1.) Ask about their experience with children. A good candidate will stress that they love children, but a great one will detail the experience they’ve had with children, be it from babysitting, nieces and nephews, or their own kids. Men and women who have previously spent time with children on a consistent basis will better understand issues like toddler fashion sense and resistance to certain styles of clothing.

2.) If a candidate aces their interview, try testing them in a real-life situation. Ask them to run the counter for a few hours as a trial, and enlist a friend with a toddler to come in and stage a “tantrum.” Watch how your potential new employee reacts – if he or she shows impatience or lack of empathy and snaps at the parent, they aren’t likely to perform well under pressure with children.

3.) Ask your candidate why they believe they work well with kids. Sometimes a frank, honest question is the best way to get to the heart of the matter. Listen to the terms and justifications they use to determine if they actually want to work in your shop or if they just need a job. With the employment market in the employer’s favor at the moment, you can afford to be a little picky.

4.) Discuss the initial motivation for opening your store, and ask for one thing they would change. If they are confident in their ability to help your store succeed, they will answer without reservation. Those that hem and haw or claim your store is “perfect as it is” won’t be very dependable when it comes to moving the business forward.

5.) Ask how they feel about various family groups that may frequent your store – single parents, for example. If he or she has negative things to say about unique family groups, that attitude will likely be reflected in the way they serve those customers. Pick a candidate that stands behind the idea that all families deserve superior customer service and the fine goods sold in your store.

These 5 points of guidance will help you root out interviewees that are just after a paycheck, and highlight solid candidates that will be good for both your customers and your bottom line. Remember, it’s your store and your payroll, so don’t be afraid to shop for the best “deal” when it comes to an employee.

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As a small business owner, you know that every piece of product is an important part of your bottom line. Even a small shoplifting problem can quickly turn into a major headache for your ordering budget, which is why it’s vital to stop the issue before it starts. Here are 7 ways that you can guard your stock against sticky fingers and make your layout less enticing to thieves.

1.) The smaller it is, the closer it should be to you. Keep impulse items like pencils, shoelaces, and small toys in canisters or bins on the checkout counter. Often the fastest items to “walk out,” anything small enough to slide into a pocket is a tempting target for shoplifters, especially in secluded corners and aisles.

2.) Keep an eye out. Using inexpensive concave mirrors in ceiling corners, even if they’re hard to see from the counter, can be a real deterrent to theft. The shoplifter doesn’t feel secure or hidden when a mirror hovers overhead, which means they’re that much more likely to move on to an easier store.

3.) Let them know you’re onto them. Signs that mention that your store is watched via camera can be hung on the door, and notices that you prosecute shoplifting can be hung discreetly in changing rooms to deter temptation.

4.) Fix your displays – often. Whether you suddenly remember those “toddler shoes you have to price” or you pick up a feather duster to clean off the shelves, walk the floor whenever there’s a customer in the store. Don’t hover, but do make your presence known – it will be enough to make a shoplifter nervous.

5.) Use durable price tags. Using the sort of stickers that come in a pricing gun entices a different kind of theft – price swapping. If dishonest customers know that they can peel and stick pricing labels, they’re more likely to try and lower a price manually and cost you your profit. Use string-and-tag configurations with product descriptions to ensure that prices are always correct.

6.) Set up a camera without the cost. Dummy cameras – real looking closed circuit camera decoys – are far less expensive than security systems and look close enough to the real thing to trick a would-be shoplifter.

7.) Greet every customer. A mainstay for proprietor etiquette, the welcome greeting also serves to imprint a person’s face on your memory. Shoplifting relies on anonymous movement to achieve success, which makes a greeting too great a liability to proceed with a theft.

Use these tips and your store will be more secure against theft, all for only a small investment or no money at all. Don’t let strangers walk off with your success – stand up for your rights and defend your stock.

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1.) Break out the fort-building materials. Using couch cushions, sheets, towels, and clothespins, toddlers can either experiment on their own or enlist mom or dad to help them create walls and tunnels. Just be sure that valuables and heavy objects that could potentially fall are hidden away or secured before the grand construction begins. You’ll be surprised at how long these simple materials keep your children occupied.

2.) Finger paint – without the mess. Get a piece of thick white paper and slide it into a larger zip top plastic bag. Add a few squirts of tempera paint, seal the bag, and tape it securely down to the kitchen table. Your little one can squish, sploosh, and slide their fingertips across the plastic to paint the paper inside, all without making a mess of the tabletop. Once they’re finished, mom or dad can carefully extract the masterpiece to dry.

