Staying Power: How Private Packs Faced the Reality of Keeping Their Spot on Retail Shelves

For some CPG founders, entering big-box retail can feel like the pinnacle of success—a chance to take a deep exhale and watch their products fly off the shelf. If only it were that easy.

The untold reality is that it's just as challenging to stay in retail as it is to get into the dream store.

Unfortunately, this became the reality for Suzanne Sinatra, founder of Private Packs and 2024 Pitch Competition Audience Choice Winner. Almost two years after her products hit Target shelves, the brand was dropped in April 2025.

Another one of Private Packs retailers, CVS, also pulled the product in April 2025.

We spoke with Suzanne shortly after she broke the news on her Instagram page.

Enthuse Foundation (EF): Thank you so much, Suzanne, for sharing some of your learnings with our community and being transparent about this challenging situation.                                 

Suzanne Sinatra (SS): Thank you for giving me a platform to share my story. 

EF: First off, when did you launch in Target and CVS?

SS: I met with CVS precisely one month after our website went live in January 2021. We went live in CVS in July 2021. As a first-time founder, I didn't grasp how massive that moment was. I met with Target in 2022 and launched in April 2023, which was especially meaningful because I'm a die-hard Target shopper. Seeing Private Packs on those shelves was—and still is—surreal.

EF: Can you briefly describe the process of getting into these stores?

SS: First, you have to land a pitch meeting with the category buyer—in our case, feminine care. For both CVS and Target, I pitched over Zoom, and within hours, I received sales contracts from both. That part was fast. But onboarding takes a few months. You must purchase inventory to stock the number of store shelves they assign you, ensure your packaging fits the planogram specs, get your EDI systems ready to transmit purchase orders and invoices and negotiate contracts. It's a crash course in retail logistics. The CVS deal was incredibly challenging—I didn't even have barcodes or proper shipping cases then. But I figured it out. That's what founders do. Editor's note: Check out our blog post "10 Tips for Getting Your CPG Products in Retail" for more information on getting brands into stores.

EF: How much were CVS/Target sales part of your overall revenue plan?

SS: CVS and Target made up 79% of our revenue. Being in retail kept me incredibly busy—I fulfilled every purchase order myself and managed the entire supply chain, from inventory to billing. It was a lot for a solo founder, but I made it work for as long as possible. That experience taught me the importance of not putting all my revenue eggs in one retail basket.

EF: So here's the million-dollar question: why did Target and CVS decide to drop Private Packs?

SS: This one's hard to accept, but we weren't selling enough units to stay on shelves. I made a big mistake in budgeting for retail—I didn't allocate money for marketing and promotions. We have a great product—we were still selling units without marketing—and we had multi-year contracts with both retailers. But the velocity wasn't there without marketing support (since retailers don't provide it) and with the changing retail landscape and evolving consumer behavior. It was a harsh lesson but an invaluable one.

EF: Thank you for sharing. In broad terms, what do other brands have to do to stay on the shelves at CVS and Target?

SS: Sell more units. That's the bottom line. Despite trying my hardest, I couldn't raise venture capital. Editor's Note: Check out Suzanne Sinatra's guest blog post "The 5 Stages of Grief, I Mean Fundraising." For the past two years, we stayed afloat thanks to our accounts receivable, but without outside funding, we couldn't invest in the marketing needed to drive retail velocity.

EF: What other retailers are you in?

SS: That was it—just CVS and Target. We were in early talks with Walmart and a potential strategic investor, but those didn't materialize. From now on, we're likely stepping away from traditional retail. It's not off the table forever, but we're focused on building a stronger DTC and Amazon business and deeper community connections. We need to create a more sustainable, diversified revenue mix.

EF: Thank you for sharing the lessons you have learned from your situation. What advice can you provide to other entrepreneurs in a similar situation?

SS: Get a CFO or accountant to run the numbers and help determine if you can truly afford to be in retail and for how long. Do a trade-off analysis. Build a business case, even if it's just for your reference. We launched our Indiegogo campaign in 2020 and officially launched the brand in 2021. I'm a betting woman, and I thought the chaos would have died down—but it only escalated. Since 2020, it's been one hit after another: supply chain breakdowns, iOS14, funding freezes, inflation, and now tariffs (our products are made in China), plus a looming recession. Costs are up. Margins are tighter. Channels are saturated. Every year has brought a new challenge. And it gets harder to grow every year using the same playbook that worked before.

EF: What are you seeing in 2025?                                                                                    

SS: We're facing the "buy nothing" trend—driven by lower consumer confidence and a looming recession, Americans are reigning in their spending. My advice? Be ready to pivot. Stay lean. And never assume growth is guaranteed—especially in retail.

EF: Thank you so much, Suzanne. Any last thoughts you want to share.

SS: Keep your headcount lean and scrappy. Cut any services you can realistically do yourself. And most importantly—protect your cash. Budget for marketing early and often. Without awareness, even the best product won't move. Also, during our e-commerce and CVS launches, I was in treatment for stage 3 (breast) cancer. My mental health took a serious hit. I sacrificed having fun and rarely paused to recognize or enjoy my accomplishments. I encourage everyone to live in the moment.

Bottom Line: If getting into retail is part of your distribution strategy, how to stay on those shelves should also be considered. According to Caroline Grace, CPG strategist and founder and CEO of Product and Prosper, "CPG companies must focus on the three C's (credibility, capability, and cash) and the four P's (product, packaging, positioning, and pricing) to drive retail growth." Check out the following article, "Preparing for retail: What CPG brands must know to succeed," for more tips on entering and staying in retail stores.