Homeschool Corner

In the November/December 2008 issue of Light Post, there were some suggestions on how you can increase sales in your homeschool department. I have expanded on those suggestions here and also I’ve added some additional thoughts for you to consider.

Create an environment comfortable for homeschoolers

If you want homeschoolers to shop at your store, make them feel welcome, make aisles wide enough to push strollers through them, and try to arrange your store layout so that families don’t have to walk through the aisle with crystal collectibles before they reach the homeschool books.

If you have a restroom in your store, try to make this available for customer use. This is a huge benefit for a busy mom with children. If she has to leave the store to take the children to the bathroom, she is not likely to return.

In addition, try to place your homeschool materials near the children’s area if possible. If there are a lot of children who visit your store, put a few small chairs near the homeschool area so that the little ones will have somewhere to sit as mom shops. It’s even better if you have a few books for them to look at that can be reused for all your young guests. It’s also a nice idea to keep a chair nearby for mom as well, if you have the space.

Provide courteous service

The other day I was shopping and soon after we arrived, at my request, my 10-year-old son asked the owner of a business how much something cost because it didn’t have a price on it. The owner screamed back that he didn’t have time to answer questions from bratty kids! If you want homeschoolers to return to your store, treat the parents and the children with respect.

I’ve been to Christian bookstores that have signs on the door as you enter that state something like, “This is not a suitable store for children.” Not only do I take my children elsewhere, but I do not patronize those stores and most other homeschoolers won’t either. There have also been many times when I’ve walked into stores where the workers sigh as you walk in the door and they count, “one, two, three, four, five children.” I realize that some people don’t discipline their children well, but all parents shouldn’t be punished because a few people won’t make sure their children don’t run wild. Train your workers to treat everyone with respect and welcome them into your store and if particular children cause you distress, then a manager or other person in charge needs to address the issue on an individual basis. (And you should know that when I write for homeschoolers, I tell them the opposite of this… Train your children to be respectful and make sure they behave well in public.)

Educate workers about home education

When I ask homeschoolers why they don’t return to a store, one of the main responses is that the workers “don’t know anything about homeschooling.” Two of the most important things you can do to educate your workers are to be familiar with your state laws and stress to your employees that all homeschool families are different so what works for one may not work for another. Read the article discussing “An Overview of Home Education for the Christian Retail Worker” for more information about this topic and make copies for your employees as well.

Offer a variety of materials

Homeschoolers come in all shapes and sizes. The most successful stores offer a large variety of curricula, grade levels, subjects, and formats (books, CDs, etc.).

While some homeschoolers have a tendency to stress particular curricula or subjects and almost everyone has their preference, there is a need for great variety when it comes to homeschooling materials in stores. Students have different learning styles. Parents have different teaching styles. Most homeschool families own computers, but not all do. Some families prefer an evangelical focus while others will tolerate this, but do not prefer it in their curricula. (If non-Christian homeschool families do not prefer an evangelical focus, but will tolerate a Biblical worldview, this is a great way for them to be exposed to the gospel through the materials you might sell them.) Some families need materials suitable for use with their entire family at once. Others prefer individual books for each child. Some prefer materials that can be reused with numerous children. As far as the subjects and grade levels, since homeschoolers teach all subjects and all grade levels from K-12, it goes without saying that they will need a wide selection.

Host a homeschool seminar

Find a local homeschool leader who would be willing to come to your store for a day and answer questions about home education. Send notices to local homeschool groups and put a note in the local newspaper. You should be able to submit this at no cost to the community calendar as a FREE homeschool seminar. This is likely to attract new homeschoolers as well as people who are just interested. This could be lots of fun!

Don’t ask personal questions

You would not walk up to someone in your store and ask why they are wearing glasses or a particular style of clothing. However, retail workers do ask homeschoolers why they decided to homeschool, how they plan to do a better job than the local school system, whether or not they are going to have more children, etc. You get the idea. Treat homeschoolers with the same respect you give others. If any customer opens a conversation or makes a comment about a particular issue, then they may want to discuss it, but it is disrespectful to ask homeschoolers personal questions that you would never ask others. I almost wondered if I should even include this comment, but since this is one of the most frequent complaints I hear from homeschoolers, I think you should be aware that it is a problem.

Remember that homeschoolers aren’t the only ones shopping for educational materials

Although I am a “homeschool consultant,” it’s important to point out that the customers who purchase materials from your homeschool department may or may not be homeschoolers. Parents who want to supplement their children’s public/private school education often purchase supplemental educational materials so that they can work with their children at home. Adults who require remedial help with reading, math, or other subjects frequently will request such materials where homeschool products are sold. Teachers may look to your store as a source of materials from a Christian perspective since these products are sometimes difficult to find through typical school supply outlets. Keep all of this in mind as you purchase stock, determine the placement of products, and answer questions from your customers.

Create a resource list for homeschoolers

Many store owners report to me that even with counseling, they do not know how to answer anything other than very basic questions from homeschoolers. If you do not homeschool, you may not be able to comment on school day scheduling, how to manage toddlers and middle school students at the same time, etc. Not only that, but you probably don’t have time to do any more than answer the basic questions about which products you have in stock and which ones other homeschoolers seem to prefer. That’s fine! I would recommend that you create a handout that you can give to new homeschoolers in particular and include the following information: helpful homeschool websites (I can provide these to you), contact information for local support groups, and a synopsis of your state’s homeschool laws (which you can obtain from www.hslda.org). If you give them contact information for local support groups, the leaders of those groups should be able to answer all the practical questions that the families will have. You are also welcome to refer any homeschool families to my website at any point in time. It’s www.sonyahaskins.com . I frequently put useful articles and lists on there and many of them are geared toward new homeschool families.

Try implementing some of the suggestions above. None of them will cost you much money and they require very little effort outside of some initial research. Please let us know how the suggestions work for you and as always, if you have any questions, contact us!

Sonya Haskins is an author, homeschool mom, and homeschool advocate. She lives with her husband and five children in Northeast Tennessee, where she joyfully teaches her young ones at home. You are welcome to contact her via e-mail at sonya@sonyahaskins.com .