3.) Try out some fun with shadows. With only a flashlight and a brief how-to session, you can show your children how to make hand puppets or use the outlines of household objects like Popsicle sticks to cast interesting shadows on the wall. Naturally, this game works best at night or in a windowless area like a closet or bathroom.

4.) Enjoy some bubbles. The only toy essentially made out of a cleaning solution, bubbles are a great way to let your toddler get a little messy without ruining their clothes or your carpet. Special “squeeze bottle” type bubbles extend the wand up automatically, keeping little fingers from getting sticky with soap or ruining bubbles with skin oils.

5.) Sculpt your heart out. Tape a trash bag to the table for easy clean up and lay out play dough and safe, blunt objects like Popsicle sticks or straws. Let your child use their imagination to build fun shapes, or give them an “assignment” picture, such as a giraffe or fish, and ask them to make it in dough.

While no activities are foolproof distractions for antsy children, these tips are a great start. The next time cold weather keeps your family indoors, try these activities to make a snow day a little less stressful.

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As a small business owner, you’re all too aware of the sway big box stores hold over the average consumer when it comes to children’s goods. The good news is that much like David and Goliath, you have the benefit of speed and agility, while large chains are weighed down by their size. Use your smaller, lighter business structure to your advantage to take back the business you deserve from the lumbering big box stores. Here are the top 5 ways to entice your customers away from larger chain competitors:

1.) Hold a special event for your littlest customers. Department stores simply do not have the available space and flexibility to hold events for children, whereas setting up a table and chairs in your store is as easy as unfolding a few pieces of furniture. Consider a Valentine’s Day-themed craft project, such as “make a card for mom or dad” day. The cost of a little glue, glitter, doilies, and construction paper is relatively small when you consider the customer goodwill you’ll gain in return.

2.) Offer customized gift baskets. Product planning is typically done months in advance for larger stores, leaving them unable to adapt to in-the-moment fads. If a color is hot, or a certain stuffed animal is “in,” hop on the bandwagon and allow your customers the freedom to choose. Running a special that allows them the choice of a group of products in their favorite colors, shapes, or sizes will keep your business positioned as their go-to place the next time a gift is needed.

3.) Start a loyalty program. Designing a loyalty card or program is a complicated process for chain stores, requiring meetings, budgets, and other red tape. The only thing you’ll need to start your own loyalty program are some business cards and a uniquely-shaped hole puncher. Give a customer’s card a punch for an increment spent in the store – $5, for instance – and offer a discount when the card has ten punches.

4.) Partner with local businesses. Find a local haircutting salon that offers kids’ cuts and trade business card stacks for the front counters, or propose that you each trade coupons-with-purchase for one another’s services. This will allow you to tap into a market that’s full of your target customers – parents.

5.) Try out a gift with purchase deal. Large stores trust volume to carry them through the year, but selective specials can elevate a smaller store to great heights during a holiday season. If you’re selling children’s shoes, try pairing them with a set of colorful socks and selling the products as a set. Stuffed animals and soft blankets, dresses and pairs of tights: the possibilities are endless!

With these tips in hand, you’ll be ready to go up against the “big boys” and emerge victorious – and more profitable.

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Once a customer is enticed to come in your store, custom displays, sales, and other techniques can be deployed to encourage them to buy. Getting them to come inside in the first place is the real conundrum of the business owner. Here are 5 of the best ways to get customers to stop considering and start visiting your place of business:

1.) Get the word out. It’s through your direct efforts that customers reach your store. Ensure that you’re properly listed in online directories and have solid website content with phrases that point to both your store type, product, and town to snag curious web searchers. Take photos of the front of your building and post them on places like Google maps – this will present local GPS-using customers with a fast way to recognize your location. Use cell phone-based programs like FourSquare to grab the attention of tech-using foot traffic – these apps will typically also provide you with icon signage for the asking.

2.) Mix it up with social media. Facebook is a household name, which means that it can help you become one as well. Customers expect to be able to interact with owners and managers through places like Facebook and Twitter, so don’t disappoint them. Announce new products, special events, and even time-sensitive promotions like rainy day sales to encourage foot traffic on days with less-than-perfect weather.

