He’s been busy lately.
He deserves some R&R, don’t you think?
Showing posts with label day after Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label day after Christmas. Show all posts
28 December 2023
27 December 2014
Getting Away From The Second Black Friday
Some people referred to yesterday as a "second Black Friday." Yesterday was the day after Christmas and BF is the day after Thanksgiving. So, people went shopping--or, more precisely, pushed and shoved each other to get bargains they believed to be awaiting them.
Of course, there were some differences. The Black Friday phenomenon is repeated every year, while Round Two, if you will, is possible only every few years, when the day after Christmas happens to fall on a Friday. Also, the post-Christmas shopping frenzy is fueled, in part, by people who are returning or exchanging gifts and are enticed to shop for other things.
One thing both days have in common is that, on both, I avoid the retail ruckus (which has been known to plunge into full-blown riots) that has become part of them. Instead, I choose calmer and more meditative activities, like tea with a friend, reading and writing, playing with my feline family or, of course, a bike ride.
Today's spin took me down to Rockaway Beach. Even though cirrus clouds swirled the clear sky and light winds blew mild air in the directions of waves that lapped lazily against the sand, only a few people found their way to the beach. I suspect they are of a similar mindset to mine: Although I did not converse with any of them, some of us exchanged smiles and glances that told me everything. And, yes, we wished each other a happy holiday.
Of course, there were some differences. The Black Friday phenomenon is repeated every year, while Round Two, if you will, is possible only every few years, when the day after Christmas happens to fall on a Friday. Also, the post-Christmas shopping frenzy is fueled, in part, by people who are returning or exchanging gifts and are enticed to shop for other things.
One thing both days have in common is that, on both, I avoid the retail ruckus (which has been known to plunge into full-blown riots) that has become part of them. Instead, I choose calmer and more meditative activities, like tea with a friend, reading and writing, playing with my feline family or, of course, a bike ride.
Today's spin took me down to Rockaway Beach. Even though cirrus clouds swirled the clear sky and light winds blew mild air in the directions of waves that lapped lazily against the sand, only a few people found their way to the beach. I suspect they are of a similar mindset to mine: Although I did not converse with any of them, some of us exchanged smiles and glances that told me everything. And, yes, we wished each other a happy holiday.
26 December 2014
Boxing Day And Big Box Stores
Today, the day after Christmas, is known as Boxing Day throughout the English-speaking world--except, of course, in the United States. Here, after our so-called War of Independence, we decided to toss out everything British. But somehow or another we managed to keep the class system, although we did away with the titles.
All right, enough political ranting. I mention this holiday because I recall how, the first time I heard about it, I wondered whether people went to see fights or, perhaps, whether they fought each other. (I'll bet some people fight, especially spouses and other family members, after something or another that didn't go as planned on Christmas Day!) Perhaps South African officials realized other people thought as I did when, in that country, the holiday was re-named Day of Goodwill in 1994.
In other countries, particularly England, Canada and Australia, stores offer huge discounts because most people wouldn't enter a store otherwise--unless, of course, they are exchanging gifts. Our stores do the same, but they're simply called "Day-After-Christmas sales".
It seems that those big retail events are as much a part of small mom-and-pop stores as of "big box" outlets. And they're part of just about every sector of the retail industry, with a few notable exceptions.
One of those exceptions is, of course, the bicycle retail industry. The "big box" stores might offer big discounts on bikes purchased in boxes, but even those price reductions usually aren't as great as those for, say, bed linens or kitchenware, let alone Christmas decorations, gift wrapping and cards. And small bike shops might offer relatively small discounts--say, 10 or 20 percent, in contrast to the 50-75 percent reductions typical for holiday-related items--on bicycles or even high-quality components. Sometimes prices are slashed on bike accessories, such as computers, but the selection tends to be small.
When I worked in bike shops, people used to ask me why they couldn't find the sorts of sales they were accustomed to seeing on items like luggage and home electronics in bike shops. The not-so-short answer goes something like this: Profit margins on bicycles are fairly small. Paradoxically, high-end bikes actually have even smaller margins than those on bikes sold to the masses.
