Retail sales over Christmas - the whole picture

This analysis from the BBC website attempts to draw up an overall picture of the pattern of Christmas sales for different categories of retailers, and to seperate the effects of the weather from the effects of weak consumer confidence. Many of the points they make ring true - youngsters who received new bikes were disappointed because the icy conditions meant that they couldn’t use them for several days after Christmas, my nieces included - but did this really put people off buying them altogether? Surely if your child needs a new bike, and Christmas is the opportunity to buy one for them, you won’t change your mind just because it snows? Likewise I can attest to the problems caused by presents ordered online that delivery services then failed to deliver on time - but was this really a genuine result of the conditions making delivery impossible, or of the deliverers deciding that this was a good opportunity to avoid some of the overtime costs that would be incurred if they ensured that all deliveries were made on time?

Likewise I have personal experience of the problems caused by presents ordered online before the snow, that delivery services then failed to deliver on time - but was this really a genuine result of the conditions making delivery impossible, or of the deliverers deciding that this was a good opportunity to avoid some of the overtime costs that would be incurred if they ensured that all deliveries were made on time?

Yes, I am a very cynical person, but I do think that there is a lot of evidence for the suggestion here that many are using the weather as a “scapegoat” for a poor set of results.