We are entering the heart of summer and both the retail and foodservice industry seem to recognize the golden opportunity in front of them. With a disappointing first half of the year behind us, it is time to turn the page and the window to do so is smaller than we think. Consumers have voiced their distaste over rising prices and the economy has suffered. This unrest is only furthered by what is sure to be a tumultuous election that has already featured a Presidential debate that did nothing to quell consumer fears. Consumers want something good to latch onto, yet soon they are going to be so bombarded by politics that no amount of marketing will get through. Any company waiting until October or November for an end of the year push is in for a rude awakening. The time to bring consumers back on board is now, during this tiny summer window we have, and it seems that many major retailers have caught on.

We have all heard about the McDonald’s $5 meal deal that essentially jumpstarted this summer of savings. The deal was a direct response to criticisms over recent price hikes and a reported $18 Big Mac being sold at a McDonald’s franchisee. McDonald’s used to be famous for their now defunct dollar menu and this deal is supposed to make consumers feel nostalgic for those cheaper times. Other restaurants have decided to follow suit and now the restaurant industry is awash with value deals that seemed impossible a few months ago. These deals could get consumers back in the door and with brands attempting to undercut each other’s pricing strategy, there is a lot to like for consumers. All of this discount action in the foodservice industry has also caught the attention of retailers and they are quickly rolling out their own summer savings.

The most notorious summer deal, Amazon Prime Day, is right around the corner, yet don’t expect other retailers to wait for the online giant to get things started. We have already seen Black Friday deals in June that served as the unofficial kickoff for companies campaigning for lower summer prices. Target is holding their Target Circle Week sale a full week ahead of Prime Day and Walmart has offered some discounts without naming their sale. Expect other retailers to slash prices next week alongside Amazon and don’t be surprised if this is just the first of the big discounts we get this summer. We also have back-to-school shopping which is always a popular time for retailers, and we can expect different weekly discounts to drive consumer traffic.

All of these summer sales should feel good to consumers who have been feeling the strain on their dollar all year. An important thing to note about both the retailer and restaurant discounts is that they are offered for a limited time only. While we expect Prime Day to only last 48 hours, many consumers will be surprised when the $5 McDonald’s deal is gone by October. That limited availability is at the heart of the problem, especially for restaurants, for how companies want to address higher prices. Low prices will certainly bring back some consumers, yet what happens when prices return to normal, and consumers have sticker shock all over again?

All these summer sales essentially boil down to a temporary fix to a difficult problem. Driving traffic while maintaining competitive pricing has proven challenging even for the largest chains this year. Complicating matters is that the typical end of year sales push will not be as reliable due to the election cycle. Companies are trying to both right the ship from a rocky year and get ahead of what could be a slow fall season. If high prices are the main reason behind slow consumer traffic, then these summer sales should help jumpstart the economy.

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