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5 Obvious Ways Buffets Earn Money

The primary job of an all-you-can-eat buffet manager is to fill the customer’s belly as inexpensive and as quickly as possible. Apart from this, they must employ other strategies to keep the customers back! For starters, Singaporeans must be sold with the idea of the buffet’s capability of providing an ample variety while maintaining high quality. At the same time, food wastage must be minimized.

On that note, here are 5 Obvious Ways Buffets Earn Money.

#1: BEVERAGES ARE HUGE

As you enter an all-you-can-eat buffet, notice how huge the beverage glasses are. There is a method to the madness! Firstly, providing tall drinking glasses fill customer bellies fast. They would be able to eat less for the same buffet price. Secondly, they can up-sell the soft drinks to earn huge mark-ups without spending a lot for it.

#2: MENU ITEMS ARE CHOSEN CAREFULLY

To strike a balance between cost and quality, the menu items have been chosen carefully. You may notice how a restaurant will constantly change their array of meats. A buffet may have a long line of satisfied customers if you offer unlimited lobsters or steaks every night. However, you cannot expect a huge profit by doing this. Managers need to find cheaper cuts of poultry, fish, and other meat products. They get more savings by buying in bulk.

#3: CUTTING IN SMALLER PORTIONS

Have you noticed how buffets cut pricier meats into smaller pieces compared to cheaper breads? Rationally, a person would take two pieces of a buffet item instead of one. Can you imagine if all the guests take two huge pieces of lobster? That would be costly! Instead, they have to follow society’s unspoken rule and offer smaller pieces to keep the line moving.

#4: CHOICES ARE PRESENTED STRATEGICALLY

Buffets apply another strategy that is hidden in plain sight. Pay attention to the layout of the buffet line. Cheaper and more filling carbs and sides are laid out in the beginning of the line. By the time you get your entree, your plate will be so full.

Another trick is placing an expensive item along with a variety of cheaper items. For instance, an expensive protein among several cheaper side dishes. Pricier desserts are surrounded by a platter of fruits.

#5: MENUS ARE FLEXIBLE

Successful restaurants usually keep its food and beverage costs below 30% of its revenues. All-you-can-eat buffets achieve this by offering a flexible menu design. Its menu can change every day based on what ingredients are cheap and what food items are seasonally available.

You can apply the same ideal on your next trip to the grocery.

Sources: 1 & 2

You’re Flushing Money Away With These Grocery Habits

Since most of us consume food at least three times a day, a weekly trip to the grocery store is unavoidable. We do it on a regular basis until our actions steer into autopilot. More often than not, we idly shove familiar items into our carts and neglect better judgement. It is time for change!

You are flushing your money away with these automatic grocery habits…

#1: NEGLECTING THE EXPIRATION DATES

Say you entered the nearby grocery store and noticed the flashy brand deals. Oh! It is surely tempting to see your favorite items in the “marked down” section. However, some brands lower their prices to get rid of items that are reaching its due date. This is why you must allot a few seconds to check the expiration dates of the items before placing them into your cart. Doing so will save you an additional trip to the store and prevent the buyer’s remorse.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

#2: SHOPPING WHILE YOU’RE EMOTIONAL

If you want to fill your cart with unnecessary items, shop while you are emotional. Grocery shopping when you are “hangry” (i.e., frustrated due to hunger) is a recipe for disaster! It will not only make you reach for more items, but it will also make you lean towards unhealthy ones. An empty stomach may puncture a hole into your pocket just to satisfy its cravings.

#3: FALLING FOR THE BRANDS

Many people stick to the same brands as these have worked for them in the past. Shopping with raging brand loyalty makes you miss out the competitive products of other brands. Other brands may carry the same product quality with significant improvements and attractive deals. So, shake things up every now and then. Do not be afraid to explore the store brand or the generics too!

#4: SHOPPING WITHOUT A PLAN

You will not be able to control your spending habits (and transportation costs) if you enter the grocery store without a plan. Customize a meal plan for the week to set the tone of your shopping list.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

When money is tight, you cannot afford to go to the store spontaneously. Trust me, it rarely works!

