Reruns Consignment Thrives with New Intake and Sales Strategies

At 14 years old, Reruns The Consignment Store in small-town Illinois just had its best sales day ever: an 80%-off clearance event that brought in $3,400 in only five hours. How did owner Jacque Holder achieve this milestone, even as rising costs squeezed her margins? It took a mix of community spirit, process overhauls, and leveraging modern consignment software. In an industry that’s booming – the U.S. secondhand apparel market grew 11% to $43 billion last year (seven times faster than broader retail)icsc.com – Jacque shows how a forward-thinking consignment shop can turn challenges into record-breaking success. Jacque candidly shared how she built her store from scratch, the mistakes she learned from, and the game-changing strategies (like same-day processing and strategic sales) that revitalized her business. Below, we distill her journey into actionable insights for consignment store owners and prospective entrepreneurs.

Building a Local Resale Business from Scratch

Jacque didn’t start out in retail – in fact, she spent 21 years in data operations at a bank before a merger eliminated her job. After a brief break “playing mom,” she felt the itch to work again. Opening a consignment store began as a joking idea with her sister, but when an empty building opened up on Main Street, Jacque took the leap. She negotiated a lease-to-buy deal (not knowing if the concept would fly) and in 2008 opened Reruns The Consignment Store in her hometown. “It worked out… I bought [the building] the following January and I’ve had it ever since,” she says, still sounding a bit amazed at her intense beginning. Fourteen years on, Reruns has become a beloved community fixture, saving locals a 30-minute drive to the nearest city for what they need. Jacque’s pride is evident: providing a service that keeps dollars in the community and gives neighbors a convenient place to buy and sell quality used goods is deeply rewarding to her.

Of course, the journey wasn’t all smooth. Jacque had to learn retail on the fly. Early on, she made new-owner mistakes–and the biggest were about setting boundaries.

Setting Boundaries and Raising Standards

In the beginning, Jacque was “too giving, too accepting” with consignors. “I let my consignors walk all over me,” she recalls. With a desire to please, she accepted items she shouldn’t have and bent her own policies. The result? Cluttered backrooms, sub-par merchandise slipping onto the floor, and a growing sense of frustration. Eventually, she realized the lack of clear boundaries was as much her fault as the consignors’. This was a turning point – she decided to tighten up her intake rules and communicate them firmly yet respectfully.

Jacque started by establishing clear quality standards for what the store would take. Consignment experts agree that maintaining high quality inventory is crucial for a store’s reputation and customer satisfaction. If an item had stains, holes, heavy wear, or an outdated style, she learned to say “no.” But just as importantly, she learned to do it politely and proactively educate consignors. Instead of posting a huge list of “Don’ts” on the wall (as she once did), Jacque now takes the time to explain why certain pieces can’t be accepted – pointing out the stain or damage, or noting an item is off-trend – and offers friendly suggestions for next time. This positive, teaching approach leaves consignors feeling respected rather than scolded. Industry advice echoes this strategy. Thanking consignors and encouraging them to try again with better items keeps them motivated to bring in great inventory.

Jacque’s shift from a rule-enforcer to a coach has paid off. Her consignors now bring in higher-quality items, saving everyone time. Jacque can attest to that: once consignors realized she would simply hand back anything with pet hair or smoke odor, many started pre-sorting at home. “The drop-offs have gotten better,” Jacque says – folks now clean, fold, and present merchandise nicely, because they know anything unsellable will be returned to them anyway.

She also set some reasonable limits: for example, consignors may bring up to 25 items per visit (ensuring the staff isn’t overwhelmed processing one huge batch). Such limits are common in consignment to balance supply and demand. The key is consistency and communicating the rules upfront. Jacque posts a simple “How to Prep Your Items” sign by the drop-off counter and personally walks new consignors through the process. By “setting expectations in advance” and being upfront about her standards, she has dramatically reduced misunderstandings and rejections.

Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to enforce quality standards—in fact, your success depends on it. But enforce them with a smile and a helping hand. Jacque’s advice is to ditch the negative “DON’T do this” signs and instead kindly teach consignors what you do and don’t accept. Consignors know that items in Reruns will be top-notch, which attracts more shoppers in the long run.

Adapting to Rising Costs with Efficiency and Training

As the years went by, external pressures mounted. In Illinois, the state minimum wage began climbing $1 each year, reaching $15/hour by 2023. “All of a sudden I need to pay all of my staff $1 an hour more,” Jacque notes – a hefty jump in a small business’s biggest expense. Despite healthy sales, her profits were shrinking due to higher payroll. She faced a hard reality many small retailers know too well: when costs increase, you either find new efficiencies or see your bottom line evaporate. Economists have observed this pattern broadly – some businesses respond to wage hikes by raising prices, but others adapt by finding operational efficiencies to mitigate the impactinvestopedia.com. Jacque chose adaptation.

By mid-2022, she knew something had to give. “I was 13 years into it... I sure as heck should not be losing money,” she thought. “It’s time to either fix it or get rid of it.” Rather than quit, Jacque sought out fresh ideas. She invested in professional training by joining Sarah Marshall’s “Four Corners” consignment coaching group. This decision was itself a smart move – industry experts often stress the importance of continuous learning for small business owners. The result was “eye-opening,” Jacque says. The program introduced her to a suite of best practices and systems to modernize her store. Chief among them were: Same-Day Processing of inventory, Seasonal Sales Events to clear old stock, and a data-driven pricing strategy. These changes would radically improve her store’s efficiency and profitability.

Let’s break down how each of these strategic changes transformed Reruns and why they might work for your store, too.

Same-Day Processing to Reduce Backlogs

One of the first things Jacque tackled was the logjam in her back room. Under the old model, consignors would drop off bags of items and “drop and run.” The staff would get to them “as soon as we could,” which often meant days or weeks of backlog. Jacque would come in on Monday to shelves full of unprocessed inventory (sometimes 100+ batches representing thousands of items) and feel overwhelmingly behind. It wasn’t unusual for her to temporarily halt accepting new consignments for a week or two just to catch up – a move that frustrated consignors and stalled the inflow of fresh inventory.

No more. In October, Jacque switched to Same-Day Processing, a method she learned from the Four Corners coaching group. The concept is simple: only accept what you can process today, and process it today. Now, consignors still bring up to 25 items per visit, and they can come as often as they like – but each consignor waits in-store while their items are sorted and entered into inventory on the spot. If Jacque’s team can’t get through all items brought in a given hour, they stop intake when they hit their comfortable limit. The rest will have to come back another day. “We only accept what we can physically price during that day,” she explains. This ensures that by closing time, all accepted items are tagged, entered, and out on the sales floor – zero backlog for tomorrow.

What seemed like a radical change has yielded huge benefits. Here are some of the key advantages Jacque has seen from same-day processing:

• Constant Fresh Inventory: Items hit the sales floor immediately, instead of languishing in the back room for days. Regular shoppers notice new arrivals each time they visit, which encourages them to visit more often. Many consignment veterans suggest that faster inventory turnover leads to stronger sales. Jacque’s same-day system virtually guarantees that if an item is going to sell, it starts its sales clock right away. There’s no more two-week delay that might cause a missed opportunity with a potential buyer. “We priced these plastic containers this morning, and in less than two hours they were sold and out the door,” Jacque recounts. The consignor for those items earned money within 30 minutes of walking in the store – a turnaround that delights consignors and keeps inventory moving briskly.
  
  

• Higher Sell-Through and Turnover: By eliminating “storage time” before an item is available for sale, Jacque has effectively increased her inventory turnover speed. This is crucial for consignment profitability. A backlog of unprocessed goods slows that rate. Now, items spend more time on the sales floor and less time in limbo, which naturally boosts the sell-through percentage. Jacque also implemented a policy that no item stays on the floor more than 60 days without a markdown or clearance. (In fact, her quarterly sale described later is designed to clear out any pieces approaching the 60-day mark.), after which the chance of sale drops and items should be discounted. Same-day intake + scheduled markdowns has helped Reruns achieve this lean, efficient cycle.
  
