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Jim Magay |
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Hope your summer is going well. Here in the Northeast it has been
alternately rainy, then foggy, rainy again, a burst of sun, and rainy again!
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“How rainy was it,” you ask? It was so rainy even the mosquitoes were flying around with umbrellas. What do you call a sunny day following two rainy days? Monday! How can you tell if it is going to rain? You can see the mountain, - if you can’t see the mountain, it is already raining. (Q) What's worse than raining buckets? (A) Hailing taxis!
As I write this in late July, our temperatures are approaching May averages – tomatoes aren’t doing well. The constant downpours are slamming flowers and hail has been a factor as well.
Customers are coming back from beach and camping vacations in very grumpy moods. Nothing like spending $2000.00 to $3000.00 to rent a cottage for a week at Cape Cod in the rain – no wonder there are so many shopping malls down there.
Naturally, this was to be our summer of sunglasses at the store. We added new lines and amplified our selection. So, where’s the SUN? With all that – sales have been fair, probably due to our good selection and tireless perseverance.
Most of our sales are in the Rx category (usually as a second pair). Even good contact lens customers are opting for lower end (cheapo) Plano sunwear, “I lose them so often – I don’t want expensive ones!”
We are mentioning sports and active outdoor activities as a lead-in to a conversation about quality sunwear. We stress the safety aspect as well as the long-term problems with sun exposure – cataracts, macular degeneration, a stick in the eye, a soccer ball in the face, etc. Motorcycling is another great generator of wrap sunwear sales - some terrific choices out there that keep the wind out of the eyes, not to mention June bugs, and rocks. And they look so cool! When you spend (sorry, “invest”) upwards of 20 large in a new Harley you must maintain the image!
We’ve had good sales with Drivewear lenses, both for drivers and golfers.
The unique blend of polarization and special Transitions features make them unique and we applaud Younger Optics for making them in several lens styles. I wear the PAL version most of the time and the SV version for golf – with my game I need all the help I can get!
Generally speaking Polaroid Rx lenses are our most popular sun lens outselling non-polarized by about one hundred to one.
Sunwear is one of those feel-good sells; you help your client in a demonstrable way while helping your
bottom line.
While looking out the window - chanting rain, rain, go away - just remember:
God made rainy days, so gardeners could get the housework done.
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