ASK THE EXPERTS

Q: I had slow start to the year in my store. Severe winter weather and the latest Covid surge have really reduced traffic. Should I adjust my plans for spring?

A: It’s still very early in the season, and January typically starts off slowly, even in the best of times. We also just came off of a very strong buying period, and have had few new deliveries. Consumers need some time to wear what they just bought.

My advice is to watch your floor and bring in new items when you can. We expect business to pick up later in the season, so stick with your planned inventory levels.

There is still a lot of demand in the market, and shoppers still haven’t spent through all the savings they tucked away at the start of the pandemic. That said, we may finally be heading back to a more normal sales curve, so stay vigilant, but stick to your spring plans for now.