ST. LOUIS, MO (BRAIN)—Retailers probably won't mind the dark morning rides into work if it means the extra daylight (DST starts this Sunday) translates into more cash in their registers.
"The weather starts to change along with Daylight Saving Time (DST)," said Dirk Sprogue, manager of St. Louis' Big Shark Bicycle Company. "The two go hand-in-hand. Usually it means more foot traffic and people kicking tires."
Big Shark seems to be doing just fine in the dark. Mild weather over the last month has meant that Big Shark is "ahead of where we were last year." Sprogue said road and tri—with athletes preparing for the season—are doing especially well.
Bokoo Bikes in Chanhassen, Minnesota, said typically after DST, the shop sees more commuters coming in. "The extra light helps commuters out a lot," said Jeremy Budd, general manager for Bokoo Bikes.
Hybrid bikes are doing well, along with "pretty much anything that has a sale on it." However, for shops like Bokoo Bikes that specialize in "on-demand inventory," it can be challenging with cost conscious consumers sniffing out storewide bargains and blow out sales.
Most retailers realize that DST can only mean one thing: "Once the time changes people start thinking about summer. How can that be bad?" said Dave Guettler, owner of Portland's River City Bicycles.
River City's January and February sales are up from last year. "We're very optimistic," Guettler said. "Portland's a great place to sell bikes."
It most definitely is when the previous weekend you sold two $6,000 tandems.
—Jason Norman
