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3 Unique Tent Sale Ideas


Summer is a great time to hold a tent sale. The warm weather brings out shoppers who prefer to stay outdoors. The gentle mountain breezes blow through the tents, and when it’s sweltering, you can bring out the fans. The tourists are in town and the locals can’t do enough to shake off their cabin fever.

Summer also is a good time to clean off your shelves to prepare for the latest models and newest offerings in your store. It’s a time to give your staff a break by letting them enjoy a couple days outside. It’s time for fresh, new and exciting sales. After all — it’s summer!

The Tent Sale Attraction

A tent with brightly colored stripes, along with colorful signage and a parking lot full of shoppers, is an attraction that’s difficult to pass by. Everyone wants to know what’s going on. No one wants to miss out. Even consumers who don’t know anything about your business are strangely attracted to an exciting event.

So give them what they came for — good prices, free drinks, a carnival atmosphere and a reason to buy. And do it in style, do it so the community is talking about you all year long, wondering when your next tent sale will take place. Here are a few ideas to create a buzz about your tent sale:

  • One Price Fits All

Since July is a good time of year to liquidate old merchandise, use the annual tent sale theme to get it done. Your advertising, social media campaigns and signage should all support the theme of “one price fits all.” Close your brick and mortar location and concentrate on the tent for the duration of the tent sale. Make the event easy on your staff and your customers by selling everything under the tent for one price. Set up multiple tents separated by price. ($10 items in one tent, $20 in another and $100 items in a third tent). Whether it’s $5 or $25, make it attractive enough and special enough that even if someone doesn’t need what you’re selling today, they cannot resist the price. “But, honey, the price was amazing,” is what you want every spouse to say when they get home.

  • 5-Day Devolving Tent Sale

Plan to get rid of your older merchandise in a way that eliminates your need to figure out what prices will guarantee sales. Instead, advertise a devolving sale. On the first day of the tent sale, mark everything under the tent at 20 percent off. Slash prices each of the five days from say, 30 percent on day two to 50 percent off on day four. Plan for a grand finale to really clean up and clean it out with a whopping 75 percent off everything that’s left. This kind of tent sale often attracts the same buyers each day because they want to watch the turnover. As the crowds grow, you can use the sale to create a buzz about town. The kickoff and the last day also should be full of surprises like guest entertainers, free hot dogs or balloons for the kiddies.

  • The Thank-You Tent Sale

When is a tent sale not a tent sale? When its sole purpose is to thank the community and your customers for their support throughout the year. Many may be skeptical, looking for the “catch.” But set up the tent outside your store, or in a large parking lot or field in your town, to give back. The money you spend on refreshments, the tent and entertainment will buy more goodwill than any amount of TV or newspaper ads could ever bring you. And when you make the event an annual affair, you become a legend in your community. Your neighbors and customers will come to understand that when you say, “Thank you for your business,” you mean it. Now you may have a few premium sales going on inside your place of business, but don’t make that the focus. Instead, have fun and know that the more you give, the more you get.

Hendersonville Tents Party and Event Rentals is a family-owned and operated company. 2015 marks the 31st anniversary of providing tents, tables, chairs, pipe and drapes, tableware, games, specialty lighting, PA systems… everything you need to host a memorable outdoor event. Hendersonville Tents Party and Event Rentals provides a personal touch to your party. Whatever your needs, Hendersonville Tents Party and Event Rentals has got you covered.


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