LAWRENCE, Kan. (BRAIN) — Discounts ran deeper and sales started earlier than ever this year, but the holiday shopping season appears to be off to a slow start. The National Retail Federation reported Monday that in-store and online sales over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend were down 11 percent compared with a year ago.
But for some bike shops, weekend sales far exceeded expectations, especially on Black Friday.
"I didn't have much anticipation of it being crazy in here," said Dan Hughes, owner of Sunflower Outdoor and Bike in Lawrence, Kansas. "We don't do big doorbusters or anything like that, but this year we were up over last year by about 15 percent."
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Outdoor gear and apparel make up around 70 percent of Sunflower's winter retail business, but even so, Hughes said bike sales were strong over the weekend. Items from the store's holiday gift guide, including trainers, lights, cold weather cycling apparel and copies of Rebecca Rusch's new book, Rusch to Glory, were top sellers over the weekend.
"It was a good way to round out a good November," said Hughes. "We were only about $50 under November 2013, which was our second-best November on record."
Tracy Helland of Bicycles Plus echoed Hughes' sentiment. "We did very well on Friday this year, even though we didn't know what to expect," said Helland, office manager for the store in Folsom, California. "But we did promote it much better this year, on Facebook and with an e-blast. And we were way up over last year."
For many retailers, promoting sales on Black Friday isn't a long-standing tradition. "Last year was the first time we had a Black Friday sale, and it was gamble for us," said Katie Knight, operations manager for the four Revolution Cycles stores in the Washington, D.C., area. "But it was a great success, and this year was as well."
While many retailers held regular store hours, Revolution Cycles opened early and offered special pricing on already reduced items from 8 a.m. to noon. "We saw a ton of traffic on high-end road bikes and kids' bikes during the sale this year, which gave us a nice little bump at the end of the month," Knight said.
Faster Cycles in Scottsdale, Arizona, threw out a Black Friday ad at the last minute that resulted in a lot of inquiries but not a lot of interest in sale items — and about the same foot traffic as last year. "People were out and about and looking for deals," said Karleen Dirmantas, retail and marketing manager at Faster. "But we actually sold more non-sale items, including winter apparel and branded gear."
Several shop owners also promoted Small Business Saturday this year, and many reported mixed results despite having high expectations. "I thought Small Business Saturday is where we would shine, but it was well off of last year," said Sunflower's Hughes. "I'm not sure why."
With stores in Marin County and San Francisco, City Cycle has participated in Small Business Saturday for the past couple years, but owner Cory Farrer said he's not sure it drives sales. "Small Biz Saturday seems like something that customers like to see happening and support in spirit," he said. "What brings people in are sales and promotions and I don't think people perceive SBS as being about promotion but rather paying full price at a local business because it's 'the right thing to do.'
"I think customers want to support good businesses, whatever that might mean for them, and are less concerned about size," Farrer added.
Kelli Kavanaugh of Wheelhouse Detroit said her weekend wasn't huge, and Friday was super slow in downtown Detroit. Saturday was the shop's busiest day in November. Detroit's Small Business Passport Program returned for a second year in conjunction with Small Business Saturday, and Kavanaugh said it brought people through the door. The program offers consumers a variety of one-time discounts at 24 participating small businesses in the city.
Not all bike retailers chose to participate in either retail holiday this year, like Heritage Bicycles in Chicago. "We don't do promotions in the store. We don't like to devalue our brands," said Derek Lewis, bike operations manager at Heritage. "But we were still pretty full all day Friday, with people hanging out in the coffee shop while enjoying their extra day off."
Still for others, the holiday shopping season isn't what it used to be. "Those two days seem to draw a lot of attention away from us. I feel I have very little to offer compared to the big retailers and will get lost in the shuffle, so I don't promote them," said Brett Ardrey, owner of Outspokin Bicycles in Augusta, Georgia. "And that could be the problem."
"But Christmas business is not what it was 25 years ago when it made up 20 to 25 percent of our yearly sales," Ardery added. "Now it's not even our biggest month."