  

• Consignor Engagement and Increased Foot Traffic: A pleasant side effect of the new process is that consignors stick around and often become shoppers. When someone comes in with a bin of clothes, Jacque’s team now asks them to browse the store for 5–10 minutes while they sort and enter the items. Many consignors end up spotting something to buy themselves during that wait. “We send them out on the sales floor… some of them still don’t shop no matter what you do, but some do,” Jacque laughs. The ones who do shop essentially become customers on the spot, boosting sales. Even those who don’t buy will at least see how nice the store looks and what’s for sale, which might encourage a future purchase. It creates a win-win: consignors might spend some of the money they’re about to earn, and the store benefits from extra foot traffic and potentially higher conversion rates.
  
  

• Immediate Feedback and Happier Consignors: Because Jacque or her team reviews items with the consignor present, they can gently explain on the spot if something isn’t accepted (for instance, “this shirt has a small snag here, so we’ll pass on it”). Consignors walk out with only the items that weren’t a fit, and with a clear understanding of why. Initially, Jacque worried people might be upset at not being able to just drop and run. But she found that consignors actually appreciate the transparency. They don’t have to wonder what happened to that sweater that never showed up on their account – they know it wasn’t taken, and why. It turns a potentially negative experience into a learning moment, as discussed earlier. Jacque sees this firsthand: consignors leave Reruns feeling informed, not insulted. And when they do get a quick sale (often the very same day), they get that dopamine rush of success. “They’re seeing they are making money faster... it’s exciting to them,” she says. “It’s the same amount of money they would have made before, but it might have been two weeks later. Now it’s the same day!” That excitement makes them eager to consign again – and tell their friends.
  
  

• Reduced Storage Needs & Donation Runs: In the past, Jacque often ended up hauling carloads of unaccepted items to donation centers as a courtesy to consignors (especially those who dropped and ran). Under same-day processing, “anything we don’t want, we give back [immediately].” Consignors who used to dump a half-unsorted bag on the store realized that if they include obvious junk, it’s coming right back home with them. Now Jacque isn’t stuck storing others’ rejects or making as many charity trips – consignors handle their own leftovers. As a bonus, this means every item in Jacque’s storage and sales floor has been approved for sale, reducing clutter. For the consignment store, space is a valuable resource, as ConsignCloud’s blog reminds usconsigncloud.com. By not letting low-value items eat up space “just to be nice,” Reruns can dedicate that space to items that will actually sell.
  
  

• Lower Stress and Better Staff Morale: Perhaps the biggest benefit Jacque felt was psychological. The mountain of unprocessed inventory was gone, and with it a huge weight off her shoulders. “It is so much less mental stress,” she says of life after same-day processing. No more dreading Monday mornings or feeling constantly “behind.” Her staff isn’t demoralized by an ever-growing backlog; instead, they end each day caught up and start the next day fresh. Jacque even began staffing an extra person on weekends purely to process intake, so no backlogs form even on the busy Saturday/Sunday drop-off days. She treats it as an investment in keeping the system flowing. In today’s retail environment, being mindful of employee burnout is critical – retail workers cite “health and well-being” as a top factor in job satisfaction, even above pay in some casesmckinsey.commckinsey.com. Removing the chaos of backlog and giving employees a sense of accomplishment each day can meaningfully boost morale. Jacque has even started telling consignors that this change was made “for the mental health of our staff,” reinforcing that everyone benefits from a smoother process.
  
  

Jacque’s story illustrates how operational innovation can solve cost problems. By implementing same-day processing, she actually reduced the effective labor cost of intake–her team spends far fewer total hours dealing with each batch (no re-handling, storage, follow-up), so they accomplish more with the same or slightly more staffing. It also increased revenue (due to more items selling faster), helping offset the higher wages. This is exactly how experts suggest businesses handle rising minimum wages: increase productivity and efficiency rather than simply cutting staffinvestopedia.com.

