Cold Weather Is Helping Retailers
Most people aren’t thankful when they walk outside and it’s so cold their face hurts, but that doesn’t include retailers—retailers know you’re more likely to buy a scarf.
The polar vortex has returned, and that’s good news for retailers, with weather analytics firm Planalytics saying apparel stores will make $350M more this December than last year, mostly due to the cold weather, the Washington Post reports. Experts say we’re more likely to buy winter gear like hats, gloves and coats when we actually need them, which makes sense. Why buy winter clothing when it’s 71 degrees on Christmas Eve in DC, like it was last year?
Experts say cold weather also helps Christmas sales in ways that aren’t really quantifiable. It seems cold weather boosts the Christmas spirit, but retailers draw the line at snow—they don’t want people stuck at home and ordering even more from Amazon. [WaPo]
