Stock Control: Santa's Trauma

from The Read, Booksellers NZ

by Marcus Greville

New title buying, appropriate stock levels, returns, replacing titles after sales, rotating displays – pretty dull, right? Well, sure… if you say it like that, but stock control lies at the heart of a successful bookshop, and Christmas is the most important time to have those particular ducks in a row. If there’s an overarching theme these conversations produced it’s that safety is not guaranteed, and complacency cannot be abided. 

This week The Read talked to James Grant (Co-owner Paper Plus South City, Merivale, and Hornby), Peter Rigg (Owner Page & Blackmore), Carolyn Alexander (Manager, Unity Books Auckland) and Dylan Sherwood (Assistant Manager, Unity Books Wellington) about perfect buying, perfect stock management, and perfect sales in the face of Christmas. And how that just isn’t a thing.