Man, what a weekend this past weekend was. I finally had time to put my thoughts down after getting knocked back hard by some crazy food poisoning that kicked in during Saturday night of the show. Then I came back to NJ (barely alive, haha) and had to handle a bunch of top priority obligations back at corporate. My thoughts for this piece are focused on what I oversaw at The Cage which was The Shop.
This year, like last year, we decided to go with a two-side shop. We thought this was the best way to ensure we'd have coverage on both sides of the aisles for those who might be interested in our branded gear and supplements. One concern going into the show was that we wouldn't have enough help to ensure that this layout would work. From previous years, we all knew how packed it gets at the expo, and then we coupled that with that fact that our internal staff would be very thin due to all of the events and obligations taking place that entire weekend. So about a month before the show, we asked a number of fellas who have previously been great interns at The Cage if they would have an interest in becoming Super Interns--an intern that would be help out all three days at The Cage and esp. in The Shop portion. We contacted 5 fellas who said they would be more than willing to help us out--Scals, Nixor, Phil800101, Razor, ChaseBrowning (+ intern captain ghost) and the beloved Mr. Dead.
These fellas along with the help of corporate staff, athletes and some of the daily interns really stepped up and were a huge part of the reason why we were able to be so effective and sell out of everything from The Shop. That's right, we sold out of every single item that we brought. In the history of The Cage, this has never happened before. Having these guys helping assist customers made The Shop an enjoyable experience for all who came out to buy our gear/product. That plus the fact that the demand for our gear and product seemed to be higher than ever, we starting selling out of some product on Friday and then very early on Saturday, the black LE shirts went, and shortly thereafter, all mediums and larges flew out. By Saturday night, we were down to a few 2XL and 3XL t-shirts and a few cans of Cuts/Stak and some of the smaller Animal Rage containers. Lesson learned from this year--Bring double the shirts from last year (esp Med/Large/XL) and bring more product as well! We know that for next year after selling out of everything that we really need to step up what we bring b/c the demand for everything was through the roof.
The customers that came by The Cage really kick ass. They know our brand well and the majority know what they want right away which make the transactions very smooth. But even if they don't know, everyone working in The Shop was knowledgeable about the products and brand that we all step in to help advise when needed.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed working with each and every person in The Shop. The guys are really hard workers and made the time go by fast. I love catching up and hearing how everyone is doing in between orders and the slight downtime that there is. And from seeing everyone after the show at Metro, I'm amazed by how everyone is continually making improvements in their lifts and physiques.
In closing, I ask anyone who would like to lend suggestions on how we could make The Shop portion of The Cage experience better, please post 'em up in here. Let us hear what you'd like us to improve upon and we'll take it into consideration for next year. For instance--Did you like a one-sided shop from previous years? Did the two-sided shop work this year? Is there something that you would like to see us bring in addition to our shirts, product, hats and beanies?
Thanks again to everyone who help out in The Shop this past weekend. Looking forward, lets make '13 bigger and badder than even this year!
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Originally Posted by Mr. Dead
