April Was Another Slow Sales Month

Coming off a slow March, retailers were not given any reprieve in April as sales plummeted year-over-year for 69 percent of independent gift store owners. Bad weather along with a soft economy were the main reasons given by reporting stores for low customer counts in April and subsequently decreased sales.

Speaking of customer counts, year-over-year they’ve declined for the majority of store owners although average sales are up for 41 percent, a fact attributed primarily to the higher costs of products.

On the good news front, retailers aren’t working themselves to the bone. They’ve learned to delegate their tasks and as a result 47 percent report they’re working the same number of hours as last year.