Yesterday was just one of those days in retail when you shrug and write it off; a bad day.

I was responsible for at least part of that. Started talking to a guy who had some unique inside knowledge about some former and current competitors. I wasn't actively ignoring customers -- in fact, I would break away and make sure they knew I was there. But people tend not to interrupt what they perceive as deep discussions. I decided it was worth the trade off.

Inside information! Rare and Golden!

And it wasn't breaking any real confidences, either. Just information I didn't have.

Pretty much confirmed most of what I had already guessed. I was probably a little low on both my estimates of sales and of costs, but I got the proportions mostly right. I seem to have a real talent for guesstimating from the outside how other stores are doing.

It isn't all guesswork, though. I constantly and actively try to gather information. It has always amazed me how little curiosity most store keepers have. Half the time, they haven't even mined their own outlets for information, much less what they could glean from looking outward, or browsing the internet, or just plain paying attention to the competition.

It's a survival tool.