3.) Tried and true visibility tricks. Hired sign spinners or mascots at a nearby intersection or balloons tied to a sandwich board sign are still a common sight, and for good reason. Reasonably inexpensive, provided that you only use hired employees on busy days and time periods, these methods will gain you attention and curiosity in-the-moment – a distinction that newspaper ads just can’t match.

4.) Make your store inviting. Stand in your doorway and feel your store’s “experience” with objective interest. Are there unpleasant smells or lighting that’s too dim? Repair the sensory issues that new customers may have and you won’t have to worry about losing them at the threshold.

5.) Secret Shopper. Test the interactions of your employees. A rude employee can be your biggest business liability, which is why “testing” them is a good idea. Ask your secret shopper if they were greeted, how their questions were handled, and so on. If there are issues with the experience, either address them with the employee or hire new staff that’s more skilled in customer service.

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1.) Define their wandering area. It may be tempting to give your tot the run of the house while you work at chores or cleaning, but keeping them confined and within your line of sight is the easiest way to avoid accidents. Use sturdy locking gates across doorframes to close off a room and prevent children from moving out of your line of sight. Move the gates from room to room as you do.

2.) Ensure only you or another adult can open cabinets. A variety of inexpensive childproofing tools are available to secure cabinets of all shapes and sizes. Some use magnetized closing systems, others use latch systems or tension bands that are too strong for little hands to open, but relatively simple for adults to manage. Kitchen cabinets, especially those with cleaning chemicals in them, are only one consideration – don’t forget entertainment cabinets, side table drawers, or hutch openings where children could potentially reach valuables or very small objects they may choke on.

3.) Vacuum often. Small pieces of things that can get caught in the carpet – pennies, plastic components, twist ties, and so on – will be picked up by a vacuum cleaner easily. If examining a medium to deep pile carpet carefully every day isn’t a possibility, just run the vacuum and let your cleaning leave you with some peace of mind in the process.

4.) Never leave medicine where children can reach it. This may seem obvious, but a tired and frustrated parent can very easily pick up a bottle of headache medicine to fend off a migraine and forget the bottle on a table. Keep all medications in the medicine cabinet, taking them out just long enough to extract a dose before placing them back inside.

5.) Talk to your child. If you keep up a lively conversation or song with them even as your back is turned for chores, you’ll hold their attention and receive constant reassurance that there’s nothing in their mouth. If holding their attention by yourself is difficult for long periods, enlist their favorite DVDs or CDs for some backup.

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Where Valentine’s Day once meant a private, romantic evening for couples, modern marketing has ensured that people of all ages can join in on the fun. Toddlers are of an inquisitive and fun-loving age, a perfect match for the festive and brightly-colored decorations of this special holiday. If you want to bring the joy of this special day to your little one, but aren’t sure how, here are a few ideas for gifts that are sure to please:

1.) A red or pink colored piece of clothing. Encourage them to dress up in Valentine’s Day colors to help get in the spirit – for added fun, bring them with you to a boutique to allow them to pick out their favorite accessory. This keeps the gifts personal and prevents disappointment for their budding sense of individual fashion.

2.) Colorful fruits and veggies, such as red bell peppers, red cherries and pink strawberries. An excellent way to combine celebration and learning, take a few minutes to sit with your little one and count to 10 using cut-up pieces, separate them by color together, or play a memory game by hiding the pieces beneath cups and guessing where the target piece went to after some switching around.

3.) Temporary tattoos. Now available with features like glitter and glow-in-the-dark ink, picking up some festive heart tattoos will let your child express themselves proudly for the day. When the time comes to “de-ink”, a little rubbing alchohol will leave them squeaky clean.

4.) A special valentine story. Take a field trip to your local book store and find a tale that deals with true love, or a humorous take on its absence, such as “It’s Valentine’s Day” by Jack Prelutsky or “The Day it Rained Hearts” by Felicia Bond.

5.) Arts and crafts supplies. Sit with your child and design Valentine’s Day cards for teachers, neighbors, and other friends in your child’s life. Stickers, stencils, and even feathers can be used to make beautiful creations your child will love to share.

A bright, cheerful holiday in the middle of the cold winter season, your child will love to celebrate it properly. The right gift makes all the difference, so get your gift box and ribbons ready and start shopping.

