Commentary
Chocolate? Do you want some?
Every convenience services operator needs to be an expert of sorts on the products they sell. All it requires is keeping on eye of news relating to these products.
March 3, 2020 by Paul Schlossberg — president, dfw consulting
It's all but a certainty that you want some chocolate. Chocolate is a very important contributor to your sales and profits. Even if chocolate is not your personal favorite snack, you want to see it in your vending machines and on the shelves at your micro market and pantry service locations.
My question is not an offer for a free sample for you to enjoy. This is an opportunity for me to deliver some taste-tempting chocolate insights from an article in The Wall Street Journal on Dec. 19, 2019.
The headline: "Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide for Informed Indulgers," was the teaser. Next was a lengthy sub-headline previewing the delicious insights they would share: "Bars and bonbons, dark and milk, single-origin and small-batch, Mexican and Vietnamese: The world of chocolate is vast and fascinating. With this A-to-Z survey, explore it in all its delicious variety."
"A-to-Z" relating to chocolate. What could be bad about that? As you'll learn soon, there is nothing bad here. When it comes to chocolate, the news is sweet and delicious. While specific brands and retail stores were noted in the article, The Wall Street Journal clearly stated that there was no payment or consideration from those listed in the article.
For many years my preferred snack category was pretzels. That top preference changed when my work took me to Belgium. A client assignment had me in Belgium 17 times in one year. That led me to taste test and enjoy some of the very well-respected Belgian chocolate brands.
On many occasions, someone would bring a box or two of Belgian chocolates for everyone to enjoy. It was more enjoyable than a birthday cake.
Not too far from my client's office was a Leonidas store. During the day before my return flight, there was a mandatory stop there to purchase a box of hand-selected chocolates. The tastes and textures of those wonderful chocolates are still in my memory among my favorite foods. One of my client's favorite chocolate brand was Daskalidès.
If you want to sell more stuff, make it a priority to learn more about the products you're selling. Look for insights and facts from articles like the one that is the basis for this posting. The more you know about food, snacks and beverages, the better you will be at merchandising and promoting to the shoppers you serve.
About Paul Schlossberg
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