January 2026 Newsletter

You Asked for It—And Here It Is!

Many of you told me you wanted a simple, practical newsletter with tips on inventory and merchandising. I listened!

Each month, I’ll share easy-to-use advice, insights, and strategies to help you: 

• Make smarter inventory decisions 

• Protect profits 

• Stay ahead of the curve

Let’s kick off the year with three key moves every retailer should make in January.

1️⃣ Resetting Inventory After the Holidays

🔍 Key Question:
Are you treating all leftover holiday products the same—or deciding which are still worth keeping at full price?

Why it matters:
Waiting too long can tie up cash and force discounts on items that could have sold at full price.

💡 What to do:

• Keep: Items still selling well—maintain price & visibility

• Improve: Items that could sell better with different placement, channel, or packaging

• Clear: Slow movers—mark down early, in a controlled way

✨ Benefit:
Acting now protects profit and avoids rushed, deep discounts later.

2️⃣ Resetting How Much You Buy

🔍 Key Question:
Are your early-year buying decisions based on real sales—or old plans from last year?

Why it matters:
Old plans and leftover stock can lead to buying too much of the wrong items, making inventory problems worse.

💡 What to do:

• Update buying plans with real post-holiday sales

• Maintain flexibility to adjust orders based on what’s selling

• Make sure buying fits your available cash, not just growth goals

✨ Benefit:
A clean buying reset in January lets you focus on top sellers and prevents heavy discounting later.

3️⃣ The First 90 Days Set the Tone

🔍 Key Question:
Do you know which early signs actually predict future discounting—and which are just noise?

Why it matters:
The first three months often determine how the year ends—but only if you watch the right signals.

💡 What to do:

• Track how long items sit on shelves by category

• Check which items are performing vs. which aren’t

• Monitor early margin loss from forced promotions

✨ Benefit:
Small fixes in Q1 prevent major write-offs and deep discounts later.

💬 Final Thought

January isn’t just about inventory—it’s about how decisions get made. Acting now gives retailers more flexibility, protects profits, and avoids constant discount cycles later in the year.

If you’d like help reviewing post-holiday inventory, adjusting buying plans, or spotting early warning signs, I’m happy to support you.