearance” sign on it just might work.

“We’ll try to discount the items and sell them that way,” said Arlene Flood, manager of Volunteer Services, Cheyenne Regional, Cheyenne, Wyo. “By ordering smaller quantities, I don’t have much left over. Or we’ll donate it to charity. We’re team- ing up with another nonprofit who is doing purse and jewelry sales. We’ll try to make it available to other nonprofits.” Flood said her team will also make up gift bags for people who are in the waiting room. “We’ll put a chap stick, a lotion, maybe a deck of cards in a small bag to help pass the time,” she explained. “We’re trying to do more of that. We’ll give trial-sized items as a gift to help promote the store. I’ll also pick a random day and tell everyone we’re doing a percentage off that day.”

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Gift Shops Assistant Director Tomasean Kesig said, “We’ll do a markdown. We start at 50 percent; occasionally we’ll go down to 75 percent.”

Holly Verbos, supervisor of Gift Shops and Guest Services at Penn State Health/Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., said she will move the items first: “Sometimes that’s all it takes for customers to notice a display that was being passed up before. We have small sale events throughout the year and then an annual clearance even in June where we start with 20% off clearance items and increase the percentage each week.”

Kozy Korner Gift Shop at Sheridan Memorial Hospital in Sheridan, Wyo., Co-Manager and Buyer Jean Thomas said, “All of our winter clothing is 30 percent off. Next year—everything will be 50 percent off, so we at least get some of our money back. Sometimes our volunteers will do a garage sale. We just write them off as a donation.” ❖