Very Quiet!

[fergusmum]

Just wondered how its going out there for other retailers. We are absolutley dead!! We are in clothing retail, and had a good week at the end of last month & thats been it. I have even (slightly) discounted my menswear before xmas which never happens, but it still hasn't made a difference, We are in a small town & woolies is 1 of our main shops & i think thats really affected things, dunno if peple are waiting to get a bargain in there, or just being cautious , but somethings not happening!! Just wanting to find out whats going on out there?

 

[maria102]

Just wondered how its going out there for other retailers. We are absolutley dead!! We are in clothing retail, and had a good week at the end of last month & thats been it. I have even (slightly) discounted my menswear before xmas which never happens, but it still hasn't made a difference, We are in a small town & woolies is 1 of our main shops & i think thats really affected things, dunno if peple are waiting to get a bargain in there, or just being cautious , but somethings not happening!! Just wanting to find out whats going on out there?

Its bloody weird! we were busy yesterday but today has been dead, its like there is something going on that I don't know about?! In fact I feel a bit of a "t*t" even turning up today....

 

[YODspica]

Its bloody weird! we were busy yesterday but today has been dead, its like there is something going on that I don't know about?! In fact I feel a bit of a "t*t" even turning up today....

at least we have UKBF for entertainment .

 

[aiminghigh]

I am an agent for the Utility Warehouse and I`ve been really busy up till this week and still have calls to make tonight to people asking about the opportunity.

I think utilities/ telecommunications seem to be recession proof as everyone still needs to keep warm etc.

The company itself was moved up to the footsie 250 last week and its share price is strong in spite of the doom and gloom in the markets.

Its having to move to larger premises in the Spring to cope with its expansion.

I am so sorry for the many people who are losing their
jobs but have to say that 2009 is set to be my best year yet since I joined this business.

Hope everyone has a good christmas.

Presents don`t make a good Christmas, families and friends and laughter and love does.

 

[Esk247]

it comes down to necessity items again i think...electric..heating...telephone etc! the art business is dying off..mainly because of winter and everyone spending money on crackers and presents but also because of the recession, you don't NEED art..unless you're going to use it as fire wood ofcourse

my business is currently dead..but i live in the middle of nowhere so this happens every christmas! hard for me to judge...retail in general is down though.

 

[Mister B]

Well, we've been going like the proverbial clappers all month until today. Everything seems to have ground to a halt which gives us some time to take stock and recharge the batteries. I think that for online retailers it's almost over and time for the B&M guys to play the waiting game...

Mister B

 

[SillyJokes]

I'm pretty pleased with business this year. It is slowing up now as people start thinking they won't get stuff by post before Christmas. Happens every year.

My Favourite Animals is going surprisingly well, lots of last minute Llamas and Spectacled Bears going out. Soft toys are always a no brainer for Christmas gifts - kids love 'em.

 

[TraceyAnn]

my husband is a fishmonger and trade is really down - has been for a while now! How can he compete against the supermarkets who sell a lot of their fish at prices he cant even buy at.

A lot of my clients are also saying that their businesses are slow, and none of them are invoved in retail.

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

quieter than normal, but kind of what I was expecting on monday, same on Tuesday, busiest day ever on Wednesday, back to normal on Thursday.

 

[cycloneuk]

Quiet today here, but then i'm busy adding new products so glad since it's been a busy few weeks.

 

[telemax]

Ok I know I'm not in retail but it's been very busy this December. Last year there was nothing from around the 5th onwards. I even managed to make appointments for customers yesterday and today.

Better still January seems fantastic also. My theory is that a lot of companies are really thinking about doing more marketing and we are more cost efficient than taking on an employee.

Jonathan

 

[grangejoinery]

Building trade in Hull very quiet has been for the last 2 months now. I'm just getting daft little jobs, but every little helps as they say! I'm really hoping it picks up over the next year as we started 2008 like a bat out of hell and looks like we're going to end at the speed of a sloath!

Could do with a big supply and fit contract for laminate flooring in Hull, that would be a great Christmas present!

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Here in Scotland the contracts that they building trade are after is the housing association ones. The Housing Assocations haven't been able to builder for ages because their prices aren't competitive enough, now however it's a different kettle of fish, and the tradesmen with the housing association contracts are the only ones with any security.