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Don’t worry! There are some tried and true ways that you and your toddler can survive even a long international flight. While you can’t expect perfection from a little one, you can definitely make the trip easier on both of you if you use these tips:

Have a Plan

It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many parents just try to “wing it” (no pun intended) when traveling with their kids. Ideally you’ll know beforehand out how long your flight will be, when to expect layovers, and how likely your child is to take a nap during the flight. Write down a loose time line for yourself. Also, pack activities but don’t throw them all at your toddler at once. Administer each one and keep track of the time, rationing the activities so that there is something new and fun to do throughout the entire flight.

Practice Sitting

It might feel like a pain to do this before your flight, but once you’re in the air you’ll be glad you practiced sitting. Start out having your child sit for five minutes at home with a book or a quiet activity, and work them up to longer periods. This is particularly beneficial if your child has not been to preschool or has any other experience being still for extended periods of time.

Pack Comfort Items

Be sure to pack comfort items for your child, particularly if you’ll be flying internationally and they’ll need to sleep on the flight. Change them into their favorite pajamas, bring their special blanket or stuffy toy. You can also pack their favorite snacks, bedtime books or other items that will help them feel cozy in a strange environment.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help

If you’re struggling with keeping your child calm or comfortable and you are at your wit’s end, it’s okay to ask the flight attendants or even other parents sitting close by for their help or advice. These individuals may have experience that you don’t have, and you don’t need to spend the entire flight in a panic because your child is stressed and acting out.

There’s no such thing as a perfect trip, and every child is different. Not only that, but there really is only so much you can expect from a very young child. Your best defense against any kind of meltdown is to be prepared, but remember, it may not be avoidable. You can just do your best, hope things go your way, and ignore the stares of non-parents who haven’t been in your shoes.

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But in your excitement to find the perfect frock or shorts set, don’t forget a most important element: Shoes!

Pickle Footwear offers adorable toddler shoes to suit even the most sprite. As the exclusive retailer of Pickle brand shoes, we are proud to say you won’t find cuter shoes anywhere. Well-made, beautifully designed and fun to wear (many of them have squeakers!) your little one will not want to take them off.

Remember to measure your child’s foot to make sure you’re getting the right size before you place your order. Developing little feet need room to spread out along with good support. If you have any questions about shoe sizing or want to talk to us about our shoes and service, we invite you to call 877-748-7463 or email us with our form on our main website.

Have fun dolling up your wee ones this season in spring-inspired kids’ fashion–and don’t forget the shoes!

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Short, sing-songy rhymes about funny creatures from the imagination of one of the greatest childrens’ writers in history. This is my go-to book for almost any occasion that I have to read to young children. 

2. Goodnight Moon

Short, sweet, and dreamy–Good Night Moon is a standard in millions of households around bedtime. Make it a part of your nighttime ritual, too.

3. Where the Wild Things Are

This is an intoxicating story for children of all ages. A fantasy about running away after being sent to your room and romping through the forest as the King of the Wild Things–only to come home in time for dinner and snuggles.

4. Curious George Flies a Kite

George the monkey is naughty but he’s so lovable and innocent, you can’t help but fall in love with his antics. Kids will laugh with glee as George finds a way to get into and out of trouble with every page.

5. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

You won’t be able to keep still when you ready this sassy rhyming alphabet book. And the best part is when all the letters get to the top of the tree and fall down! Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is just as much fun to read as it is for your kids to listen to.

6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

A colorful, interactive story about growing up and changing. Little kids adore the watching the caterpillar eat his way to being a butterfly.

7. Are You My Mother?

The poor baby bird is on the search for his mother–and children love watching as he mistakes everything from an airplane to a sleeping dog–only to finally be reunited with his real mother much to everyone’s relief!

8. The Rainbow Fish

Learning how to share your gifts is the lesson of this beautiful, colorful book. Follow along as Rainbow Fish gives away his treasured, glittering scales to his friends and become happier along the way.

9. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Everybody has bad days, even preschoolers. Your little one will learn how misery loves company when he reads about Alexander’s bad day. This book has been a favorite among youngsters since it was first published in 1972.

10. Stellaluna

Stellaluna is a baby fruit bat who gets separated from her mother and taken in by a family of owls where she feels like the odd one out. Eventually she’s reunited with her mother and realizes she’s perfectly perfect–for a fruit bat!

Does your preschooler have a favorite book that is not on our list? Leave a comment and let us know!

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