Every November, the same customer walks into shops all over the country. They've got a dinner invitation in one hand and no idea what to bring in the other. Some of them are cooking the whole meal. A lot of them don't cook at all.

Both of those people are looking at your shelves for an answer! And my job is helping retailers make sure that answer is sitting right there, ready to go.

Here's how I'd plan your Thanksgiving season, from the day your display goes up to the weekend after the turkey's gone.

Your key date: set by the first week of November

If you take one thing from this post, this is it. Your Thanksgiving assortment should be in the store and on display by early November!

People start planning long before they shop. They notice a gift set during a Tuesday errand, think about it for a week, and come back once the invitation gets real. I want your store to be the place that sparks the idea, not the place they check after they've already decided.

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26 this year. A display that's up by November 6 gets nearly three weeks of browsing before the holiday. One that goes up the week before gets a handful of days, and those happen to be your busiest.

What this means for your order: Place your holiday order now, through Faire or direct, and check lead times so the tins land with room to spare. Block an hour in the first week of November to build the display. Save another hour Thanksgiving week to restock and reface it.

Think past the turkey: build a hostess gift table

Thanksgiving retail has a second customer…the person cooking is only half of it! Every guest headed to that house needs something to carry, too.

A guest who doesn't cook rarely reaches for a single tin of cumin. They want something that looks like a gift the second they pick it up, and that the host will actually use. That's a collection.

These are the four I'd put on that table:

• Holiday Baking Collection. Pumpkin Spice, Apple Pie Spice, and Gingerbread Spice in one set. It's a Thanksgiving gift that keeps working through December cookie season, which makes it an easy yes for a guest.
• Fancy Finishing Salts Collection. Herb Salt, Chilli Salt, and Ginger Garlic Salt. Finishing salts go on at the end, so the host can sprinkle them over leftovers Friday morning without a recipe.
• Salt Collection. Three speciality salts: Sicilian Sea Salt, Cyprus Flake Salt, and Himalayan Pink Salt. Everybody cooks with salt, so a guest who has no idea what the host likes can't go wrong.
• Kitchen Essentials 18 Pack. Save this one for the big moments: a friend who just moved, a couple hosting their first Thanksgiving, a kid with a new apartment. Eighteen tins stock a spice drawer from scratch.

A few setup tips that help non-cooks find their way:

• Sign it in plain words. "Bringing something to dinner?" does more work than a product name for someone who doesn't cook.
• Group by who it's for, not by product. For the baker. For the host who has everything. For their first Thanksgiving.
• Keep gift bags, ribbon, or tags at the counter. A guest heading straight to a party will be glad to leave with it ready to hand over.

What this means for your order: Stock at least one collection for each kind of guest: the baker, the everyday cook, and the new home. Face the collections forward on your front table, and keep backstock close so the display looks full right up to the holiday.

Feed the cooks: a "for the table" display

Now for the people who are cooking. 

They aren't looking for a whole new menu. What they want is one easy thing that makes the table feel a little different this year.

Anything herby still says Thanksgiving to me. Each of these blends comes with a recipe your customers can make that same week:

• Herbs de Provence for the Herbs de Provence Cranberry Sauce. It keeps in the fridge for up to a week, so it's one less pot on the stove Thursday.
• Harissa for the Charred Sweet Potatoes with Harissa Honey. The blend brings smoky, fruity heat, and nobody has to peel or mash a thing.

Then there's the appetizer plate. Most hosts want something out before dinner, and these come together fast:

• French Fry Seasoning Salt for the Sweet & Salty Fire Crackers. Mini saltines, oil, and seasoning, with no baking required. Set out a bowl while everyone waits on the turkey.
• Za'atar for the Whipped Feta Dip with Za'atar. It takes five minutes in a food processor. My favorite variation? Swap Za’atar with Honey & Herb for a sweeter, herbier dip.

A few ways to set it up:

• Put a recipe card beside every tin. A printed card lets customers picture the dish on their own table.
• Cross-merchandise what you already carry. Crackers, local honey, nuts, and serving bowls all make sense next to these tins.
• Place this display next to the gift table. Cooks will browse the gifts, and guests will spot something for their own kitchen.

What this means for your order: Bring in Herbes de Provence, Harissa, French Fry Seasoning Salt, Honey & Herb Rub, and Za'atar. Print a recipe card for each one before the display goes up.

The weekend after: make room for leftovers

Thanksgiving means more people in the house, and more people means leftovers. By Friday, your customers have a fridge full of turkey and the same question we all ask... now what?

That's your second window! Black Friday lands on November 27 and Small Business Saturday on November 28, and both bring shoppers back through your door. Give them an answer on the shelf:

• Furikake over a rice bowl with leftover turkey and a spoonful of gravy. It makes day-three turkey feel like a new meal.
• Herb Salt from the Fancy Finishing Salts Collection on a turkey sandwich. One pinch brings back the herby flavour of the big dinner.

Swap your sign Friday morning to something like "Thanksgiving leftovers? Start here." 

While you're at it, pull the Holiday Baking Collection to the front. December baking is up next, and that set carries you straight into it.

What this means for your order: Keep Furikake and the finishing salts in stock through the weekend after Thanksgiving. Change your signage on Black Friday morning, and move the Holiday Baking Collection to your front table as the display turns toward December.

Your season at a glance

Here’s a simple timeline to keep handy so you don’t miss anything important! 

Need a hand?

Every store is different, and I’m here to help y'all figure out what fits yours! Want a second set of eyes on your holiday order or your display? Email us at sales@spicewallabrand.com, and we'll walk through it together.

Spread love, cook food!
Nadine McCowan, Spicewalla's Retail Sales Manager