A new way to shop: The fashion truck_美文_双语阅读-查字典英语网

A new way to shop: The fashion truck

“You’re able to travel to your demographic.”

In other words, you can take your business to the customers. But Jordana Fortaleza admits there are difficulties.

“The biggest challenge is definitely the weather. When it’s cold, it’s cold outside and there’s no one here.”

Another issue is keeping the truck in good condition. When a vehicle breaks down, the repairs can take days. Business stops during the repair work. That is what happened to Stacey Steffe’s fashion truck. So, for now, she is stuck in the office.

“We find ourselves in the [mechanic] shop at least once a year. Things happen. Our little truck’s a little older.”

She says her 38-year-old fashion truck was the first in Los Angeles. That was two years ago. She started the West Coast Mobile Retail Association after more fashion trucks started to appear in the city. Now the group has a nationwide membership of almost fifty trucks.

Stacey Steffe says the weak economy is driving the industry.

“A lot of people have gone from brick and mortar to a mobile truck because it’s allowed them to keep their business afloat.”

Meagan Rogers is a fashion school graduate. She says owning a fashion truck has enabled her to start earning money while her classmates are still working in unpaid positions.

“The job market is so hard right now.”

Fashion trucks are giving Internet businesses some competition. California Fashion Association President Ilse Metchek says impulse purchases were once a big part of in-store sales. Impulse buyers are people who make purchases because of a sudden urge. Now many people make purchases online, where Ms. Metchek says impulse buying is rare. She says American shoppers may be more compulsive in fashion trucks.