One reason for that is that the more you buy of something, the better a price you can get on each unit--and a bike shop simply cannot buy in the volume in which departments stores make their purchases. In fact, even some mom-and-pop stores buy their wares in greater quantities than most shops will buy of any given model of bike. The obvious reason is, of course, that bikes take up more space than most other items sold in most other kinds of stores.
But even on components, few shops make mass purchases of, say, Campagnolo Record Ergo shifters or Dura-Ace cranksets. That is because the market for such items is still small, and because those companies, and others, change their offerings more frequently than in times past (I still remember when Campagnolo and other European manufacturers made, essentially, the same derailleur or brake or other item for decades!), a shop might be stuck with a high-end item for years, or even for the life of the shop itself. While such items might make for nice showcase displays, they don't add to the store's bottom line.
If you do see large day-after-Christmas--or Boxing Day-- discounts on bikes or parts, you're most likely shopping online. Companies like Performance and Chain Reaction Cycles buy in far greater quantities than any local shop ever could and therefore get better prices, which allows them to offer lower prices to customers. In fact, an industry insider once told me that Performance actually buys whole boatloads of Shimano components and has them trucked directly to their giant warehouse.
Anyway--I avoid shopping for anything on the Boxing Day, St. Stephen Day, the Day of the Wren, the first day of Kwaanza or whatever you call 26 December, just as I avoid it on Black Friday.
All right, enough political ranting. I mention this holiday because I recall how, the first time I heard about it, I wondered whether people went to see fights or, perhaps, whether they fought each other. (I'll bet some people fight, especially spouses and other family members, after something or another that didn't go as planned on Christmas Day!) Perhaps South African officials realized other people thought as I did when, in that country, the holiday was re-named Day of Goodwill in 1994.
In other countries, particularly England, Canada and Australia, stores offer huge discounts because most people wouldn't enter a store otherwise--unless, of course, they are exchanging gifts. Our stores do the same, but they're simply called "Day-After-Christmas sales".
It seems that those big retail events are as much a part of small mom-and-pop stores as of "big box" outlets. And they're part of just about every sector of the retail industry, with a few notable exceptions.
One of those exceptions is, of course, the bicycle retail industry. The "big box" stores might offer big discounts on bikes purchased in boxes, but even those price reductions usually aren't as great as those for, say, bed linens or kitchenware, let alone Christmas decorations, gift wrapping and cards. And small bike shops might offer relatively small discounts--say, 10 or 20 percent, in contrast to the 50-75 percent reductions typical for holiday-related items--on bicycles or even high-quality components. Sometimes prices are slashed on bike accessories, such as computers, but the selection tends to be small.
When I worked in bike shops, people used to ask me why they couldn't find the sorts of sales they were accustomed to seeing on items like luggage and home electronics in bike shops. The not-so-short answer goes something like this: Profit margins on bicycles are fairly small. Paradoxically, high-end bikes actually have even smaller margins than those on bikes sold to the masses.
One reason for that is that the more you buy of something, the better a price you can get on each unit--and a bike shop simply cannot buy in the volume in which departments stores make their purchases. In fact, even some mom-and-pop stores buy their wares in greater quantities than most shops will buy of any given model of bike. The obvious reason is, of course, that bikes take up more space than most other items sold in most other kinds of stores.
But even on components, few shops make mass purchases of, say, Campagnolo Record Ergo shifters or Dura-Ace cranksets. That is because the market for such items is still small, and because those companies, and others, change their offerings more frequently than in times past (I still remember when Campagnolo and other European manufacturers made, essentially, the same derailleur or brake or other item for decades!), a shop might be stuck with a high-end item for years, or even for the life of the shop itself. While such items might make for nice showcase displays, they don't add to the store's bottom line.
If you do see large day-after-Christmas--or Boxing Day-- discounts on bikes or parts, you're most likely shopping online. Companies like Performance and Chain Reaction Cycles buy in far greater quantities than any local shop ever could and therefore get better prices, which allows them to offer lower prices to customers. In fact, an industry insider once told me that Performance actually buys whole boatloads of Shimano components and has them trucked directly to their giant warehouse.
Anyway--I avoid shopping for anything on the Boxing Day, St. Stephen Day, the Day of the Wren, the first day of Kwaanza or whatever you call 26 December, just as I avoid it on Black Friday.
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