Post by traveler on Nov 12, 2011 0:52:37 GMT -5
Well, we did this fair again... I was much better prepared, based upon what we sold and what was asked for last year. I had numerous Dr Pepper items, and even lucked out on some items that were no longer made. (and sold every one I had!) All my "top 10" I had plenty of from day 1.
Our first week, sales were higher than the previous year, but nothing fabulous. day 8 was Texas OU, and we did better than the year before (but we only hoped to make 300!) The day after, which was one of our best days in 2010, it POURED rain, and all the gloating Oklahoma fans went home instead of returning to the fair.
Week 2, we just sort of bumped along, slightly higher than week 1. Week 3, we were slightly higher than week 2. No peaks and valleys. No huge sales or rushes. We did surpass our 2010 sales, but didn't even reach the 2010 total until 2 days before show ended. (yipes!!!) MANY vendors had sales decrease of 30 to ~60~ percent from their 2010 numbers. Some were so low, that they hoped to break even and get the heck out.
One thing I noticed, was the increase of credit card sales. I would say that the CC sales were close to 50% of my daily intake. (GASP!) People even trying to use cards for 5.00 sales!
So, unknown what happened to the economy or what concerns were stopping the Texans from spending their money. "Supposedly" they had record numbers of customers come through the gate, and it looked busy on the midway, but inside ALL the buildings, for the most part, it was pretty slow. Thankfully I had the BEST neighbors. We all knew each other from the year before, so we all helped each other and had no gripes or complaints...
Our first week, sales were higher than the previous year, but nothing fabulous. day 8 was Texas OU, and we did better than the year before (but we only hoped to make 300!) The day after, which was one of our best days in 2010, it POURED rain, and all the gloating Oklahoma fans went home instead of returning to the fair.
Week 2, we just sort of bumped along, slightly higher than week 1. Week 3, we were slightly higher than week 2. No peaks and valleys. No huge sales or rushes. We did surpass our 2010 sales, but didn't even reach the 2010 total until 2 days before show ended. (yipes!!!) MANY vendors had sales decrease of 30 to ~60~ percent from their 2010 numbers. Some were so low, that they hoped to break even and get the heck out.
One thing I noticed, was the increase of credit card sales. I would say that the CC sales were close to 50% of my daily intake. (GASP!) People even trying to use cards for 5.00 sales!
So, unknown what happened to the economy or what concerns were stopping the Texans from spending their money. "Supposedly" they had record numbers of customers come through the gate, and it looked busy on the midway, but inside ALL the buildings, for the most part, it was pretty slow. Thankfully I had the BEST neighbors. We all knew each other from the year before, so we all helped each other and had no gripes or complaints...
