We recently had the experience of “watching” a major department store close one of its locations due to a slump in sales. We made frequent visits from the date of the announcement till the day the last customer was allowed in and out of the front doors. Just to observe the dismantling of a store.

We watched as merchandise was discounted and taken home by excited bargain hunters. We saw the floor area shrink as the liquidator moved merchandise closer and closer to the middle of the space, leaving behind an unimaginable number of tables, racks, shelving, signs, hangers, and other display paraphernalia.

We learned that some of the stuff it takes to outfit a store was to be sent to other stores. Some of it was offered to the people in the local community for purchase at very reasonable prices. Some of it went to charities who expressed a need for it. Some of it was sent to a metal recycler.

Too much of it ended up in a landfill.

We wondered about the reverse of that operation: the opening of a store. The truckloads of boxes that arrive carrying all of those tables, racks, shelving, signs, hangers, and other display paraphernalia. Boxes filled with foam blocks, bubble wrap, and wooden crates, as well as the products that will be for sale. We presume the cardboard is recycled, but we also presume that a lot of that stuff ends up in a landfill. We know their direct mail advertising pieces end up there for the most part.

A business like that makes a negative impact on the environment whether it’s opening or closing. A business like that has a high overhead in terms of energy consumption. A business like that requires you to get dressed and drive to it.

When we launched our online store, we made no such impact. We are operating a virtual store, meaning we have no inventory on hand so we have no need for display tables and racks or warehouses full of storage shelves. Our suppliers stock their own merchandise and ship it directly to you as soon as you place your order. We quite simply handle the marketing and billing systems after we’ve found and approved products worthy of our customers.

Doing business this way saves us money that we can pass along to our customers, and it saves our venders time and money they’d otherwise have to spend marketing and selling. Often our venders are offering unique or very limited edition merchandise. They can’t provide the quantities of mass produced products the big department stores require. Artisans and craftspeople much rather be creating new products than negotiating contracts and managing large teams of workers. They take pride in quality over quantity.

We are constantly looking for and evaluating new partnerships to broaden our product offerings. We like to get acquainted with our venders, inspect the merchandise, and even taste it, wear it, and share it with our test-shoppers.

We see our role as helping match creative people with customers who are looking for something different, something rare, something that will last a lifetime.

Now, that’s a win-win for all of us.

We think we are at the front of a future trend, a trend that can go a long way toward saving the resources of the world for more valuable things than store displays. We know our online shoppers are able to look at pictures in our virtual catalog and make purchasing decisions. They’ve been doing that and have sent us accolades in return for the experience.

We are challenged to make sure our visual merchandising and displays are effective and our Website is easy to navigate. If you ever find that’s not the case, please let us know.

We think the world of our customers and are pleased to help you make the world better.

—–

Please Reply and Post All of Your Comments regarding …

- What do you think and feel when you watch a “brick and mortar” store close and get dismantled like this?

- Why online shopping is Good / Better for the Environment?

- What are All the other ways in which an online / virtual store conserves energy vs. a “brick and mortar” store?

- How handcrafted products consume less energy and non-renewable resources than manufactured / mass produced products?

- Would you buy / prefer “green” products made with recycled materials?

- Would you prefer products made with natural materials, like teak wood, silk, or water hyacinth versus non-renewable and/or non-biodegradable resources, like plastics, etc.?

- What other “green products” may we offer in which you might be interested?

- Your ideas regarding How else we may All work together to make Our World a Better place to live in for All of our Mutual Benefit?

Again, Please Reply and Post All of Your Comments at:

http://i-shoptheworld.com/2008/10/01/why-our-online-store-is-good-for-the-environment/

regarding all of this and anything else you can think of to why an Online Store Is Good for the Environment for the Mutual Benefit of Everyone Around The World, ok?!




By: Michael DeVries