Retail Face Masks?
This is a bit of a stab in the dark since we’ve never seriously tried to sell things in retail stores before. (Except books indirectly through my publisher, and placemats through museum shops—but those are very hands-off situations. Here we’d actually be dealing directly with local shop owners/managers).
It’s an intimidating thing for an introvert like me, but Maribel’s masks have been so popular online that I thought it was worth exploring the idea of selling them in whatever shops are open and might want to carry locally-made face masks. Grocery stores? Coffee Shops? Gas Stations? Restaurants doing carryout service?
I figure that to get an accurate answer from a store manager as to whether they would be willing to carry the masks, I’ve got to show them what we would be able to provide them. So I made a few of these acrylic retail displays, which could go anywhere in a store. Like on the checkout counter pretty please? There’s a blank oval for the price, and a UPC code on the back of each mask package. (A few years ago I got a thousand UPC codes, most of which I will likely be able to bequeath to my children and grandchildren at the rate I’m using them.)
I suppose there are a lot of other people wanting to sell masks too, so I’ve tried to make the packaging attractive and enticing, without being overly expensive. In other words, a piece of card stock folded in half and stapled to the top of the bag, with a hole punched so they can hang on a peg. The bags are heat-sealed along the top edge as a sort of low-tech tamper evident packaging. (I.e. if someone tried to take the mask out and thus potentially contaminate it, the bag would be obviously cut or torn open.)
Speaking of other people selling masks, as soon as Nick gets his folded-card design finished, we’ll be able to sell both styles of mask in the same display. I think offering people a choice of two different styles of mask will be a more attractive proposition than either style alone.
To facilitate an accurate and tidy stapling and hole punching job, I made this little jig that holds the bag and card in place while guiding the stapler and hole punch to the right spots. (I’m showing both tools in place at once, but in practice you use them one at a time, with the stapler being used twice.)
Now the only problem is that I don’t know any local store owners or managers. If anyone has suggestions and contact information for likely candidates (or you are such a likely candidate!) please contact me at theodore@theodoregray.com… I intend to offer the masks, with retail display, on consignment so there’s no up-front cost to the store.
We’ve even got the whole deal in Spanish, since Maribel is from Panama and since I’m hoping that some of the local Mexican markets might be potential retailers. Plus, Mascaras de Maribel is such a poetic name for a product!