Jenny Ives

The responsibilities of the retail liaison include the following:

• Acting as the primary link between the chapter and area retailers, ensuring an even-handed approach to all retailers.
• Consistently delivering the message to chapter members “that good retailer relations is a two-way street” – a chapter needs the retailers to have local access to fabric, notions, machines, patterns, etc., and retailers need chapter members to shop in their stores.
• Negotiating and securing discounts from local retailers for chapter members. Use the Retailer Discount Agreement on page A-6 for the agreement with each retailer. (Only the chapter president or retail liaison may negotiate discounts with area retailers.)
• Communicating with the area retailers regularly to keep them current on chapter’s activities and to promote general good will between the retailer and the chapter.
• Securing paid newsletter advertising from local sewing related retailers. If a chapter has no retail liaison, the newsletter editor or chapter president may do this (see page A-3 for the Newsletter Advertising Agreement).
• Maintaining a current mailing list of area retailers, including contact names and phone numbers, both for inclusion in the chapter newsletter and for keeping in contact with retailers.
• Possibly writing a column for the chapter newsletter outlining happenings at supporting retailers’ stores and/or spotlighting each retailer in turn.
• Possibly helping to request door prizes and favors for chapter events and initiating publicity and thanks for the donations.