Unimpressive weekend has retailers nervous

[maseman]

Source: MSNBC/AP

NEW YORK - Despite generous discounting and expanded shopping hours earlier in the season, many stores are finding themselves in the same predicament as in recent years: waiting for those last-minute shoppers in the final days before Christmas who seem to be procrastinating even more than a year ago.

Based on early reports from analysts and malls, sales results were generally unimpressive this past weekend, as shoppers were held back by a snow storm that spread a mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow from the Great Lakes states to New England. Consumers, fretting about economic worries, were also delaying their shopping even more this year, knowing there’s a full weekend before Christmas, when the bargains will be even better.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22285952/

---

Gee, people don't have any money and they bitch about only an 18 percent online retail increase? FUck you retail CEOs. People who aren't working have a tough time buying crap for their families.

[Deja Q]

1. Online sales have done extremely well this year

(Source: CBS Evening News broadcast, 12/16/07)

On Friday and Saturday, the stores were a zoo...

18% is quite good; I agree they are whining.

[maseman]

3. If you read the story I linked

it says 18 percent but theywere bitching that is wa smuch lower than the 26% rise of last year and it didn't meet the 20% growth they were expecting this year.

It is amazing that people are even still spending money right now. I know we have scaled back this year and many people I have spoken with have as well.

[liberalnurse]

9. Has anyone here been "accidentally" been billed twice online for the same item?

I have, my neighbor, my ex-has and a co-worker all had such an experience over the past 3 weeks. All different vendors, different times. We just shared casually about our shopping activities and we all had to mail back duplicate items. We all privately assumed we hit the "pay here" twice.....but now, I seriously doubt it was an error on our part. This could be a way to over-inflate the online sales. They don't address the returns ya know. :shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

[mojavekid]

37. It is a good question,

Ecommerce is a part of my business. Lately, I have had several clients with duplicate orders, higher than normal It "Appears" that they ordered twice. With no other explanation at the moment. We are having to go in and cancel orders, it can be difficult for the Vendor as well, as we want to insure our clients feel secure shopping with us online. We are a small business.

[Mike Daniels]

30. The mall we went to in No. VA (Tyson's Corner) was pretty busy yesterday

It was kinda slow in the morning ( probably because of the heavy-ass rain) but by around noon it was becoming harder to walk around without bumping into anyone.

[msongs]

2. credit card big spenders this week will be don't want to pay back whiners next year nt

[Purveyor]

16. And then the Federal Reserve will start the presses to 'bail-out' those, oh so poor, banks left

holding the bad debt.

[humbled_opinion]

4. I avoid the malls at all cost. Concur with online assesments..n/t

[OHdem10]

5. You cannot fire your customers, send their jobs overseas

knowing--that the nexr job they obtain will be at a wage sometimes
1/3 or 1/2 what they made in your employment--and still expect them
to be able to buy all the retail sales. Last year a guy was making
40,000. This year he is making 28,000 to 20,000. He simply cannot
buy as much this year.

[onehandle]

6. I bought $25 worth of groceries this weekend.

I'm doing my part to help out Bush with his seven year recession.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

26. probably didn't need too much help loading that 1/4 sack of groceries

into your car...

[newburgh]

7. Maybe more people understand what xmas is about and it's not shoppin n/t

[magellan]

20. That would be a positive in all this

And I say that as an atheist. Christmas isn't about expensive gifts.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. ) *)

:cry:

[scarface2004]

10. go shopping for christ...or else

suffer eternal damnation you evangelical wack job!!

[rooboy]

11. They should round up and detain all the non-shoppers for denigrating xmas. n/t

[laureloak]

12. Maybe the wealthy will shop more and the $$ will trickle down

to the retailers.

[nickinSTL]

13. I'm not surprised at all

My wife and I are struggling to pay for food, gas, heat, etc.

We're not cold and starving yet, but it wouldn't take much to put us there.

Thanks so much to the Bush economy that's left my wife unemployed for 6 years.

Oh, and I haven't set foot in a mall in years - and won't likely do so again - except maybe to take a walk in bad weather.

[qanda]

14. Every single time I went to buy something, I ended up putting the stuff back

Because everything is made in China.

[defendandprotect]

18. Yes --- it's almost impossible now to buy clothing that isn't "made in China" ---

including at coats at L&T --- and most of the clothing!!

I noticed I picked up some plates at Crate & Barrel a while back that are made in China and
I'm trying to replace them as quickly as possible --- some mugs, as well.

I e-mailed them on this -- at C&B, it's either PLASTIC -- what's that all about??? ---
or "made in China" . . .!!

