It's around this time every year where people look to the weather forecasts almost more than they do in the summer. Forget a barbeque summer, forget a dry day at the beach, the only weather news that people are interested in is whether this year will produce that elusive white Christmas.
I say elusive, but as it stands the UK is set to get its second white Christmas in a row if the weather behaves itself, and the country should throw open the curtains on Christmas morning to a Dickensian scene of crisp white snow covering the landscape.
It is a romantic notion that adorns Christmas cards and infiltrates carols and Christmas music every year, but as we are slowly discovering in the weeks leading up to the big day the reality of a blanket of snow across the country isn't as romantic as one might have hoped.
Over the last few weeks, Britain has been hit with unseasonably cold temperatures and relentless snow, leaving some parts of the country inaccessible and making even city centres treacherous. Although we can expect weather conditions like this once every couple of years, its early appearance in December is leading to all kinds of logistical problems. With Christmas on the way the reality of the snow is empty shops and online retailers struggling to meet delivery times due to mail depots full of undelivered items.
As Christmas is the busiest time of the year for most High Street shops and online retailers, it certainly isn't an ideal time for roads to become inaccessible and shopping centres to be closed because of the conditions, and with the threat of more snow to come before the festive season is upon us, companies are starting to worry that what is supposed to be their busiest time of the year will fast turn into a business nightmare.
Popular stores are already starting to cancel their deliveries to Scotland because of the backlog, and shops that have faced a tough and uncertain few years because of the fragile economy will be holding their breath to see if the snow puts off consumers at the busiest time of the year.
Despite the concerns however, Christmas has become such an important part of the year for consumers that the threat of shoppers being put off by icy conditions is a limited one. Whether there are problems with deliveries or feet of snow on the ground, shoppers are a resourceful lot, and the chances are that even with a blanket of snow on the ground the weather will not stop what has become a shopping pilgrimage for many consumers.
While we will have to wait and see what will happen with the weather over the next few weeks, Christmas will still continue as normal in the eyes of the consumer, and although it may be a little more hectic than usual, the festive season should still provide a healthy return for UK businesses.
I say elusive, but as it stands the UK is set to get its second white Christmas in a row if the weather behaves itself, and the country should throw open the curtains on Christmas morning to a Dickensian scene of crisp white snow covering the landscape.
It is a romantic notion that adorns Christmas cards and infiltrates carols and Christmas music every year, but as we are slowly discovering in the weeks leading up to the big day the reality of a blanket of snow across the country isn't as romantic as one might have hoped.
Over the last few weeks, Britain has been hit with unseasonably cold temperatures and relentless snow, leaving some parts of the country inaccessible and making even city centres treacherous. Although we can expect weather conditions like this once every couple of years, its early appearance in December is leading to all kinds of logistical problems. With Christmas on the way the reality of the snow is empty shops and online retailers struggling to meet delivery times due to mail depots full of undelivered items.
As Christmas is the busiest time of the year for most High Street shops and online retailers, it certainly isn't an ideal time for roads to become inaccessible and shopping centres to be closed because of the conditions, and with the threat of more snow to come before the festive season is upon us, companies are starting to worry that what is supposed to be their busiest time of the year will fast turn into a business nightmare.
Popular stores are already starting to cancel their deliveries to Scotland because of the backlog, and shops that have faced a tough and uncertain few years because of the fragile economy will be holding their breath to see if the snow puts off consumers at the busiest time of the year.
Despite the concerns however, Christmas has become such an important part of the year for consumers that the threat of shoppers being put off by icy conditions is a limited one. Whether there are problems with deliveries or feet of snow on the ground, shoppers are a resourceful lot, and the chances are that even with a blanket of snow on the ground the weather will not stop what has become a shopping pilgrimage for many consumers.
While we will have to wait and see what will happen with the weather over the next few weeks, Christmas will still continue as normal in the eyes of the consumer, and although it may be a little more hectic than usual, the festive season should still provide a healthy return for UK businesses.
Source...