This weekend may destroy a lot of retail businesses.

[Pale Blue Dot]

I'm (thankfully) two years out of retail now - I used to be a General Manager for Staples - but I still remember how important the holiday shopping season was. Most of you have already read stories about how poorly retailers are doing this year. Last week I spoke to some of my former collegues and they said that business was way down and that the company was putting tremendous pressure on them; including making thinly veiled threats about how replacable they are in this current economy. It's important to note that I don't even think that Staples is one of the companies in deep trouble; imagine what it must be like working for Office Depot or OfficeMax or Circuit City. There is no wiggle room for retailers this year - everything had to go perfectly for the rest of the holiday season.

This is the weekend before Christmas - typically the biggest sales weekend of the year. And what's happened? Snow, and lots of it, blanketing the entire northeast and much of the rest of the country. The storm has already taken away many millions of dollars of Friday-before-Christmas sales. Worse than that is that there's another storm coming tomorrow, Sunday, that is likely to cost retailers many millions more.

Had the storms come earlier in the month there still would have been time to make up these lost sales. And while it is likely that some of these dollars will be made up on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there simply isn't enough time to recover all, or even most, of them. This is a disaster for a retail industry that needed to have everything go exactly right in the closing weeks of 2008 to even have a chance to stay afloat.

I think that years from now historians may look back upon this weekend as the straw that broke our economic back.

[acmavm]

1. Well maybe the 'common' shopkeeper will get a bailout like Wall Street.

:sarcasm:

Gotta save the criminals, let the victims die.

[Bluebear]

6. hahahahaha

good one :)

[acmavm]

7. Yeah, I was hallucinating there for a moment.

Did you ever have to listen to those old stories from the older folk about what they remembered about their childhood? Walking uphill (both ways) to school for 9 miles in snow up to their armpits?

Well we'll have some memories as well. Like when a group of discredited neocons usurped our government, got us tied up in two unwinnable wars, and totally destroyed the economy of the world and got away with it all.

[DCKit]

21. My father used to pull that "walking to school..." BS with us....

Then we found out his school was a block and a half from his house. However, he DID have to cross the street.

Dad pretty much lost all credibility with his children early on.

[BR_Parkway]

18. Nope, we the common shopkeepers are the ones funding the bailouts

that's the last thing they seem to have use for us now.

[uppityperson]

2. I am in Pacific NW and am losing a wks worth due to snow.

Small business, at least 1/4 less income this month. Even before the snow/ice, people were spending less. My only consolation is everyone else in the area is in the same position, but that doesn't help with bills for rent, electricity, phone, insurance.

[Hanse]

29. Last weekend they were talking to a local store owner on the news.

He was nervously laughing because he thought he'd dodged a bullet because the bad weather didn't hit the weekend before X-mas.

Yikes.

[uppityperson]

30. How is it over there?

We've a pretty good wind and snow, blowing snow in the cold wind, nasty out. (NE corner of NW corner of WA=Port Townsend area)

[dkf]

3. So are people just not going to buy Christmas Presents?

Or is it that when they shop for others, they normally land up buying a lot for themselves?

[glowing]

4. That's when cash gets thrown in a card and perhaps the person receiving

will spend it in a store rather than on a c.c. bill or the phone bill or at the gas station filling up the car.

[Pale Blue Dot]

5. I haven't done or read a study on this (I've only seen its effects)

but here are some guesses as to why the sales aren't recovered:

1. Shoppers, now pressed for time, head for the closest stores and spend less. For instance, maybe now they'll pick up a box of chocolates for Aunt Mabel at the CVS instead of running over to the mall.

2. You theory, that they don't buy as much for themselves, may have something to do with it as well.

I was in retail fornearly 17 years before I left two years ago, and I've seen this happen again and again. The more time you have between a snowstorm and Christmas the more sales you make up, but you neaver quite make up all of them.

[dkf]

8. When I'm pressed for time I spend more. Desperation ya know.

I see the point about throwing money in a card though. And I'm not sure how gift cards are tallied in terms of sales.

[AndyTiedye]

10. People will avoid Gift Cards, Who Knows if the Store Will Still be in Business after Xmas

Online sellers may be getting some of the business.

[dkf]

16. I'd feel safe with a GC from starbucks, longs drugs or costco.

Forget getting one from a retailer or a shopping mall.