And what about consignors who preferred the old “drop and go” model? Jacque admits a handful were resistant to change, but most adapted quickly. Her friendly coaching at the counter has actually strengthened consignor relationships. Many consignors now feel more connected to the store – they chat with the staff during those 10 minutes, maybe find something to buy, and leave feeling confident about what they brought. It’s turned consigning into more of an experience than a transaction. “Never again will I have to stop taking inventory,” Jacque says with relief, “and it gets foot traffic in the door [every day].” Same-day processing proved to be the cornerstone of her store’s turnaround.

Implementing a Pricing Guide

The next major challenge Jacque tackled was pricing. Pricing consigned items can feel like a mix of art and science – you want a price low enough to attract buyers within a short window, but high enough to return a good payout to the consignor and profit for the store. Early on, she and her team spent a lot of time looking up comparables online (eBay, Amazon, brand websites) and applying a rough percentage (often around 30% of retail) to set a price. This approach worked but was time-consuming and sometimes inconsistent across different staff members.

To streamline this, Jacque developed a Pricing Guide that brings more rigor to the process. The idea was to categorize brands and item types into tiers with preset price ranges. For example, a Target or Walmart brand shirt might be “Category 1” with a range of say $3–$5, whereas an Anthropologie or high-end boutique brand shirt might be “Category 5” with a range of $22–$26. They researched dozens of brands and clothing types to slot everything into about five pricing tiers, plus a special Category 6 for truly exceptional items that require individual research. Within each category, they set a low, mid, and high price for each item type (tops, jeans, dresses, shoes, etc.), and guidelines for when to add or subtract a few dollars based on condition or desirability.

The concept isn’t far off from the classic “one-third rule” of consignment pricing – a common rule of thumb is to price items around 1/3 of their original retail valueconsigncloud.com, then adjust up or down for factors like brand, condition, and age. Jacque’s guide essentially formalizes that: it uses original retail prices as a reference and compresses items into standardized brackets. Now her staff can price quickly and confidently by consulting the guide rather than hunting down each item online. This also ensures greater consistency. “I have three people who price, and it feels like it’s more consistent now,” Jacque says. Customers won’t see two similar items from the same brand at wildly different prices – a discrepancy that could undermine trust. A pricing system like this helps avoid pricing too high (which “can scare off customers”consigncloud.com) or too low (leaving money on the table). It also helps train new employees in pricing. As ConsignCloud’s blog advises, “establish a base price for each item, then adjust for wear-and-tear, availability, and other factors”consigncloud.com – exactly what Jacque’s team now does. Over time, the staff have memorized many of the common brands and their categories, speeding up intake even more.

Jacque’s pricing transformation was aided by her switch to ConsignCloud software as well. When Reruns moved from her old desktop system (ConsignPro) to ConsignCloud in August 2022, one new feature she gained was an automatic pricing suggestion tool. ConsignCloud’s item entry screen can display three suggested prices for an item based on data from across many consignment stores (it takes into account the item category and brand field). As Jacque populates the Brand field for each item (something her old system lacked entirely), the software’s suggestions become more tailored. “If I’m pricing something super quick, I totally use the three little numbers it pops up,” she admits with a chuckle. She’s still evaluating how closely those suggestions align with her own pricing guide, but the potential is promising – it could serve as a built-in double-check or even replace parts of her manual guide over time. Using such tools can save time and help owners who aren’t sure where to price a given item. (Of course, local knowledge and gut feeling remain important – Jacque’s experience and her pricing guide are invaluable. But having software backup doesn’t hurt!)

