The Pros and Cons of "Back to School" Season
Going back to school after your summer break was always a mixed bag of emotions, wasn't it? I could never really decide if sitting in homeroom on that first day back felt like a pleasant defeat, or a harrowing celebration, or an optimistic prison sentence. I was always certain it was definitely one of those things, though.
The negative stuff—the "cons"—were always pretty obvious. No kid wants to wake up before sunrise, shower, brush their teeth, eat Eggo waffles (the only part of that routine that was actually enjoyable), and then go sit in a building learning about what they perceive to be nonsense. I mean, has there ever been a single time in your life where you had to calculate what time two trains were going to pass each other based on their time and speed? And here's a follow-up question for those of you who answered "yes" to that: what life decisions did you make that led you into that heinous algebraic trap?
There were good things about back to school season too, though. I realize not every kid could afford new back to school clothes, but I was lucky enough to enjoy that each year. The back to school sales were something my parents were keen on, too, for the savings anyway. It was always nice seeing those kids you weren't super close with, but missed during the summer all the same. And you could usually be reasonably certain you wouldn't get homework on that first day, though we all had that one sociopath teacher who thought it would be funny to give you first-day-back-to-school homework, like they genuinely disliked children and wanted to inflict pain and suffering on them.
Your Mission: Saving the Dog Days of Summer
Being in the event rentals and party rentals business, we have a very important job to do for all of these kids who will soon be going back to school. And we're in a better position to offer them this much needed relief than most other industries are.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it? Save the dog days of summer and send these kids back to school confidently knowing their time away was as rewarding, fulfilling, and refreshing as possible.
You (well, your party rentals anyway) can have a starring role in their fondest childhood memories. And at the end of the day, isn't that why we all got into this line of work to begin with?
What's Your Dog Days of Summer Strategy?
In order to fully capitalize on closing out your summer season with a bang, you need to decide which approach will work best for your company. And it all starts with having the right rental equipment.
The dog days of summer are known to be amongst the hottest of the year, so it's a good time to get inflatable water slides and slip n' slides staked into yards. Zorb balls can see a lot of action near the end of summer. Your tried-and-true bounce houses can be solid earners in late summer as well. and that's on top of your party tents, tables and chairs, and other event products that generate revenue year-round.
Tailoring your marketing and outreach efforts is a good idea, too. Offering back to school sales on your inflatables is a great start, but you'll also want to spend the time (and maybe even the money) marketing those sales.
Former customers, especially regulars, should be first on your list of contacts. And reaching out to schools, churches, youth programs, park departments, and local event organizers won't hurt, either.
When the school year does start, your inflatable rentals will likely be limited to weekends, especially longer weekends. And with the hottest days behind us, it won't be long before you're limited to indoor rentals, if you live in a moderate climate and if you have the inflatables to capitalize on those rentals, anyway.
Inflatables: Your Fresh Air School Supplies
We've talked a lot about that first day of school already, but that second day back? It's about as fun as watching paint dry live on C-SPAN while standing in line at the DMV. Literally no one wants to be there, not even the teachers. And that's when you really start daydreaming about your summer and thinking back on the most exciting things you experienced between the end of your last school year and today. The last day of summer is behind you emotionally, if not literally. Will next summer ever get here?
The phrase "dog days of summer" doesn't actually refer to the heat, nor does it have anything to do with the old adage of "working like a dog" when you return to school. The phrase actually originated in Ancient Greek and Roman folklore and refers to Sirius (the dog star, not the satellite radio service) being visible for a while. It's a star in the night sky, in the constellation Canis Major, otherwise known as "the big dog."
In the context of kids going back to school however, the "dog days of summer" saying is more aligned with that colloquial meaning; It's hot, and school is starting, and it's upsetting. As soon as those back to school sales start showing up on the web and in store circulars, children begin to tense up.
It would be a great service if you'd consider offering back to school sales on your party rentals, too. And why not check out our back to school sale here at TnT while you're at it, and supplement your equipment with new tables, chairs, or inflatable UltraLite air frame games?