My sales have dried up. Is everyone currently skint?

[hairygrowler]

I'm just wondering what it is I'm doing wrong, or whether it's simply because no one has any money this month. My online sales have pretty much dried up and after talking to a friend she suggested that it might be because after the excesses of the summer holidays and purchasing new school uniform etc everyone is broke.
So my question is, is september typically a time of year when you yourself are feeling a bit skint? Or is it no different to any other month for you?

Personally, in addition to the post-holiday and the new school uniform costs, I've also dramatically cut back spending because of Brexit uncertainty. Our available cash has been hit by the rising food and energy prices, and am trying to get a bigger cushion before interest rates go up, - so I'm not buying any non-essentials. But that's just one family, I'm sure others will be in different positions. Good luck.

We've cut back this month after a family holiday and uniform etc. Also I now that as the kids clubs all start over the next couple of weeks I'll have to pay for their annual subs as well as the usual termly stuff so trying to be restrained.

Utterly skint this month

It depends really, what do you sell? I sell craft supplies and September is usually one of my busiest months. So far, I've seen a huge increase in orders this month. I do have other sidelines, and they are much more sensitive to things like interest rates or bad news.

We were absolutely broke at the end of august, we had to go in to savings after spending out on holiday, uniforms (3 children between them had 8 pairs of shoes/sports shoes for school), School holiday activities. I'm now trying not to spend to replace the savings and also thinking Christmas is coming and I want to spread the cost of that over a few months if I can.

If you're the hairy growler that makes jewellery from old coins....i love your stuff! But I'm skint as I'm on mat leave and so won't be buying this month anyway!

Sorry it's been a worry. It's hard to say much though without knowing what you sell. What sort of thing is it?

yes, definitely! No one has any money right now, an then it's Halloween soon (in my circle we have lots of charity dress up fundraisers for halloween, lots of parties etc. and end up spending loads) more money out the pocket... then Christmas ugh... LIFE

OP, you make jewellery from old coins?

I've spent an absolute fortune this summer with days out, holiday, school uniform etc. It'll take at least a month to break even. We stayed in the UK to save money, but spent even more on days out, eating out etc.

After uniforms and restarting school everyone is now focused on 3 more pay days to Xmas

I sell handcrafted and recycled jewellery. The summer has been busy and then suddenly sales have dried up. Thanks for the comments all.

Oooh I know you. I love your stuff. You made wedding rings for some of my family.

It does depend what you sell. I always start to busy up in September in homewares and craft supplies and then it just gets busier and busier until a crash at the end of January.

How was last September for you?

Different businesses have different seasonality and are sensitive to different economic conditions.

I don't think it's helpful to compare against a wide range of businesses, especially based on nothing more than heresay. It could give you the wrong ideas as to the problems. I.e. if lots of people say they're quiet, you''ll think it's across the board, and maybe not realise it's a problem with your website, your checkout, your google ranking, etc.

I think you need to stand back and look at all aspects of your business, check out your website from the eyes of a potential customer, check back against previous years for seasonal sensitivity, etc. You need to assume that everyone else is fine and really check things through yourself.

Yes, we're skint. Spent too much over summer on days out etc, pre school bill arrived for dd, increase in food prices, 3 pay days until Christmas have all led to us have a lean September.

Zippy I used to have a small craft business and I always put in big orders for supplies in August and September toramp up making for Christmas!

Well, I've bought d's a new suit and three shirts for his first job, big garden trim of big things, car service and MOT this month too. Oh yes and dd isn't going to uni yet, having a gap year so has just had driving lessons booked.

Not skint but a lot has gone out. I think it's the shoulder season between summer discretionary and winter discretionary spending. That apart I have just been too busy to think about things like jewellery. And our birthdays are May, July and August followed by a Christmas day one. So not even that up our sleeves.

Totally skint here this September, yes.

Yep x 3 in uniforms school lunches car tax replacement door all adds up to very little!

September is usually the longest month apart from January

Yep, skint here too. If it ain't needed for school, or edible, we ain't buying it.

Not skint. But being cautious due to inflation, Christmas, birthdays, etc.

If it's not vital, it's not happening.

September is always a skint month for us as we're recovering from the summer holidays.

We had a busy 6 weeks, lots of day trips etc. We used one of our credit cards to bung a bit of the extra cost on...nothing drastic it seemed just a couple of meals out and about, the odd tenner in a couple of gift shops, a couple of activities at relatively low cost like £4 a child.

Yeah, £578 later and we're skint. September is a pay-off-the-card month only. It's unbelievable how quickly lots of little bits add up.

Are you reliant on FB for attracting customers? We have found they appear to have changed their algorithms again and it's almost impossible for small businesses to appear in any feeds at all unless it's paid for adverts.

Have you checked your website is working, clickable links are all working and that any emails are being forwarded from your website to you? Sometimes our contact us page doesn't send the emails to us.

Are all your phone numbers on your website up to date? Is your e-commerce sending orders through correctly? Do a test of everything just to check.

Yep skint too! After summer expenses have used most of the spare cash, we then had 4 kids to kit out in new school uniform and now the new term has started the school clubs need paying for and music tutor bills have arrived. September is always an expensive month for us, no spare cash at all for anything extra or treats

And the shops start selling Christmas stuff which mentally prompts people to save for that