In addition to base pricing, Jacque has embraced markdown schedules and sale pricing to make sure items sell within her 60-day window. Reruns uses a color tag system to track item ages – for instance, the newest items might have green tags, which aren’t discounted in the current clearance sale, whereas anything older than two months gets included in progressive markdown sales. ConsignCloud’s POS makes it easy to apply discounts to entire categories or tag colors during a sale. (More on that in the next section.) The key is that pricing isn’t a one-and-done decision – it’s an ongoing process. Jacque prices items to sell, and if they don’t sell after a month or two, the price drops automatically or via sale events. This dynamic pricing approach is essential in consignment, where you don’t want stale inventory tying up space. As ConsignCloud’s guide notes, “using a schedule to progressively lower the price increases the chance of a sale before the consignment period ends… ensuring you recoup something on items that might otherwise go unsold”consigncloud.com. Jacque’s quarterly blowout sales perform this function in a big, exciting way. Check out how to use ConsignCloud's automatic, scheduled discounts.

With solid intake and pricing practices now in place, Jacque saw her store’s performance improve within months – higher sell-through, more consistent cash flow, and fewer frustrations for all involved. But she didn’t stop there. To really boost sales and clear out the pipeline for new inventory, she turned to the time-honored tactic of a clearance sale event – and supercharged it with savvy marketing and help from her cloud POS.

Promoting Huge Clear-Outs for Record Sales

Every consignment store faces the issue of what to do with items that don’t sell after a while. You can discount them gradually, return them to consignors, donate them, or a mix of all three. Jacque decided to gamify the process by holding periodic storewide sales events that not only clear out old stock, but also create excitement and draw in crowds. “I have started implementing… four big quarterly sales,” she explains – roughly one per season. These events are deliberately dramatic: deep discounts, short duration, and lots of promotion beforehand to build anticipation. They have effectively become community events for her town, where customers line up for bargains and the store buzzes with energy.

One format Jacque uses is a progressive multi-day sale. For example, she ran a Thursday–Saturday event where everything older than 60 days was 40% off on Thursday, 60% off on Friday, and 80% off on Saturday. Only the items tagged as new (under 60 days) remained full price (ensuring she’s not practically giving away current inventory). By the final day, nearly the entire store was 80% off, which drew a huge crowd of deal-hunters. “We had one tag color in the store that was regular price – everything else was 80% off,” Jacque says. The result? “I did $3,400 in sales in five hours [on Saturday].” That shattered her previous single-day record in 14 years of business. In those five hours, Reruns sold 830 items–an astonishing volume for a small shop. Jacque proudly reports that 620 of those items were the deeply discounted 80%-off ones. It was truly a clearance BONANZA: items that had been sitting for weeks found new homes, customers walked away thrilled with bargains, and consignors still earned their percentage on hundreds of sales that might not have happened otherwise.

Beyond the raw numbers, Jacque turned the sale into a fun experience. “We had a line of people waiting to check out,” she recalls. With her characteristic enthusiasm (and self-described “loud” personality), she made a point to announce each customer’s savings at the register for all to hear: “You saved $180 today!” she’d shout, before handing over the goods. “I wanted everybody in the store to know.” Shoppers cheered and high-fived over each others’ deals. Jacque says she likes to play the “cheerleader” and keep the vibe upbeat; clearly, it worked. The excitement was infectious, and people didn’t seem to mind the wait. (Jacque’s team also served snacks and drinks to those in line, and generally made it a party atmosphere.) As one consignment owner in a news article put it, “In bad times, people need a sale, but in good times, people love a sale.” Discounts draw people in almost any time, and Jacque certainly found that to be true.

