As summer tries to break winter’s hold all things related to that chilly season take a back seat in the consumer’s buying habits. Mix that seasonal effect with the overall cautious retail climate and you’ve got a recipe for slower jigsaw puzzle sales. Our retail customers who bought the new 2009 Gibsons selection have done predictably well with them and those who did not buy are anticipating a worse than normal summer season slowdown. Gibsons themselves have changed their release pattern. Rather than two new product release events (once in the spring and again in the fall) they are spreading their

new releases throughout the year.

The word “hobby” comes from hobby horse. Made from wood, a hobby-horse may look like and be climbed on like a real horse but it’s really only a toy, i.e. it’s being used for fun. To ride one’s hobby-horse is to play at horse riding and is not the real thing. Nowadays it means to induge a pastime and has latterly meant to partake of recreation.

Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. For example, people collect stamps, paint pictures, build plastic models and do jigsaw puzzles. Although a high degree of skill may be realised there is little reward beyond the satisfaction of achieving a level of competency and often appreciation by one’s peers.

One often finds a professional golfer enjoying fishing as a hobby and some F1 race car drivers can find relaxation in computer games. It is the amateur status of the hobbyist that differentiates his pursuit from that of the professional. Stamp collecting and jigsaw puzzles offer no remuneration beyond a sense of accomplishment. Nevertheless it is an important characteristic that we seek hobbies such as cooking and going to movies to relieve the daily stress of our working lives. Sadly TV doesn’t count as a hobby.

The new Gibsons puzzles for spring 2009 arrived in our warehouse 10 days ago. They have been flying out the door. We’ve been working hard to make sure all orders are shipped 100%. Lots of people have been delighted with their new shipments. Some customers, though, have been a little reluctant to keep up their Gibsons puzzle inventory. Until we get all our first tier of orders taken care of second orders have to wait. At this time of the year (unlike fall) it doesn’t pay to go heavily into an excess inventory position. Wait and see the new 2009 Christmas puzzle due in September. We have already booked four times the number of Christmas 2008 puzzles!