Customer Service Ideas for Resale Stores: The Little Things That Keep Customers Coming Back

Dawn Schultz Babies In Bloom | Blooming Deals Consignment

Centreville, MD July 28, 2026

“I know this shirt isn’t for you. This is not going to fit you!”

Have you ever had a retail associate say something like this to you at checkout? It happened recently to my daughter and me while we were shopping at a local thrift store. Like me, she loves thrifting, and she found a few cute tops for the summer that I offered to buy for her.

The associate asked how old my daughter was, and she replied, “Twenty-six.” The associate then told her, “Well, if it’s for you and you’re twenty-six, then that’s okay.” She also made a remark about how I was paying for all of my daughter’s items.

Was any of that necessary? Was it kind? Did it make me want to come back and shop there again? You bet it didn’t.

That comment got me thinking about the little things that make a customer’s or consignor’s experience positive and, ultimately, what keeps people coming back. I can assure you it isn’t criticizing their purchases.

As a store owner, how can you and your staff build connections and make people feel comfortable, welcomed, and connected to your store?

You may already be doing some of the simple, straightforward things:

• Sending birthday, sympathy, or get-well cards

• Offering lollipops to the kids

• Remembering customers’ names and welcoming them by name or thanking them for coming in

• Making allowances for consignors who have more items than normally permitted

• Offering water bottles when customers enter

• Keeping a clean, organized store with spacious dressing rooms

All of these things contribute to a positive, friendly atmosphere, but what if you took it one step further and turned those simple gestures into memorable ones?

Print this article and place a checkmark beside the things you already do in your store. Then put a star next to the new ideas you want to try during the final quarter of the year and beyond. Get your team involved, too. They’re a great source of ideas and often the ones who will put many of your customer service efforts into action.

• Keep a basket filled with small, prewrapped gifts tied with pretty ribbon. Include items such as hand lotion, new earrings, or gift cards to your store. Give them to customers on their birthdays, on days when someone needs a little encouragement, or as a thank you for a referral or simply for being a great customer.

• Keep a treasure chest filled with little prizes for children, such as Matchbox cars, stickers, or fidget toys. They are your future customers, after all.

• Take another look at your dressing rooms. Is there seating inside or just outside for guests? Is there a hook or table for a purse? Do you have positive signage that makes shoppers feel good while they try things on?

• Is your store organized by size and color? Are your displays refreshed weekly?

• Consider keeping a refreshment stand with flavored water or a coffee station. During our big sale, we give customers water and chocolates while they wait in line.

• Offer Gift Kindness Cards. (I learned this from a fabulous Executive Director I know -  wink, wink.) These business card sized coupons are worth $5 and can be given to customers on the spot. We do this twice a month for twenty people. The card simply reads, “You are special. Please accept this kindness card. We hope you’ll pay it forward.”

• Get to know your customers, and let them get to know you. For the twenty fourth anniversary of our store, we created a Facebook post asking people what they loved about shopping with us. Their responses included, “You always knew my name and took the time to speak to me,” “You always had a smile on your face,” and “You remembered I went on my trip, and you asked me about it.”

• Ask customers about their grandchildren, their work, or their hobbies. Those conversations matter.

• Remember your customers’ preferences. Do they love Willow Tree figurines or Lilly Pulitzer? Give them a call or send a message when something arrives. Do you know the sizes of their children? Keep a notebook to help you remember, or use the Wish List feature in your software.

• We had a customer who loved Dunkin’ Donuts, and the perfect logo hat came in on consignment. We messaged her, and she wanted it. It was a small gesture, but do you know what she did afterward? She created a TikTok reviewing our children’s book section and shared it with all of her teacher friends.

• Do you work with people who are downsizing and open those back doors for all the treasures they want to bring in? We had a first-time consignor tell us she was moving, so we made an allowance for her to bring in more than the normal limit. Since then, she has insisted that her husband drive almost two hours to continue bringing items to us, even though there are plenty of consignment stores near her new home.

Last week, we opened our back door again for a consignor who was divorcing and moving to Florida. When she left, she said she felt lighter, and she was smiling.

Some of my most faithful customers and consignors have come from relationships formed during unfortunate and sometimes sad circumstances.

Are you there when a customer loses a loved one, a spouse loses a job, or someone in the community loses a home? Can you lend an ear, offer financial support, or assist with a community drive?

• We started a Cases for Kids program for foster children and families in need. The community donates backpacks and duffel bags, and we fill them with clothing, toiletries, and gift cards. We receive referrals from maternal and child health organizations, which pick up the cases and deliver them to the families.

• You might also consider diaper drives or collections for food banks and animal shelters. Could you offer early entry into a sale when someone donates one of these needed items?

• Another idea is to create a Make Their Day Fund. Set aside part of your giveaway budget to cover an occasional purchase. You might allocate $200 per month to pay for a toy a mother was unable to afford or the matching second pillow for the couch a customer just purchased. Give your staff the discretion to use this fund when they see an opportunity to make someone’s day.

• Build community connections. Customers and consignors want to be part of supporting organizations alongside you. Could you donate sweaters at the end of the season to a local nursing home? Could you send stuffed animals to your local police department?

• You can also let customers choose a charity at checkout and round up their purchases. This could begin on Giving Tuesday and continue throughout the week, or it could happen at any time of the year.

• “Skip a Bag and Pick a Charity” is another popular idea for the checkout counter. Give customers tickets to place in the jar representing their favorite charity, then donate five or ten cents for every bag they skip. Write the check at the end of the month. An animal shelter is almost always a favorite choice.

Do your customers and consignors feel special, or do they feel as though they are simply another sale?

During difficult times, when you or your store need support the most, your community, customers, and consignors will rally around you. They will support your business when you need them, just as you were there when they needed you.

As a store owner, you have provided affordable clothing, furniture, and so much more. You have greeted people, thanked them, surprised them with gifts, listened to them, and sometimes hugged them.

Those caring connections can last for the lifetime of your store. As a bonus, you may have made a small difference in someone’s life and made that person feel special.

The little things really do mean a lot.