Bad weather can be bad for your bottom line

Kai Ryssdal Jan 30, 2013
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Bad weather can be bad for your bottom line

Kai Ryssdal Jan 30, 2013
HTML EMBED:
COPY

What’s going on with the air quality in China couldn’t be called ‘weather’ in any fair sense of the word. But in the parts of the world where what comes from the sky is just plain old rain or snow, or heat or chill, companies often find convenient excuses for bad — or good — performance.

Matt Phillips is a writer at Quartz and he put together a list of his favorite weather-related business rationalizations.

Yes, warmer weather means sweater sales will be slow at the Dress Barn. That seems obvious, but did you know that cold weather in China means that South African breweries don’t do so hot?

“SAB Miller, the giant South African Brewing company, blamed exceptionally cold and wet weather for a decline on their volume of sales in China,” Phillips says. “If it’s cold, I guess you don’t want to reach for a frosty one.”

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.