 

[deniser]

My clothes shop is also completely dead today. We had a flurry of men in yesterday buying last minute gifts for their kids (the same ones we see every Christmas) but today nothing at all. Anyone who does venture into the shop is just asking when the sale starts - but I'm determined to hold out until after Christmas even if we take no money at all in the next few days.

Much to my surprise though, our online business is still going strong whereas last year it had died by now - it's not just people buying for Christmas but for new babies, birthdays, Christenings, weddings etc.

 

[fergusmum]

I'm actually looking forward to the sale, i might see a few people instead of talking to myself!! I'm clearing out all my menswear to concentrate on womens so it will all be 40% off so i am hoping it will be busy (famous last words)

 

[Steve2507]

We have been having trouble keeping up with the orders that have been coming in. I have to be honest, it has been a great problem to have.

 

[Blush]

We are still getting orders through online, they slowed down much earlier last year.Took 3 very large bulk orders today online too for delivery in January and one on the shop too for January so look slike we will get off to a good start.
Shop seems to be getting busier the closer we get to christmas too.
I have quite a few girls coming in for pointe shoe fittings before Christmas too.
In fact I still have items to add to the websites which are in our shop but just haven't managed to find the time.

 

[faststaff]

Courier side is very slow, although I'd expected that much from the middle of this week onwards. However, the Leaflet Distribution side is daftly busy at the minute. I only really advertise it through word of mouth, but going great guns!

 

[Draugen]

This December has been a really poor month for us, I'm starting to see signs of improvement, but overall customers numbers are definitely down.

January is historically our quietest time of year, so I have a lot of marketing booked from January onwards. We also have some massive promotions coming up, so things should start picking up again after the new year!

@Faststaff - I may be interested in having 3000 to 5000 leaflets delivered in the Dewsbury area around January/February time. Would you be able to quote me for this?

 

[AirEars]

Building trade in Hull very quiet has been for the last 2 months now. I'm just getting daft little jobs, but every little helps as they say! I'm really hoping it picks up over the next year as we started 2008 like a bat out of hell and looks like we're going to end at the speed of a sloath!

Could do with a big supply and fit contract for laminate flooring in Hull, that would be a great Christmas present![/quote]

Or a flood !

Only kidding, from Hull myself originally.
Car trade, over the Humber is terrible. Havent sold a thing in 2 months..! (car trade is my original business)

 

[Chippie]

We have 2 trading days left after today in December as we don't work weekends and we close on Tuesday eve till the 5th Jan. So far for Nov and Dec we are 20% up on Nov/Dec last year! This should end up at about 22-23% by Tuesday evening so I am very pleased. The main difference between this year and last though is that things are so unpredictable an difficult to plan. Last year we worked steadily through the pre Christmas period with very few peaks and troughs. This year has seen absolutely manic days where your feet never touch the ground and very quiet days where every bit of trade has to be eeked out and you wonder why you bothered opening at all. Crazy! :|

 

[grangejoinery]

My clothes shop is also completely dead today. We had a flurry of men in yesterday buying last minute gifts for their kids (the same ones we see every Christmas) but today nothing at all. Anyone who does venture into the shop is just asking when the sale starts - but I'm determined to hold out until after Christmas even if we take no money at all in the next few days.

Much to my surprise though, our online business is still going strong whereas last year it had died by now - it's not just people buying for Christmas but for new babies, birthdays, Christenings, weddings etc.

To be honest we've done most of our Christmas shopping on line this year as can't be doing with the queue's in the shops etc. I think alot of people are buying from internet now rather than going into the city centre's. That's probably why so many shops are closing dwon.

 

[DreamLifestyle]

I am an agent for the Utility Warehouse and I`ve been really busy up till this week and still have calls to make tonight to people asking about the opportunity.

I think utilities/ telecommunications seem to be recession proof as everyone still needs to keep warm etc.

The company itself was moved up to the footsie 250 last week and its share price is strong in spite of the doom and gloom in the markets.

Its having to move to larger premises in the Spring to cope with its expansion.

I am so sorry for the many people who are losing their
jobs but have to say that 2009 is set to be my best year yet since I joined this business.

Hope everyone has a good christmas.

Presents don`t make a good Christmas, families and friends and laughter and love does.

For those active in the business 2009 will be huge.