[tsuki]

20. My gift cards are to grocery stores. nt

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[lildreamer316]

17. Great point!

I am trying to see things the same way. Focusing on how bad it all is, when I am already well aware of that, is not helping. I am living in the now as much as possible, and not projecting onto tommorrow.

[earth mom]

34. Sorry but I'm sick of the corporate media whores lying their asses off to all of us!

This country has been in financial trouble for YEARS and the media whores are just now reporting it. They have purposely made everything seem rosy so people would spend spend spend, charge charge charge just so the media whores could still have their advertising dollars. I don't want to be sold "abundance" by them so they can make a frickin mint off of me!

In addition, too many people in this country have been sold either the Prosperity Gospel or The Secret via Oprah. Which is all a bunch of bullshit if you look at the state of the economy now or you look at the rising numbers of homeless or even the people living in 3rd world conditions in other parts of the world.

So
Where's their Prosperity Gospel?!

Where's their The Secret?!

I don't see either of those bullshit ideas working for those people, but oh yeah, I forgot, they aren't the "chosen" ones. :grr:

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[undeterred]

11. There were a lot of people in Walgreens today

and Walgreens is a good place to look for inexpensive gifts.

[knitter4democracy]

12. I waited to get the kids' big presents until they were on sale and I had a coupon.

And I got them at Meijers, which was doing brisk business in the food area today but not quite so much in the rest of the store.

STBX and I agreed over a month ago to cut back on all presents and came up with a budget. I'm massively under-budget for my stuff so far, knitting many items for family and the children's teachers, and way under budget for the children (at least it doesn't look like it, though). I've been shopping outlets and sales with coupons and only paid full-price for a couple of things. With the divorce costing so very much, we just don't have the funds for a big Christmas this year.

As for the snow, the roads weren't all that bad today. The county's had to cut back on plowing over the weekend, but they finally got to our street late last night. A lot of people were out and about today, probably planning on getting snowed back in tomorrow.

[Blackhatjack]

13. Many businesses already planned to shut down after Christmas ...

... but given the huge amount of sales volume that typically comes in during Nov-Dec, they managed to stay open.

Merchants have obligations to pay, but many are staying open to keep their employees working through the holidays.

I fear that the unemployment numbers are going to skyrocket after Jan 1.

NC reported unemployment numbers for last month(Nov) at 7.9%, worst in over 20 years.

[lunatica]

14. You know, I'm beginning to think we're living in a time of Biblical proportions

The Great Perfect Storm on a global level time of Bibical proportions.

1. Number one issue. The issue of global warming which will get worse and no one knows the changes that'll happen if we do nothing. Will life as we know it survive? This isn't a fantasy. This is real and global. As biblical as the The Flood, whether that was a fantasy story or true.

2. Global economic meltdown. Like a house of cards and Castles in the Air and dominoes falling one crash is leading to another and another. It's become a crazed scramble to those who deny it to get theirs before it all crumbles for humanity. The rest of us are just stuck helplessly and probably hopelessly

3. Wars gone wild, aggression breading aggression. Fanatic fundamental religious conflagrations burning whole countries up and pulling everyone into the vortex. I count us in this because, after all, God told Bush to go to war. In my dictionary that spells r-e-l-i-g-i-o-u-s war

It's as if the economy isn't bad enough with the original cause of greed and powermongering. Now the weather seems to conspire to finish off the remaining survivors, albeit surviving by a thread. From Katrina to this massive monster storm hitting the US now, it seems everything is being stopped from every possible venue. It almost feels like destiny sometimes.

If we survive all of the above, what will it look like?

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. We live near a local mall

it rained last week, no, we don't get snow here

But I told hubby, yesterday was the first time in all the season I had to find a different way to get home from the Supermarket

Why? The first day that things got bad

This is what four days from christmas?

In good years I have to take alternate routes to get to the supermarket, period. Not this year

And we are done, we are Jewish, we bought our small gifts for people, and this year we spent less as well

Now our anniversary is today, so we did buy gifts to each other... so I guess it will go to the totals, and we bought them from a local merchant

But we have never, ever spent as much as I have seen some folks spend, even today

But it will be bad... I know it will

[DainBramaged]

24. Happy Anniversary

How many????

:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. 10 very happy years

[tkmorris]

33. I'm guessing you're in Florida, Boynton possibly.

And I have noticed exactly what you have.

