Well if you have been watching ANY of the news media in regard to the holiday season retail figures, EVERY single sector of retail was down, this even means the restaurants as well, from every source I have seen to include: Wall Street Journal, CNN, Local and National news, and Press articles retail sector was down by almost 70% on some places. Now there are a few exceptions like on-line sales, I understand that On-line was down only 20-35% DEPENDING ON YOUR INDUSTRY. It would seem that consumers are starting to hang on to money a bit longer and looking for better deals than ever before, the panic buying seems to have been a thing of the past. The service industry still remains the top dog in  steadfast numbers due to the incredible amount of requests for technical expertise and manual labor. In the action sports industry it looks like the companies themselves are placing their own distribution channels in jeopardy. By this I mean that in recent months the manufacturers have begun to sell direct to the consumer via Internet retail sites. Very few still actually drive the consumers to the small retailers via web links, or sites. Take Burton snowboards for instance: Why would you go to a retailer near you and buy gear form them a an up-charge when you can drop an order to them direct and have it shipped to your door? The days of the small guy selling big names seem to be at an end. The Snow / Skate / and seems now even surf industry seem to be on the verge of a balloon in popularity. With a gluttony of products on the market and smaller Direct face to face distribution channels, these industries need to take a serious look at the way they do business if they choose not to become another statistic in the chain of events. In the world of e-commerce, the face to face customer service aspect of our industry is fast becoming a thing of the past, you know like when you have to post outside your door that you “build Pro Boards here” on your skate shop sign. Needed are the days of old where you could only get a skateboard at a skate shop, surfboards from your local surf shop, (you know, they guy who actually surfs with you), and the shop where when you had questions you can ask the owner and he or she would know the answers, not type them back to you from their website. Bring back Customer service and we can re-establish the action sports industries as the top of the line customer service industry. Stop listening to ads on TV, or in the mags showing a Pro killing it on their model shoe, go to a shop that will fit you properly for what you need not what was on sale as a “spiff” on the day. You will not skate any better in his shoe than in one that fits your needs best, I assure you, it has been time tested!

Happy New Year!