[silverojo]

27. I'm doing good to find Chinese crap around here

I'm seeing clothes made in Vietnam, as well as countries I never knew existed. WTF...is CHINA outsourcing their jobs now?

:rofl:

[PSPS]

15. Not according to the local news. They say everybody's shopping like crazy!

Of course, they have to please their advertisers who are those very same chains. Catapult the propaganda!

[defendandprotect]

19. One of those stories that I see and don't pick up . . .did I read that one of the networks

was returning advertising $$ --- ????

[Roland99]

17. I was at a Kohl's on Friday w/my oldest daughter. Minimum of 40% on almost everything.

But I still only spent about $125 w/tax.

[defendandprotect]

21. Here in NJ our TAX has gone nuts!!

My local greengrocer which sells stuff like pasta salad and potato salad and cole slaw ---
and makes sandwiches . .. now has to charge you $6.37 for a $5.95 sandwich!!!

I bought a 200' roll of Reynolds Aluminum Wrap the other day on sale for $5.49 and there was something like .60 cents tax on it!!!

[defendandprotect]

22. It certainly isn't the 1950's re Xmas . . . and that's GREAT --- !!!

More than 20 years ago I moved to Winter Solstice --
our kids get some $ and gift certificates --- that's it!

Dinners --- celebrating by trying to be out having fun --- yes!

[Scooter24]

23. I would be interested to see the figures from the luxury goods retailers...

I went to 3 malls today in the Dallas area- The Galleria, Shops at Highland Village, and to the Collin Creek Mall.

The first two are filled with luxury goods retailers, and the stores I visited today: Gucci, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, and Cartier were all packed with shoppers buying expensive leather goods and clothes. It took almost 20 minutes to get help at Gucci which was a first for me.

On my way to visit a friend I stopped at the Collin Creek Mall which is filled with low to moderate priced stores and even though they were busy, it wasn't as overwhelming as in the years past. Lots of looking but not a lot of buying as evident by many bagless hands.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

24. They'd make a fortune if they had Wiis to sell.

[Zorra]

25. Hey Retailers: You can blame Bu*h/Republican "Vampire Economics".

Republicans have let the super-rich suck all the money from the middle and lower classes.

If you want to make some cash, you'll have to cater to the ultra-wealthy! Try the newest Designer Style (As Seen on Fox News!):

"The Emperor's New Clothes"

And grocers - You can try selling the yummy "Marie Antionette Devil's Food Fascist Cupcakes"!!!!"
:woohoo:

[NuttyFluffers]

28. i shall save them~! starlight mints and candy canes for everybody!

i'll splurge, splurge i tell you! $20 of candy, that's a 1/2 inch piece of minty candy for everybody! if you need more i'll bring a hammer and go 'loaves and fishes' on the starlight mints...

[Hardrada]

29. We are buying only local arts and some crafts. We purchased

some excellent prints and some handmade Christmas ornaments at an art show today in our town. And we are cautious on gifts for children too and avoid dubious imports. If you are on good terms with local artists (especially those who excel at landscapes and portraits) and also area sculptors and photographers, you may get some fine gifts without the China mass-produced stigma.

[Acadia Blue]

33. Good! I am only buying cheap stocking stuffers and making the

nice gifts myself. I am spending very very little this year.

[LiberalFighter]

31. Generous discounting? On what?

[Acadia Blue]

32. Stop feeding the Pigs. Don't make them any fatter.

[Javaman]

34. oil goes up, everything goes up.

the population maybe finally waking up.

[Mountainman]

35. People have little money and don't want to put xmas on their credit cards.

I haven't shopped and doubt that I will. I don't want to pay 30% interest on the $10 gifts I buy which were on sale marked down 30%.

[Zhade]

36. Funny, I spell "procrastinating" as "too poor t o shop for your shit, you greedy assholes"

NT!

[LibertyLover]

38. I went to a well known toy retailer on Sunday afternoon and had no

problem finding a parking space in their lot. There were at least 10 or 12 to choose from. In the store there were customers, but I've seen it as busy on a decidedly non-Christmas weekend in the middle of summer. Perhaps the only difference was that people had a number of things in their carts as opposed to the more usual "one toy" run. My 5 year old daughter only asked for one thing this year - a stuffed giraffe (ok, she also asked for a bunny rabbit, but with 5 dogs, 4 rats and 2 guinea pigs in the house already, I told her no way was I adding another mouth to feed and bowel to clean up after) - so I got off easy. She will be getting more than a stuffed giraffe, but it's not going to look like Toys R Us opened a branch in our living room. We definitely cut back this year and are paying cash as much as we can.