Another view

Roger O'Callaghan, president of Baby News Childrens Store, Livermore, Calif. emailed me his thoughts on my September editorial.

Dear Lisa:

I read your September editorial about allowing all types of retailers to the ABC Show and have a few comments to make to you. First of all, as you must be aware, all the major mass merchants have their own private shows with vendors. These are closed shows in which specialty stores are not invited. Also, as far as we know, specialty stores do not sneak into their shows. Second, specialty stores do not have a common forum as do the mass merchants. The only show around that is for specialty stores is the ABC Show. The JPMA Show is an open show to all retailers – what do you think happens in a showroom when a group of buyers from Wal-Mart walk in?  Correct – the other retailers are asked to leave or completely ignored.

Why should there not be a show just for specialty stores? Specialty stores take chances with smaller manufacturers that the “big boxes” do not do. The ABC Show allows vendors to have direct conversations of specialty retailers who are “hands on” retailers.

Is it really so much to ask that specialty stores have their own show?  Maybe when the mass merchant invite specialty stores to their private showings, we should let them in the ABC Show. In fact, we could give them a badge with their own name and company on it.

Sincerely,

Roger O'Callaghan, President, Baby News Childrens Stores, Livermore, Calif.

Roger and Dave have their concerns about opening up the ABC Expo to all retailers; I think the responsibility should fall to exhibitors rather than show management; what do you think?

Comments

[Leif Quraeshi]

I completely disagree with Roger's comments.

What happens when Wal-mart walks in? Well, we do what all good Specialty vendors do; we ask them to leave the booth.

You can't have it both ways. We regularly turn away Mass business, because its pure poison in the long-run.

So if roger's logic is to be followed, then we should also ban vendors who sell to the Mass market from the ABC show.

Then it would be a pure specialty show.

I would support this. Would Roger?