How We Really Feel About Sales

With the start of the holiday season, and especially the upcoming BFCM weekend, there's been a lot of buzz around the topic of sales. As a brand that chooses to have annual sales, we wanted to take this chance to share a bit of our perspective on the topic. 

Here's how we honestly feel about this increasingly controversial subject:

1. It's undeniable — everyone loves deals. We actually really do too, and we enjoy being able to treat our loyal & engaged customers sometimes with special offers. It makes us happy.

2. Annual sales can be really helpful for us as a small business, especially since a lot of our product is very seasonal. Sales allow us to have an influx of cash flow at times that might be tight, and we can plan for it and sometimes even rely on it. People buy more swimsuits in the summer, but we have to be producing them in the fall/winter. Less sales with more production costs plus continued staff salaries and other operational costs = need for cash.

3. Selling products for a discounted price can be a really hard choice for small businesses to make. We price our items as fairly as we possibly can, because we don’t want to overcharge you for no reason. We don’t inflate our prices just so we can mark them down — we don’t think that’s cool, and everyone should stop doing that. 

4. Sometimes for whatever reason, a product just doesn’t sell, or we choose to discontinue a style and have bits & pieces of it left. This is typically where things like our August Sale come in — it’s essential to clear out old products to be able to make room and pay for new stock. We would rather discount our product so you can have it than dispose of it to protect brand value.  *cough*Burberry* 

5. Ethically made clothing is more expensive than fast-fashion. We know this can be a barrier for a lot of people, and that even what seems like a big discount for a small business might still be a big purchase for a customer. Our hope is that annual sales would allow customers who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it a chance to purchase ethically made items.

6. We 100% do not support over-consumption and don’t do sales just to sell you more stuff. From the beginning, our mission has been to create thoughtfully designed, quality goods that fulfill a need in the market. We encourage you to be thoughtful when shopping sales, and consider the motives behind every purchase you make.

No matter what your take on sales is, we hope that you choose to support local & small businesses as much as possible this holiday season! Your dollars can make a big difference towards supporting the economy & livelihood of people in your community.