At Signs.com, 2012 was a huge year. We launched this blog, we created an incredible new website for designing and purchasing custom signage, and we managed to have a lot of fun doing it! In 2012, we posted 255 articles on the Signs.com blog, tweeted 1,340 times on Twitter, gave away 16 mini-billboards during our Facebook Sign Quest Contest, and created 1 sweet video on how to install perforated vehicle window decals. But today, we wanted to recap some of our most popular stories and articles from last year. So, we hope you enjoy our best of Signs.com 2012.

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Ever heard of the Mutiny on the Bounty? Sailors on the HS Bounty were tired of swabbing the decks and working long hours on a boring ship. So they mutinied, burned the ship and set up housekeeping in nearby Tahiti.

We’re not talking here about mutiny on the high seas— we’re talking about mutinous store employees. And the stakes are much higher. Black Friday weekend is a billion dollar business for the retail industry; store owners eagerly await the hordes of shoppers and large sales numbers that will bring the year’s profits higher. But while owners love these four biggest shopping days of the year, employees dread Black Friday weekend. continue reading…

The Holidays are Here

Walk into any Walmart at 11:59 pm on October 31st and what do you see? Pallets of Christmas products, decorations and other assorted holiday items. Employees hover around like a pack of ravenous wolves waiting for the OK to pounce. The clock strikes midnight and the walkie-talkies light up like a trucker convention. The holiday season has arrived. Let the madness begin. continue reading…

I write a column every week about shopping. Obviously, I like it. A lot. Too much, some (read: my husband) might say. I enjoy browsing through shops, looking for great clothes or fun gifts. And I love, love, love a bargain. But what do I NOT love? Black Friday.

I don’t do the wake up at 3:00 a.m. and stand in line in the freezing cold just to save $10 on a video game thing. I’d much rather stay in my nice, warm bed and do my shopping at a more reasonable hour, thank you very much. continue reading…

Best. Cupcake. Ever. I just returned from a wonderful meeting with Allison Regan, owner of Sweet Cake Bake Shop and I’ve polished off the gluten-free German chocolate cake cupcake I brought home. To be honest, I don’t really know much about baking. I do know that cupcakes normally contain wheat flour, and that the heavenly cupcake I just enjoyed didn’t have a lick of wheat in it. But do I care? Let me just say it again: Best. Cupcake. Ever.  continue reading…

“Buy Local” may have once been a notion for trendsetters, but now it’s common practice for many consumers. Last holiday season saw huge growth in sales for independent retailers. Last year’s overall retail holiday sales were 4.1% higher than in 2010. But independent retailers saw a 6.7% increase.

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On November 22nd, after the table has been cleared and the last of the pie has been eaten, families all over the country will sit down with the shopping ads and make a game plan for the biggest shopping event of the year: Black Friday weekend. This is a huge money-making weekend for large companies like Walmart and Target. But how about small businesses? continue reading…

Often when I sit down to write this column, I find myself thinking of all the things store owners and their employees are doing wrong. My job is to give you an idea of what your customers are thinking and feeling as they shop in your store and help you fix what’s wrong. The goal is for you to have happy customers that ultimately drop more cash in your store and make you more successful. But sometimes I feel like all I do is tell you what you’re doing wrong. So today, I’ve resolved to be more positive and instead, tell you what you’re doing right.
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The zombies are coming to a retail store near you . . . your retail store. They’re not the undead; they’re very much alive. And soon they’ll be swarming your store with their zombie-like pursuit of just one thing . . . will you be prepared for the zombie invasion? continue reading…

If I asked you what a 220,000 square foot building, a 16,000 gallon aquarium and a 16-car Ferris Wheel have in common, you would probably answer with something like an amusement park or one of those crazy malls in Asia. But you would be wrong. In fact, this accurately describes the new retail behemoth that just opened this past weekend in a Salt Lake City suburb.

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