So I run a very small gift shop in a town which is mostly financially supported by travelers/tourists. I hand make a lot of my items, and have built the business up from nothing. My friend however stops through when she is in this part of the state. She travels full time in a bus, so she carries all of her goods and such with her. But she only rolls through during major holidays and times when business is at its best. When she stops through she places all of her inventory in front of my place, and attempts to pull my customers in before they even get to my entrance. I don’t want to be greedy, or discouraged her from making and selling souvenirs and whatnot. But I rely on my income from my shop to support me. How should I handle this situation? Should I just let it go and lose 2 weeks of typical income? Or should I ask her to move away from my store front? I’ve spent a significant amount of time landscaping and making it eye catching, and I feel like she is taking advantage of the hard work I’ve done, and attempting to give the impression that it’s her place. I don’t know what to do, honestly.
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Tell her to take a hike. Those people are selfish.
Either she doesn’t mean to be hurting your business and is doing it on accident and you telling her would have her apologize and move OR she knows exactly what she is doing and will be pissed when you ask her to move. If she is a friend she would not want to damage your sales even if it means less for her.
Just say you can’t host her, or talk to the fire department and see if there is a specific rule she is in violation of… if you’re that against confrontation
Wow she has some audacity! I would absolutely have a heart-to-heart discussion with her and tell her to stop standing outside your shop. She is def not a true friend
Tell her she can’t set up outside, but you’ll gladly give her product space in your store for a percentage.
OP, you’re a pushover. That’s not a good thing to be as a business owner
spray her with deer urine
Friend? Not even close. Insist she leave. She may be violating the law. Check with police and city hall
That’s a non starter.Dont let her visit,she only cares about pirating off your biz.Shes a vampire.
Oh hell no u ain’t fkin with my money get that leech outta the way thru someone else
Yikes this is not ok. She is taking advantage. Blame it on the local govt, tell her you got a citation last time she did this and she’s not allowed to set up shop there and hand her a print out of places she can set up shop. You could also offer to lease her a shelf or something in your store where she can display her goods all throughout the year.
Figure out your operating costs for the days she’s there and charge her AT LEAST that.
Could you sell her stuff in the store? Tell her you’d be willing to work put a wholesale arrangement with her and you could be catching the customers she gets out front of your store.
What a “friend”… shm
You need to fight back! Do research on what the best approach is. Can you get your town to ban her bus? Or park your own car and those of your friends in front of your store to block her access? Maybe have the town install a time limit on parking along that street. The first step before do you any of this though is to ask her directly to not do this as it’s hurting your business. See what she says.