Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Ours were the best yet and people were still buying stuff when we were trying to pack up! Not the big wads of money I daydreamed we might make this Christmas but not too shabby.

Quite honestly I predict that when the Christmas retail figures come out next year, they will be pretty bad. I still think people are frightened by the economic turmoil in Europe as well as the ongoing austerity measures. They really aren't splashing it around.

I can't quite believe next Sat is the last for us before Christmas. Because our market is in a churchyard, it is closed on Christmas eve.

So how did you do?

that's great that things have picked up for you. I do think you're right though, people are still being cautious.

Mine - fairly poor, but I expected that. Mines was at a national trust venue and who want to visit a castle in the pouring rain? tomorrow I'm hoping for better cos the castle has a lot of attractions on which are supposed to be fab.

Next week is my last too. Can't wait.

I did not have a fair today but have my last fair tomorrow at Croxteth Hall. It is the first time I have been so I have no idea what to expect.

As an extension of this (cos I can't answer cos I don't do markets) but how are people finding their general Christmas sales this year compared to last?

no fairs for me this weekend, so no sales (apart from the random unexpected one - see other post :mwaha:)
I made sure I had the weekend off!

Next weekend I have a 2 day one at a NT house, never done it before, so no idea what it will be like!

Fingers crossed for everyone for great sales next weekend! :buttrf:

Worse for me this year, but expectedly so. Making changes, so not rushing for one xmas recession. Some pretty peeved people though, usually I do something weird and wonderful and creative as a once off for xmas (different each year), it has been the stable of quite a few customers xmas presents for some years. I didn't do it this year though. Not doing  markets, they are not worth it here.

Not too bad at all thank goodness! Made it worth standing in 3inches of snow for 6 hours. It was my last event for this year so now I can focus on sorting out my family & friends gift baskets & sort out the stock & start on the remakes & have a play with new creations & finalise a couple of things I've been working on & somewhere in amongst all of that wrap Christmas pressies & post the parcels before I miss the posting date!

Feels good to have no more fairs to do!

Honey, my website sales have been non existent, fairs have been either pretty good or terrible but there is definately a big difference in the way folk are spending. I'm finding they are buying a single item as a gift rather than 2 or 3 items to make the one gift. Whatever folk are buying tho I'm appreciating their custom, I need a new set of tyres on my car!

Sally x

Can I answer even tho I don't do CP/HP?

Anyway market today was ok ish I guess, not great and only did a couple of hundred but although it was busy in there people seemed to be browers rather than buyers, loads asked if I would be there next week as they were doing their proper shopping then. They appeared to be scouting for ideas rather than actively seeking to purchase, so like I said, not great cash wise  :(

Luckily web sales have increased a bit, did a few hundred this week and am hoping that's not the 'peak' and there are more to come. I have another market tomorrow, one next Sunday and a wedding to do favours for, but as it is my first xmas I don't have anything to compare it too, and the majority of my internet customers have been spending in excess of £50 (mainly lots of gift bags, I am so sick of frigging gift frigging bags!!!) but face to face sales have been generally smaller...............

hey ho, still a fortnight to go, things may pick up  :-\

Bit worse than last year and I don't get that many web sales. I will let you know tomorrow if i will be retiring any time soon!

I had a really good day today, I am finding that there are a lot of ones and twosy sales rather than the large ones.  Hard for me to compare last year to this year but I think I'm on par with last year this time.  I'm not carrying as much inventory as I have the last two years as I would really like to sell most of the soaps.  This week is going to be nuts getting lotions, scrubs, salts, etc., etc., made to fill up the kiosk so I have enough to sell.... :mwaha:

I had an amazing day sold loads, made millions – oh I was day dreaming again :mwaha:

Hard to compare for me too, it's only my second xmas in biz (14 months old), and last year I did lots of parties and web sales, this year I did 1 party, 1 market, but have also a shop selling my stuff and just got a wholesale account.

Sales are a lot better this year, but it may be cos I got more distribution channels, if you like.   

Well retiring I ain't!

I think that the need for flippers and a snorkle this morning may have stopped people coming out. This afternoon was a bit busier, but not work giving up a day when I could have been sitting in front of the fire chilling out.

I can not wait to start selling! How I admire everyone who is selling even the fewest products! Weldone to you! You are all my Heroes/Heroines) (:hug:)

Something else that has helped my sales this year is my internet sales.  It has taken me 3 years though to get it actually working for me and it is nowhere near as strong as I would like them to be.

As Andy said, the more distribution channels you have the more your business will grow.  But I can tell you from experience you may have false starts there.

weirdly enough my Sunday sales were better this weekend than I was expecting, we did 2 hours in a little pub in a little village near Canterbury this morning and even tho it was manky weather and wasn't overly busy we still did over 100 quid, plus a request to do a big village fete (another village nearby) next year (hopefully before we leave Kent) and it was the first time I had done the stall with my husband so it was nice for him to see things first hand as he will be the one running the shop when we move so he got a chance to practice his sales technique and see peoples reactions etc, and it was fun and there was a roaring log fire and proper coffee and all in all it was an ok weekend sales wise cos that's about £300 or so for markets for the 2 days and quite a few net/fb sales too, so I can afford a few more pressies for my family (which is good cos I have seen the best ever duvet set for Helena)!  :)

Ack!  I went looking for the "Like" button again. :mwaha:

Janie that is fabulous!

And while I am on the subject, why do customers always want what you don't have? I could have sold quite a bit if I had a castile. "I bought a soap in France blah, blah, blah." It looks like I will be irritating Scott shortly.

 :mwaha: I kept getting for products that I am totally out of!  They expect I should still have a full stock 12 days before Christmas.....  :mwaha:

I'm going home from work to work several more hours every night to try to make sure we  don't run out of stock!

At least I've got the old man bottling today on his day off. My least favourite job.

i keep selling when not expecting to, so I am getting very low on lots of things! I have an evening fair on Thurs and a double-day on Sat/ Sun at a NT house. Hope i've got enough to cover the table :mwaha: