Businesses brace for summer season after Memorial Day
Luis Avila
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – As Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, local businesses are now preparing for a seasonal slowdown.
But some businesses say weekend sales weren’t enough.
“Business was ok. It’s been better in past years.”
Alex Raei, La Bonita’s Mexican Restaurant owner
“According to the numbers that we had, it didn’t range as much as we thought we would.”
Jaime Rodriguez, Crazy Shirts manager
It’s a concerning trend business owners say they’ve been seeing for months now, with less people willing to go out and spend and a notable absence of Canadian visitors.
Now the focus is to stay competitive through the summer months. That means a change in strategy.
“For summertime we kind of tighten down ship here. We have less staff. But we keep our hours normal. We catch those late crowds during the summer because summer it cools down late at night. We stay open past that to be able to fit those needs.”
Alex Raei, La Bonita’s Mexican Restaurant owner
“The company is adding a lot of sales and discounts online.”
Jaime Rodriguez, Crazy Shirts manager
While visitors may be heading out, locals are the ones these businesses are counting on.
Stay with News Channel 3 for more.