mayor - 2:44 pm on Jul 10, 2003 (gmt 0)

Based on several years over a broad range of traffic, I've seen a traffic & sales slowdown every summer, starting in June, getting worse in July, and hitting the bottom in August before starting to creep back up for the December holiday season, which tends to continue on through the cold northern hemisphere months into May.

This year is no different. My traffic this week is down 25-30% from May, owing a lot IMO to vacationers who don't surf the web and vacation-returnees who maxed out their credit cards.

Expect the slide to continue into early September when back-to-school sales pick up, early holiday season shoppers start hitting the web, new car sales kick in and vacations are over.