If you have
kids you will have known about fidget spinners for awhile although “awhile” in
today’s digital age can be a fairly short time. As far as we know, fidget spinners
arrived in the US late in 2016 although it is only in the last month or so that
they have really taken off globally.
It is not
so long ago that when a new fad arrived retailers could count on getting in
early and reaping profit rewards before the mass market got on board. By the
time products were copied, manufactured, and shipped, the early adopters had
made a reasonable return for their gamble but in today’s retail market that
time is drastically shortened.
The first
wave of fidget spinners at QVM were selling at $15 and then someone came in
with a $5 version which annoyed many (killing the goose that laid the golden
eggs) but they ran out of stock and the price followed the old Supply/Demand
rule. This weekend at QVM you will find a multitude of traders selling a huge
variety of different fidget spinners at a huge variety of prices. We even have one pop-up stall just selling fidget spinners – a competitive retail market at its best and shopper’s heaven.
Reading the
ups and downs of pricing and supply in today’s digital age will test many
traders. It all sounds like a real buzz…or spinout.
FOOTNOTE: Trader
Andy found it rather amusing when he sent us this comment during the week –
16/05/2017
08:07:44 had to laugh "Got this in email ...how
inventive these factories... look at the guy holding his head....maybe this is
all we need while waiting for customers...maybe management can supply to all
stall holders free of charge.” Andy