Gift Wrap Angst

I didn't think things would be so different after Abbamart landed in my lap a few weeks ago.

But they are.

My task is essentially the same. I do basically the same things day to day. But the failures hurt more. And the successes are much more delicious.

Example Failure #1: Gift Wrap

I paid good money for some black-and white damask gift wrap. It looked elegant and classy and frilly on the roll - in other words, it screamed, 'ABBAMART!'


As soon as I wrapped the first little brush in it, though, I saw I had a problem. When you fold it over and can't see the entire pattern, it turns out the print screams, 'HOLSTEIN COW!'

Crap.

I'm agonizing over this in a way I never would have before, when I thought I had an endless font of support from my partner. Throw it and waste the money? Or keep it and send subliminal barnyard-related messages to customers for months to come?

On the other hand:

Example Success #1: Sales Volume

Ever had a retail store in July? It's a bummer. Nobody wants to shop in July. 'Christmas in July' sales are an act of wanton desperation before hauling everything to the pawn shop just to keep the electricity on.

Abbamart was no exception. The first two weeks of that cursed month were by far the slowest since opening. But after I inherited Abbamart on July 22nd, I made a few changes that I now felt liberated to make. They worked, and they worked fast. I finished July with the highest monthly sales to date. OK, it was by like $5.00, but WOW did that feel good!

It's definitely a new game, but I think it's one I know how to play.

Now if only I could pick a decent gift wrap...