Retail Notes From March

Back again here for another newsletter for this month and I must say that a lot has happened. I have seen fuel prices or have heard the announcement that gas prices are going to go down a bit but I didn't think that they would go down some more this time around. We are now sitting at about $1.54/liter, a $.13 drop since the last time I worked. I have also seen oil prices drop just a bit after going up to about $113/barrel which was a surprise to me since I made the assumption that it would bring some relief at the pumps.

But that wasn't the case at all since I have seen gas prices go up a bit while at the same seen the oil prices go up as well during the Russia-Ukraine conflicts in which I think may have caused the rise in gas prices and oil prices too. I am hoping that talks have assumed between the two countries and both have come to some resolution but I don't think this has happened yet since Russia continues to attack Ukraine and knowing how politics work, talks are not a one day process. These discussions and negotiations take time to work through.

So it looks like I will be seeing gas prices and oil prices remain stable for a bit although I must say that the gas prices going down a bit is I think a step in the right direction for most customers. Of course lets not forget that oil prices have remained high giving most people working in the petroleum industry some sort of hope that they will be able to get their jobs back but petroleum companies aren't eager to invest in Alberta yet due to the prices continuing to fluctuate or increase.

With that said about the petroleum industry, I am going to talk about other discoveries in retail that I have noticed. I have noticed with the high fuel prices more people are seeking alternatives for transportation to offset that high costs of gasoline. They are starting to look into buying motorcycles, mopeds and electric bicycles or vehicles for their transportation. I don't know about motorcycles and mopeds since I haven't been reading about them and the market is there for these vehicles.

But what I will make a note of are electric bicycles and vehicles since they seem to be in the news and are mostly sought out by customers. Of course with these items comes the costs of them since most electric vehicles are probably expensive to start with along with electric bikes too, which I managed to check out in this bike shop that recently opened last month and I have to say that most of these electrical bikes are pricey ranging from $2000 to almost $10,000, depending on the make and model.

Electric vehicles are the mainstay as well with different brands and names too which can be pricey depending on the make and model with Tesla maybe being the most expensive car to purchase while other auto manufacturers probably have models that are a lot cheaper than Tesla but not much of a selection for customers to choose from. So I have to say that while a small supply for electric vehicles, the demand isn't there nor it is high yet since most customers are still looking for ordinary cars.

Well, that is all I have for now for this months retail entries. I will be back next month for some more notes on retail. Take care and be safe.