how were everybodys sales last week ours were way down??
One store was up, the other was way down.
July is never a great month for us in the flagship store as we miss the school and rec department business which is out for the summer. Last week was especially puny. Vacations are a factor, although I wouldn’t think as much this year.
Not sure with other parts of the country but my conclusion, based on my own experience as well as customer anecdotes, is that the consumer is struggling under the weight of high fuel prices, and being in a bedroom community, with most commuting 30-40 miles round trip daily, mine are especially hurting. I’m not afraid of competition, but it’s tough to compete with a “poverty” mindset, especially when the average person’s commuting budget may have increased between $25-$75 per week, depending on their job.
We trim the fat and focus on the fundamentals…superior quality and personalized service. It’ll rain again someday. Until then, we march on smartly. (A great time to emphasize staff training.)
July is a great month for us, being in the biz for a while now I have come to grips that everyone is vacationing cooking out and enjoying summer, so I join them i gear down in july…did you know that the big THree actually cut there marketing in half in July…I stop to smell the roses I staff so I dont have to be in here but one day a week, and I get my plan together for august (back to school) gettting our foot in the door at the local schools, so my suggestion is instead of worrying about July I would focus on the future and get a plan