[5]By Guest Opinion,
A PERSONAL OBSERVATION: Three different local restaurants described their holiday losses as each totaling over $200,000 when including both the recession and the winter storm. Owners complained of media sensationalism over winter storm warnings as unnecessarily driving away customers. For instance, the pre-Christmas week had only one major storm day, yet it was common for an entire weeks of Christmas parties were cancelled. One mall had five out seven of their restaurants closed during a day in which the roads were clear and no snow was falling. The snow levels predicted that day never occurred.
The winter storm hit the Portland Metro area hard on the weekend before Christmas bringing shopping to a standstill. Businesses not only lost shoppers, they lost expensive advertising targeting deals for those specific two days.
The two weeks before Christmas was also the busiest time of the year for small hair stylist businesses. It was a new low for many such shops. The questions in the minds of many shop owners are on whether these lost customers are just waiting out the weather, going to new cheaper locations or just having their hair cut in-house by friends.