Gourmet Business - December '21

Change Is The Only Constant

What a difference a year makes!  

I was awoken before dawn on Thanksgiving morning by the noise of jet engines flying overhead…one after another… bound for Boston Logan Airport.  There was something to be said for the peace and quiet we briefly experienced through the Pandemic, but the world has woken up again, and it was time for friends and family near and far to gather again.  It certainly was nice to be able to gather with family this year without the fear of transmitting fearful viruses.

I generously offered to drive my daughter and a friend to the local mall on Black Friday so that they could start seeking the perfect gift for their wonderful family members. I figured it was probably in my best interest anyway if I wanted to see at least one gift under the tree. What I was not expecting was to be welcomed to the mall area with a traffic jam and gridlock the likes of which I haven’t seen in years.  Yup, you better believe they were shopping!  I will admit that my holiday spirit was briefly diminished as another traffic light cycle came and went without any progression to my target destination.  Even if I may have cursed a few times under my breath, I was really very joyful to see signs that business was returning to a healthier state because it’s about time.

Then I learned that the sales statistics were released suggesting that on-line sales on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday this year were a little less than expected. Apparently, this is the first time ever that there has been a decrease in on-line sales on big shopping days.

My independent observations and business news left me pondering what the end result would be for retail sales in 2021.  Will there be lost sales due to products still sitting on a container ship or port somewhere in the world?  Will American consumers simply choose to consume less?  Have the trends in the world changed unexpectedly again? The only words of encouragement that I can offer are that change is the only constant.  Forget about the past and focus on the future.  And on that note, I offer you a glimpse in this issue of the fantastic products being introduced to market in the coming year, all of which will be on display at the Atlanta Market Show.

If you want to know what I am grateful for this holiday season, it is to not have a repeat of last year’s holiday season experience.