Summer officially began in the northern hemisphere this week.

And for a lot of businesses, the first week of summer also marks the first week of the summer sales doldrums.

Traditionally, most businesses (except those related to the vacation industry) see sales slow down during mid summer.

Customers are spending more time outdoors, at the beach, going on holiday . . . and they won't be paying much attention to you, unless you are selling summer fun or escape.

Not much you can do about this, except to use this time to get some much needed rest and relaxation.

Speaking of which . . .

As you might know, one of my hobbies is metal detecting on the local beaches near my home.

On most mornings, you'll find me on the beach looking for, and usually finding, lost treasures.

Rarely does a day go by that I don't find a ring or a bracelet or a gold chain on the beach.

And while these items usually aren't worth a whole lot, I'd love to be able to return them to their owners.

But invariably, there is no engraving, no way for me to identify the person who lost the item.

Which means I'm stuck with the find. (OK, I'm not complaining).

But when I find lost car keys, which is almost a daily occurance, I do feel bad for the person who lost them.

Without their keys, someone has likely been locked out of their car, probably their home, and may have to spend money to get important things in their lives re-keyed.

You can avoid this kind of problem by doing one simple thing.

Include your cell phone number (but not home address) on your key ring.

That way, if you lose your keys, the person who finds them has a way to contact you.

A simple step that can save you a lot of grief.