Impact of Bad Weather

[Tamper Evident]

I've always been interested in the relationship with bad weather, of the kind we have seen in Melbourne today, and sales / footfall.

I imagine that retail sales are impacted, coffee shops are quieter and restaurants have less bookings. But I have some questions that I'd appreciate peoples thoughts and opinions on:

Has anyone invested in trying to counter act bad weather? Outside covers, awnings or heaters? Do you get a return on investment on this expense?

Should councils invest in covering whole areas of shopping districts to protect footfall? Would people shop if they could stay dry on horrible days? If so, would it generate enough sales to cover the cost?

Do office based, business-to-business notice the same ? Is there a malaise stopping people from calling or doing business when it is dark and horrible outside?

It may be that it is simply better to get your paperwork done that day and not worry too much about sales...

[Steve_Minshall]

We actually had the opposite in Sydney earlier in the year. After a whole load of weekends being rained out when we finally got a nice Saturday (our busiest day) it was quiet. I assumed everyone wanted to make the most of finally getting a good Saturday.

[MatthewKeath]

Well, we went to the shopping center to get some things that had an undercover parking area, rather than our regular shopping center, so I guess that got more business today.