Sources: 1 & 2

Create An Irresistible Window Display To Improve Your Sales In 5 Ways

When you walk pass a shop at Orchard Road, the window display is the first thing that leaves an impression on you and other potential customers.

Visual merchandising, that includes window dressing, is an important tool to engage the customers to go inside and to encourage them to purchase more. Thus, it optimizes the product presentations and the market sales. Aside from this, the significance of window dressing is more than improving sales – it is about building an image!

That said, here are 5 ways to create an eye-catching window display:

1. CHOOSE A THEME

As you are planning your window display, choose a unified theme or message you want to convey. For example, since 2016 is the Year of the Monkey, dress the mannequins with glittery or formal outfits perfect for the parties then fill the backdrop with banana trees and monkeys hanging around them.

Image Credits: displayhunter2.blogspot.com

This uniquely festive jungle theme surely caught some eyes!

2. SHOWCASE A VISIBLE SIGNAGE

An effective signage can bring customers that both walk and drive by. Get the attention of passing motorists and shoppers by making your display larger and by making the colors contrasting.

For example, it is advisable to use yellow background especially with black lettering to convey an informative message as it works best in visually crowded environments. It can also be used with contrasting colors of red and blue.

3. BE DIFFERENT

People love to snap and share aesthetically pleasing places and products on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Thus, to get noticed and to bring more people in the shop, dress your window in a non-traditional fashion. Put your mannequins upside down or have a music festival backdrop – your imagination is the limit!

Image Credits: pixabay.com (License: CC0 Public Domain)

As window displays change frequently, you must not be afraid to try new ideas and new themes.

4. MAKE A CLEAR FOCAL POINT

Remember those commercial advertisements that stick to people but they forget the product itself? Do not make the same mistake with your window display!

Highlight the products you want to introduce or to feature by strategically grouping products together. For example, if you are featuring a huge tote bag, group it together with smaller purses so it can stand out. When dressing your window, ask yourself where you want the shopper’s eyes to go first and what you want them to view next.

5. BE BOLD

Debbe Hamada, owner of Tilde shop, makes sure that her window display can be see from a distance even though she usually spends less than S$42 (US$30) on it. She uses bold colors and shapes to attract more people in. In fact, 2 out of 10 customers go inside simply because they have seen something colorful in their windows.

Image Credits: pixabay.com (License: CC0 Public Domain)

You do not need to be crafty to make a bold statement, simply put the most vibrant products together and create a structure with it such as a pyramid or a diamond.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, & 4

Be a Smart Consumer: Avoid These 4 Marketing Tricks

To be a smart consumer, you must spend within your needs and not over your means. Marketing or Sales Agents like any other businesses are using the power of persuasion to gain profit. I’m not saying it is a bad thing (personally I think it is a talent), but it may influence the consumers to buy something that is rather unnecessary.

Image Credits: Andrew Stawarz via Flickr

On that note, here are 4 Marketing Tricks you shall learn to avoid…

1. Foot-in-the-Door

It is a technique that starts with small requests in order to gain a “YES” with bigger requests. This works because of our desire to be consistent in our commitments.

For example, Fitness Studios will make you test their services first by giving a 1-week free pass before offering you their packages. Do you really need a $1,800 worth of Gym Membership when you rarely have the time to go?

2. Door-in-the-Face

In contrast, this trick starts with a huge and unreasonable request in order for you to settle with a smaller request.

For example, your friend asks you to donate $100 to a charity institution and you declined. Your friend will then say: “can you at least donate $10”. And, you will agree and comply. The truth is, your friend only intends for you to donate $10.

3. Low-Balling

Technique to purposely offer a product at a lower price than one intends to charge. This tactic will make you buy something at an affordable price before revealing the hidden costs (i.e., insurance, the phone casing, or batteries).

Image Credits: JOHN LLOYD via Flickr

For example, a Car Salesman offers you an initial attractive offer that you can’t resist but then later increases the price because of a “mistake in labeling”. Once again, Psychology dictates that it works because of our need to be consistent in our choices.

4. Brainwashed by Advertising

There you have it! As Warren Buffett once said: “Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No. 1”. I hope that by knowing these, you will be able to make smarter consumer choices in the future.

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