I may bemoan the fact I lose an hour of sleep this weekend, but two things make me ok with that. First it means Spring is almost here. It’s been a long, cold, awful Winter. And I’m OVER it. Secondly, more daylight hours after I leave work makes me feel less like I do nothing but work and sleep.

Frankly, I’m thrilled that we have eight months of daylight saving time in front of us. I’m one of those that would rather not fall back at all.

Like many people, I grew up believing the reason for the time change was to help farmers and to conserve energy. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned that since 1915, the principal supporter of daylight saving in the United States was the Chamber of Commerce on behalf of small business and retailers.

Studies suggest that consumers are more inclined to go out and spend money if there’s more daylight after they leave work. That’s true for me. I’m certainly more interested in stopping at a bookstore or making a Costco run in the daylight than I am in the dark.

Retailers and business owners knew that long before science backed the idea up. Happy almost Spring!!