There comes a point in bridal when you’ll have too much inventory. When you start shoving dresses that aren’t performing well in the back room with the orders, it’s time to clean house!

When I first opened the store I had not even 50 dresses, my closets looked so empty! I was so eager to get more in for brides to feel like I had a store full of options. It didn’t take more than a few seasons of buying to feel like I was being suffocated by a sea of ivory fabric. How are brides supposed to make a decision where there are TOO MANY options? I was always a believer in “less is more”.

So let’s explain why stores get overwhelmed with dresses. When you carry a designer you re-order dresses for, you most likely will be buying a minimum number of styles a season, which is typically two times a year, sometimes one. With minimum order commitments there are pros and cons. Pro- having the latest styles to promote and get brides excited for. Con- collecting all the previous season’s styles you already own. Now there will be your “bread and butter” dresses that pay your staff and rent, but I’ll talk about those in another post. So what about the ones we had to purchase, either to fulfill the minimum order from a designer or felt was going to be a home run, but flopped instead? They need to go!

Unfortunately, inventory is the bulk of overhead in the bridal industry. It’s important to stay on top of your re-order numbers here. A dress needs to be ordered at least twice- first to pay for the sample and a second time to make profit.

The goal is to have a superstar dress you can re-order multiple time, which helps offset the lower performing dresses. It’s the name of the game. This is why your numbers are everything. It’s also a good idea to get additional sizes and colors. I loved having more options available for one good dress than just one size and color. Being able to see and touch something in person is much easier to sell than showing an example on an ipad or computer.

So what do you do with all the excess? Like myself and most other store owners, you hold a “sample sale”. This may happen a few times a year, but a popular time is around Thanksgiving when family is in town. It’s a great time for a bride to get a deal on a dress before new inventory is in for the Spring season, which usually arrives before the new year. Mark those dresses 50% off or set a flat price like for $500 each. Whatever you plan to do, make it an event! Do giveaways, sponsor posts on Facebook. Tell your current brides to tell their friends who may have gotten engaged to come in. Get those referrals!

Always talk to your accountant too. The bridal industry can be very tricky with how sales are done. I have had many, many conversations with mine. Sometimes it’s best to be able to “write-off” dresses you are selling for under the wholesale cost (insert Seinfeld or Schitt’s Creek reference here) versus trying to hold onto it in hopes it’ll sell just once to break even.

The takeaway? Choose your designers wisely! It’s so exciting to be “exclusive” with someone new or promising. You can use this two ways- for traffic and/or for sales. The new and exciting designer can bring the brides in the door and if they’re not ultimately buying a dress from that line, but from your bread and butter line, ok great. You may also find this new line is the “it” designer right now and you can hit it out of the park with great sales. It’s so important to find that balance in your store with having dresses that make you stand out, but can also be sustainable to keep the lights on.