Another sale format Reruns has tried is the flat-price clearance: for instance, all clothing and shoes in the store are marked down to $1, $3, or $5 (depending on their original price range) for one day only. This kind of sale takes more manual effort to adjust prices, but it can eliminate so much old inventory in one swoop. Jacque did this “dollar sale” and again saw lines out the door. “I had people waiting in line a half hour to check out,” she says. When you’re essentially offering thrift store prices for curated consignment-quality items, shoppers go nuts for it. It’s also a clever way to get rid of items that otherwise might never sell (and would yield $0 to you or the consignor) – instead, you get a small return, the consignor gets something, and a customer gets a steal. Everybody wins. In three days of her recent clearance event, Jacque calculated that her customers saved over $7,700 off regular prices, and consignors earned over $2,200 (money they might have missed if those items went unsold and were returned) – all while the store grossed a tidy sum itself. It’s a great example of how planned promotions can boost cash flow and clean out inventory in a way that keeps consignors happy. ConsignCloud’s philosophy aligns with this: “turn ‘stale’ inventory into quick cash” by hitting specific discount triggers before items languish. Automatic markdown schedules or periodic sales ensure you “generate revenue more quickly and make room for new stock”, rather than letting things collect dust.

Jacque leverages her ConsignCloud POS heavily during these sales. For the percentage-off events, she uses the software’s Discounts feature to automatically apply the correct discount to each item at checkout (based on its tag color/age). ConsignCloud allows stores to set up flexible discount rules – e.g. “items with Tag Color X: 80% off” – which takes the manual calculation out of the equation. That reduces cashier errors and speeds up the line. In the heat of a busy sale, the last thing you want is to be doing math on each item or accidentally over/under-charging someone. Jacque was impressed that her sale receipts showed each customer’s total savings (a feature of ConsignCloud’s receipts), which made it easy for her to announce those fun stats. For the flat $1/$3/$5 sale, the software didn’t have a one-click way to bulk change all prices (since it was a temporary one-day thing, not an age-based markdown), so her staff did manually adjust each item at the register. It was tedious, but as Jacque said, it’s only twice a year. She’s looking forward to exploring more of ConsignCloud’s promotional tools – perhaps using the scheduling feature to pre-set temporary price drops. (ConsignCloud can even print future markdown info on tags to create urgency—like showing the date an item will go 50% off—which “creates a sense of urgency and transparency with customers.") Overall, having a robust POS that handles discount rules, multiple sales tax adjustments, and real-time inventory updates was crucial to running these events smoothly.

Another clutch advantage of being on a cloud POS: when Jacque saw the massive line at her dollar sale, she quickly opened a second checkout station. With ConsignCloud, any device (laptop, iPad, etc.) with service (internet or data) can become a register, accessing the same live inventory and sales data. She simply set up a second computer behind the counter and had a staff member start ringing transactions in parallel. “I had one of my girls at a table right behind me processing sales just as fast as I was,” Jacque says. They would communicate (“Sending a card!” – “Got it, I’ll wait to finalize this sale”) to coordinate the credit card terminal between them, and by tag-teaming they significantly cut down wait times. In the past, with a single-terminal desktop system, she could never have done that. The flexibility of a cloud system—“access your data from anywhere” and on multiple devices—literally allowed her to double her checkout speed on the fly. Customers certainly appreciated the faster-moving line, and it likely increased sales (fewer people walking away or deciding not to grab that extra item while waiting). In retail, speed matters: studies have shown long wait times can deter purchases, so having the option to add mobile checkout or extra registers during peak periods is a big plus.

By the end of the sale, Reruns had cleared out a ton of old inventory, made many customers very happy, and created a buzz in the community. Jacque went on Facebook Live the next day to share the exciting stats: “In three days, our customers saved over $7,700, and our consignors made over $2,200... One consignor made $289 in three days! Two customers each saved over $300 on their purchases.” This kind of post not only celebrates the community (people love seeing their hometown store thriving), but also serves as marketing for the next event. It signals to folks who missed the sale: Look what you missed—don’t skip the next one! Jacque’s sale events have effectively become part of her brand. They reinforce that Reruns is the place to both save money and make money in the community. When customers snag a huge haul for cheap and consignors get unexpected bonus checks, they tell their friends. Jacque mentions that during the sale, strangers in line were chatting like old friends – everyone was there. This kind of word-of-mouth is priceless.