It's bad. I've never seen it like this.

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. Try San Diego Califirnia

it is both a curse and a blessing to live near a mall

I get the economic barometer every year by the traffic

[Donnachaidh]

19. Retail may destroy retail this weekend

Hell -- if you want my business at LEAST *TRY* to put something on sale! The price-fixing between stores is disgusting. This is the very first year I've actually gotten BETTER deals on the net for the few high value things I want to purchase.

If you want me as a regular customer you'd better start dropping prices.

[cabluedem]

28. Try Ebay. Its dead slow and lots of sellers are offering free shipping! nt

[jmowreader]

31. Walmart will finally destroy retail once and for all

Walmart introduced the Price Match Guarantee (find a lower price in any store on an identical item, and we'll match it plus take off ten percent) and the No Hassle Return (bring it back in any condition and we'll give you your money back).

Now stores are hell bent to not lose a sale under any condition, so they'll give the price match guarantee on a "substantially identical" item--any 6x9 tarp instead of a 6x9 Acme Model 60108 tarp, or a gallon of paint instead of a gallon of Glidden Super Hide Plus paint--and they'll take back shit you KNOW they didn't buy there, mainly because it has some other store's brand name on it.

[earth mom]

35. Yep-the prices in the stores are not the great deals they led us to believe they would be

back before Thanksgiving. :argh:

[AwakeAtLast]

22. I read somewhere today that a lot of people will be returning gifts for cold hard cash

whether they liked their gift or not.

I will say that when my husband and I went shopping today (central IN) it was a complete zoo. Toys R Us lines were backed up at least 15 people in each line. The mall lots were full and traffic was a nightmare.

I had a great time - crowds don't bother me too much.

It may be too little, too late, though.

[silverojo]

25. You can't do that without a receipt

The most you can get is an exchange, in the amount of when that item was last on sale. Meaning, if you return an item worth $20, but it was on sale for $15 recently, you only get $15 store credit.

[SoCalDem]

23. I did my part for Staples this year..

I bought a chair & laptop lapboard thingie & a carrying case for my best friend.. and 2 rolls of raffle tickets:)

[DCKit]

26. Home Depot in Northern VA on Friday morning....

For the first time I ever even noticed them, dozens of day laborers standing around outside, far outnumbering the shoppers.

I'd have though I was being cruised (for sex) if I didn't know better.

Oh, and the guy in plumbing tried to sell me six pieces of PVC, a rubber connector, glue and cleaner when all I needed/asked for, was a trap and an extension. Guess their workers are on notice as well. They're gonna have a fit when we return the $169 water filter tomorrow.

[paulk]

27. I think you're right

I owned a retail business for nine years, and it was a major Christmas storm two years ago that put the final nail in our coffin. That and the city of Denver's pathetic response to it, where the streets were impassable for damn near a full week.

Small businesses, especially mom and pop's, totally depend on the xmas shopping season to stay afloat. These storms, coming on top of the recession (the one that's been going on for the last eight years) are going to really put the hurt on a lot of these places. Even large chains are going to be hurt by this big time - as you point out.

There's going to be a lot of empty store fronts come next year...

[Abq_Sarah]

38. We time

A lot of our larger purchases for December and try to buy locally. We purchased the sunglasses for our staff this weekend. 8 pair of Oakleys that I could have gotten cheaper online. Of course, purchasing them locally helps keep the sunglass place in business and if I have a problem with the glasses, they will bend over backwards to resolve it.

[adigal]

32. The mall was packed yesterday, even though

it was snowing.

[RB TexLa]

37. Rain, sleet, snow or sun shinning. I wasn't going to give them any of my money anyway.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

41. Veiled threats about how replaceable they are????

Boy, they think that is gonna work?

Yes, they are replaceable. But the new people won't be able to make customers buy more stuff.

That's the bad part about retail. The managers pressure the salespeople. And the salespeople pressure the customers. And the customers either get mad and don't buy more stuff, or if they do, they have second thoughts and return it.

Nothing but coercion all over our society.

I can't MAKE anybody do anything. They forget that because they are egotistical control freaks.

:wtf:

[1]

42. not where i live... (sw missouri)

every isle was open for checkout. i've never ever seen that before.

and i waited forever to check out.

but then, no snow or storms here. just cold.

sorry for your shitty weather. i hope it improves for you.

good luck!