Loading ...« Get Ready It’s New Year’s Resolution Time | Home | Perfection, Or Is It Just ACTing R.I.G.H.T™? »
When Is Enough Actually Enough?
By TWilson | December 24, 2007
In today’s Wall Street Journal, there is an article on how retailers are hoping for a final push that will take them over the top for the year. It seems every time this year there is some story about how retail sales aren’t what they were years ago. For example in today’s article, it says, “This holiday season, ‘we had projected a 3.6% increase [in dollars spent from a year ago], and we expect that number will be hit and, potentially could go a little bit higher…. The national Retail Federation, a trade group, has been predicting a 4% increase in sales, the smallest gain in five years.” I don’t get it, on one hand retailers are expecting to hit their target for the year, but their trade association is reporting that the gains they will make this year will be the smallest in five years. You got to wonder when is enough actually enough?
With the push to start shopping for the holidays before the traditional day after Thanksgiving, you wonder how in the world retailers can’t be making money. Let’s be clear here, it’s not that they aren’t making money, it’s that they are not making as much as they were in previous years. You have to admit it’s interesting how retailers seem to make it our problem for their so-called lagging sales with phrases like, staying open around the clock to accommodate shoppers, having mega markdowns or my favorite the push to out discount their competition by offering 70% off everything in the store. So again I ask when is enough actually enough?
What is it about this time of year that people get themselves into a frenzy to go out and buy merchandise they can’t afford for people that they don’t even like. What is the redeeming value in spending money one doesn’t have for the sake of having what they think is a Merry Christmas. Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to be scrooge here it seems to me that when we hear about retailers continually complaining about how sluggish holiday sales are off, it needs to be put into perspective and we should ask the question, compared to what? In order words, when we hear or read that sales are down from last year we should ask, “What were last year’s sales and why is it our problem they are down?”
In manufacturing there is a concept know as level loading. This is where a company attempts to have a consistent manufacturing process throughout the year, quarter by quarter to avoid the end of quarter crunch. This allows them to meet most demands and predict when they need to add on additional resources. To do this means that they need a predicable set of orders each month. Perhaps we should adopt a level loading process for our gift giving to avoid the end of year gift giving crunch at this time of year.
Think about it, if we purchased and gave gifts on a regular basis throughout the year, then sales for the retailers would be consistent and they wouldn’t be crying about how they are off this year compared to last. If we were making purchases of the kind we do during Christmas, retailers would have a better handle on their sales and have the merchandise we want when we want it. This doesn’t mean you couldn’t have Christmas. It would mean you would spend more time with your family in a more relax setting without the worry of what you have to rush out and buy them. It could also mean you would be able to think how you could help someone that is less fortunate than you are and have the means to make it happen.
I know better this is a change that will never take place it’s a thought though. Instead, we will continue to behave the way we have always behave and the retailers with continue their cry about sales being off this year from the previous year, and once again we’ll ask the question; So when is enough actually enough?
Topics: Accountability |
Comments are closed.