Embracing Cloud Technology: How ConsignCloud Became Integral to the Workflow

We’ve touched on it throughout, but it’s worth focusing on Jacque’s transition to ConsignCloud and how technology enables all these improvements. After 13 years on an separate desktop software, Jacque chose ConsignCloud for her store’s next chapter and she hasn’t looked back. “We can’t function without it,” she says flatly. Here are some of the ways moving to a cloud-based consignment POS has benefited Reruns:

• Remote, Real-Time Access: With ConsignCloud, Jacque can log in from anywhere – at home, on vacation, even on her phone. This was impossible with her legacy system tied to a back-office computer. Now, if a staffer calls with an issue, Jacque can instantly pull up the live sale or inventory record to assist. “When my crew has a problem, I can get into the sale and see what’s happening to help them fix it,” she explains. If a customer messages the store’s Facebook page asking about a specific item, Jacque can search the inventory from her couch in seconds and respond accurately. This kind of flexibility and mobility is a hallmark of cloud POS – being able to “access your data from anywhere on any device” is a huge advantage. It also meant that when Jacque attended a professional retreat out of state, she didn’t have to feel anxious about leaving the store; she peeked in every day to check sales and ensure all was well. Peace of mind for an owner and coverage for staff questions makes for a stronger operation overall.
  
  

• Multi-Device Usage and Quick Scaling: As illustrated during the big sale, a cloud POS that multiple devices can use simultaneously gave Reruns greater throughput when it counted most. Jacque has a dedicated register computer in the store, but during events she can add an iPad or second laptop to split the line – all transactions sync instantly to a single database. There’s no cumbersome server or local network needed; just an internet connection. Modern cloud systems are designed for this kind of easy scalability and access for multiple users. Even for everyday tasks, Jacque likes that she can ring sales on the main computer while an employee in the back uses a tablet to receive inventory or print tags at the same time. In the old days, one person often had to wait for the other to finish because the system would lock certain functions. Those bottlenecks are gone.
  
  

• Reliability and Support: Jacque has found the system reliable. Her biggest initial worry with a web-based system was dependence on the internet – and indeed, one Friday during the sale, her local internet went down for 2–3 minutes (in scenarios like this, stores can always connect their device to their phone hotspot or simply use their phone to process sales). Thankfully it was short-lived, and it hasn’t dissuaded her from trusting the system. She keeps a mobile hotspot as backup and notes that even a short outage of a few minutes in a huge sale day didn’t sink them – they caught up as soon as it came back. The upside of everything being in the cloud is that the moment connectivity returns, all data is intact and synced – there’s no need to reconcile anything. Jacque was also impressed with ConsignCloud’s customer support; when the platform had that rare downtime, the team sent out immediate communications explaining what happened and how they were preventing it going forward. “Oh my God, transparency!” Jacque says, describing her relief at the candid explanation. That openness built a lot of trust, and she feels “they actually listen to us.” Now she’s even volunteering to beta-test new features. As a business owner, having a software partner that values your input and keeps you in the loop is gold.
  
  

In Jacque’s case, technology was an enabler of her strategic changes. Switching to ConsignCloud didn’t automatically fix her business, but it gave her the tools and flexibility to implement the fixes she knew were needed (faster intake, smarter pricing, big promotions, etc.). It also reinvigorated her with modern conveniences after years of making do with outdated software. If you’re running a consignment store on legacy systems or pen-and-paper, Jacque’s success highlights what you stand to gain by going digital: time savings, data-driven decision-making, and the ability to scale up your operations without scaling up the headaches.

Jacque Holder’s story is one of resilience and adaptation. She took a mid-life career setback and turned it into a community-oriented business that has now thrived for over a decade. Along the way, she learned that saying “yes” to everything isn’t always good business – sometimes you have to say “no” (to low-quality items, to inefficient processes, to old habits) in order to grow. By setting higher standards and clearer boundaries, she improved her inventory and relationships rather than hurting them. By seeking out training and new ideas 13 years in, she proved it’s never too late to change course and improve. And by embracing a powerful tool like ConsignCloud, she equipped herself to work smarter, not harder.

