17 October 2006

One Dollar Store

People love thrift shops and knick-knack shops. You can get lots of interesting stuff at reasonable prices. They make really good gifts if you have lots of people to give them to. In most cases, the owners of these shops make their money based on quantity and not quality. After all, if customers wanted quality, they wouldn't be browsing in thrift shops. In Malaysia, many enterprising people have taken the concept further and introduced One Dollar Stores. They sell all sorts for stuff from gifts to stationery to kitchen utensils at a dollar each. If you love shopping and bargains, you'll appreciate the potential in starting a One-dollar store. First of all, you have to get a supplier that mass produces the stuff you're going to sell at dirt cheap prices. That's why many of these suppliers are actually based in China, Indonesia, Thailand and many other developing or third world countries where labour costs are really low. Once you've got a supplier to supply you with your products, you'll need to set up shop. The size of your set up of course depends on your budget. Going by the number of One-dollar Stores around, it IS possible to make a reasonable amount of money in this business. The key is to keep your costs low and your volume high. If you set up in a place where there are loads of shoppers, you'll be sure to get a stream of customers. Just my 2cents!