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Be Wary Of Markdowns

A simple definition of markdowns is the difference between the original retail price and the actual selling price. Markdown dollars are calculated by subtracting the Actual Selling Price from the Original Selling Price. Markdown percent is Markdown dollars divided by Actual Sales Dollars.

 

The National Retail Merchants Association adds a bit more to the definition. They define a markdown as "a reduction in the originally marked retail price of merchandise, primarily taken for clearance of poor selections, broken assortments, prior stock, for special sales events, and to meet competition." Markdowns may be permanent or temporary. Generally, a temporary Markdown is called a Point of Sale Markdown and handled at the point of sale. It is only taken when there is a sale. This type of markdown would include 4th of July or Back to School "sales". If, however, the retailer made a mistake and bought too large of an assortment of umbrellas and raingear and the area suffered a drought, these items might receive a permanent Markdown as the value is reduced permanently and the goal is to turn the merchandise into cash and get it out of the store as quickly as possible. If the permanent Markdown is removed or cancelled at some later date, the retail price reverts to original selling price; the resulting amount is called a Markdown cancellation, not a markup.

 

In the retail world, Markdowns may not be liked but they cannot be avoided. They are a fact of doing business. Colors or styles unpopular with your customers will only move with significant Markdowns. Of course, any time you take a "deal" and purchase three year's inventory of socks (for example), you are taking a huge chance. What if a new fiber is introduced or a new color or design becomes all the rage and your entire sock budget is tied up in what was bought last year. If you really want to know if you have made a poor buying choice, study your Markdowns.

 

Over-buying is the #1 cause of excessive Markdowns. However, stores don't go out of business due to high Markdowns. They go out of business because they can't move the merchandise quickly enough to bring in the required cash to meet their obligations. Stores suffering from cash flow problems may have difficulty paying their vendors on time. And how many employees will work without receiving their paycheck in a timely manner?

 

Also, keep in mind, the cost of an item has nothing to do with the Marked down price. Customers do not care how much the buyer paid for the merchandise. When it comes to sales and merchandise choices, a professional buyer's only concern should be how quickly the inventory will convert to cash. Sometimes mistakes are made and those "really cute hats" that the buyers knew would sell like hot cakes don't. Sometimes, the only person who just loves those hats is the buyer and vendor who sold them.

 

From time to time, stores are reluctant to take large Markdowns and in some cases even refuse to mark anything down below cost. The idea is that money may be lost when in reality much more is at stake by not getting cash out of slow selling stock and replacing it with new product. The only thing worse is storing merchandise year after year just to bring items out next season. Your regular customers know when you bring out the same merchandise over and over.

 

Generally, those Markdowns relating to the customer-education factor (or just plain old over-buying) will be permanent Markdowns. These Markdowns may be referred to as "backroom" Markdowns, "bulk" Markdowns or "permanent" Markdowns. These Markdowns serve to devalue the inventory for reporting purposes decreasing both insurance and taxes (if applicable) if you are using the Retail Inventory method to value your inventory. Remember, the Markdown can be reversed if the circumstances change.

 

On the other hand, Markdowns intended to stimulate sales throughout the store are usually called temporary Markdowns or Point Of Sales Markdowns. These are taken when the item sells and do not devalue all inventory in that class.

 

The better method of assigning value to inventory is the Retail Inventory Method. It allows for slow moving items to receive a permanent Markdown in both cost and retail because the value of the merchandise has decreased. This permanent Markdown helps by saving money on both insurance and taxes. When using the Cost Inventory Method or only using Point Of Sale Markdowns, Markdowns are only taken when a sale transaction takes place. Additionally, the Cost Inventory Method serves to encourage comparison of net sales to Balance Sheet Inventory. The problem with that comparison is that Sales are at Retail and Inventory is at Cost. When making such a comparison, an owner may say, "My sales are $500,000 and my Inventory is $250,000; I'm doing okay." Actually, Inventory at Cost should be about 40% of Net Sales to allow for an adequate Mark Up and any Markdowns planned for.

 

Now, consider how many classifications in a store may be in this same condition. When this situation is multiplied over several classifications, the difference can be major. Who wouldn't enjoy paying less for insurance and property taxes? This will have the most impact at the end of the year when reporting inventory values for property tax valuation. You may say the end result is virtually the same, but consider 3 months of savings in inventory cost. The true savings comes in early recognition of the error and taking that permanent markdown as soon as the mistake is discovered.

 

In closing, the following is a list of potential reasons for markdowns from Retail Merchandise Management by John Wingate, Elmer Schaller and Leonard Miller.

 

Markdowns from Overbuying

  • Failing to plan sales by class
  • Failing to buy in small experimental quantities prior to placing large orders
  • Buying more goods than needed in view of stock on hand and planned sales
  • Buying the wrong styles, colors fabrics or sizes
  • Poor scheduling of deliveries
  • Overdependence on a few "pet" resources
  • Failure to examine incoming merchandise for quality control
  •  
Markdowns from Poor Pricing
  • Setting initial mark-up too high
  • Setting initial markup too low so customers are suspicious of the value
  • Failure to check competitors prices for same or similar merchandise
  • Deferring price reductions too long
  • Making first Markdown too small--a 10% or 15% markdown does not mean much today
  •  
Selling Errors leading to Markdowns
  • Poor display of merchandise on the sales floor
  • Failure to educate sales staff about merchandise
  • Careless handling of merchandise
  • High pressure selling leading to high returns
  •  
Sales policies leading to Markdowns
  • Meeting price competition
  • Having special sales of regular stock
  • Using special sales of promotional merchandise leading to promotional remainders
  • Maintaining complete assortment through most of the season
  • Having large markups coupled with large markdowns to exploit the comparative price appeal
  • Taking premature markdowns
  • Policy of carry-over
  • Giving away free samples to customers

 

 

This article was written by Linda Carter, President of The Retail Management Advisors, a retail consulting firm whose mission is to help independent retailers survive and thrive. With more than 30 years experience helping independent retailers, she has the experience to help you too.