For prospective consignment store owners or those looking to rejuvenate an existing store, Jacque’s experience offers several key takeaways:

• Invest in Efficient Processes: Time really is money in the consignment world. Eliminate backlogs and idle inventory. Aim to turn items around quickly – from intake to floor to sale – which keeps inventory fresh and customers engaged. Rethink any workflow that causes delay or clutter. Jacque’s shift to same-day processing and periodic clearance sales dramatically increased her inventory turns and sales volume, all by optimizing the flow of goods through her store.
  
  

• Maintain Quality & Teach Your Consignors: The cliché “quality over quantity” holds true. It’s better to have slightly fewer items in stock that are clean, current, and appealing, than a store jammed with stuff that won’t move. Set clear quality guidelines and kindly enforce them. When you educate consignors on what sells (and what doesn’t), you’re doing both of you a favor in the long run. High-quality inventory draws in repeat customers and builds your reputation.
  
  

• Use Data and Set Rules for Pricing: Don’t wing it on pricing every time. Whether it’s the one-third rule or a custom tiered guide, have a system that anyone on your team can follow for consistency. Leverage software tools for price suggestions or automated markdowns to take the mental load off. Remember that a slightly lower price today (that leads to a sale) is far better than no sale for weeks – price to sell within a reasonable timeframe. As one guide put it, focus on a formula for pricing and eventually you’ll be able to glance at an item and know what it should be.
  
  

• Leverage Technology (Especially Cloud POS): The right consignment software is like an extra employee (a very detail-oriented one!) that handles tracking, math, and grunt work for you. Features like remote access, real-time inventory, automatic discounts, and integrated reporting can save you countless hours and prevent errors. Cloud-based systems in particular offer flexibility, scalability, and peace of mind with off-site data backup. They let you focus on running the business, not wrestling with spreadsheets or outdated software. Jacque’s ability to double her registers during a sale, check on her store from another state, and instantly see how much a customer saved are all thanks to moving to a modern POS built for consignment.
  
  

• Engage Your Community and Have Fun: One of the joys of consignment retail is that it’s inherently community-driven – your inventory comes from your neighbors, and your customers are often the same people. Embrace that! Turn your store into a place where people feel welcomed and excited to visit. Jacque’s high-energy sales events and personal rapport with customers and consignors create an atmosphere that e-commerce can’t match. As a result, her store isn’t just a shop, it’s a hub of local activity. Shoppers were literally chatting in line about how much they love Reruns. That kind of loyalty is earned by consistently providing value (great deals, great finds) and a positive experience. And don’t forget to market your wins: sharing those “X dollars saved / made” statistics publicly not only celebrates your community, it reinforces the consignment model’s benefits to any skeptics out there.

In the end, Jacque’s bet on herself and her willingness to evolve have paid off. “I’m not getting rich – I’m not retiring – but I’m making a living,” she says, “and I get to help people in my town, which feels amazing.” Her highest compliment came from customers who tell her “I’m so glad you’re here; you save me a trip to the city.” Reruns has become more than just a store; it’s a solution for her community and a local institution.

As for Jacque, she’s not resting on her laurels. She continues to refine her processes (already thinking about how to implement a similar pricing guide for shoes and home goods next) and happily collaborates with ConsignCloud on new features. “If you ever need someone to test something, I’d love to be involved,” she told us – showing that same spirit of improvement that got her here. ConsignCloud’s team has her (and other users’) feedback in hand as they develop updates, ensuring that the software grows alongside the needs of stores like Reruns.

Jacque’s journey shows that with the right mindset and tools, consignment stores can thrive even in challenging times. Her store’s story – from a backroom full of trash bags to a streamlined, celebratory resale experience – is truly an inspiration. If you’re looking to write your own consignment success story, take a page from Jacque: work smart, embrace change, and never lose sight of the people at the heart of it all – your consignors, your customers, and your community. Start a trial with ConsignCloud today!