I’ve found a few interesting items that are worth noting regarding Retail. In addition to the basic media coverage:
• Retailers Post Disappointing Sales For December on Heavy Discounts (WSJ)
• Warm weather and gift cards pinch December sales (Marketwatch)
• U.S. Retailers’ December Sales Slow on Price Cutting (Bloomberg)
• Time to Take Down the Decorations, Earnings Forecasts (Holiday Sales Tracker)
• Shopping Bags Half Empty
• Retailers Post Disappointing December Sales (AP)
• Wal-Mart Expects Continued Paltry Gains (WSJ)
and
• CNBC video interview of NPD Group’s Marshal Cohen (who said weather was only a small part of the equation and not really to blame for sluggish December sales).
Then there’s this — the Retail review that is at the WSJ.com (free) is cool — its sortable by clicking on the column heading — nice!
So now warm weather is bad for sales??
What, since people were able to go out and shop, they didn’t??
I was watching CNBC back on 9/26/06 (9:45am).
This guy Adam Newar was being interviewed by Mark Haines and Erin Burnett.
He said QUOTE: “Christmas is going to be phenomenal.” UNQUOTE
you just reminded me to follow up on that
Sharper Image -20%
Absolutely no surprise. Has anyone been in a Sharper Image lately? Years ago it used to be all SI exclusive items. I never did like their patented air purifier, but they seemed to have had a success with it and it had high margins. And it seemed much like Brookstone, just “techier.” Enjoyed browsing in the store many times.
I went in there this Christmas and was appalled. A large section of their store is now what look like Spencer’s and Walmart teen age knick knacks. I left the store pretty quickly. I haven’t been to many other SI. But what is that company thinking?
This market continues to do no wrong.
Some volatility creeps into the market due to new year positioning or whatever.
But the market again ramps very strongly from oversold conditions just as it has done in the past 7 months. Until that changes, you absolutely have to give the market the benefit of the doubt and respect the trend.
Ken Houghton, weather is an all-purpose bogeyman for weak retail results:
Weak retail sales + cold weather = the bad weather kept shoppers away from the malls and stores.
Weak retail sales + warm weather = the warmer-than-expected weather caused sales of sweaters, gloves, and other paraphernalia to diminish.
warm weather has definitely negatively affecting the season. to say otherwise is ignorant, however very cold weather wouldn’t of saved the season either.
Well, this is what happens when you concentrate the wealth at the top. Nobody else has anything left to spend.
Duh. Raise the minimum wage already and cut the CEO salaries, dumbasses!
Is the same store sales change adjusted for inflation ? If not, shouldn’t it be to reflect sales volume change rather than sales dollar change which might be due exclusively to inflation. Not clear.
Jim
gee donna, it really is that simple. who knew that socialism is the surest path to increased comp store sales.
I agree with Donna. And I really get wired when people label you as a socialist or Democrat for wanting a little compassion in the corporate board rooms. You know Buddhists believe no man is above another and there is dishonor in massive layoffs and absurd executive compensation at the expense of the company’s work force. I don’t see Toyota executives showing restraint while kicking the shit out of GM executives which has bilked the company of billions while shuttering plants, laying off workers and bitching the union is too inflexible. I wonder why the union doesn’t want to be flexible. Same shit different day.
Don’t see anyone in Japan having a hard time grabbing up all of those Louis Vuitton bags, Toyota cars, designer clothes, etc.
Too many people are brainwashed today. When capitalism was conceived, it was imagined most people would work for themselves as they did at the time. Today, the majority of people work in a caste system of kings and queens (mostly kings because kings are chauvinist pigs) and we accept what they tell us as gospel. Board room reform, shareholder rights and executive accountability are the main reasons I write my Congressperson. Without altruism OR regulation, corporations become dungeons of Robber Barons. There isn’t alot of altruism going around.
Thank you, snarky, someone had to say it. Donna, read some history (particularly of the actual outcome of socialism) and then come back.
Thank you, snarky, someone had to say it. Donna, read some history (particularly of the actual outcome of socialism) and then come back.
Gee, I thought she was quoting Henry Ford.
Getting back to topic, I ran across the following article with some interesting quotes from our Main Man about how the oil and commodities crash may signal a significant economic slowdown:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/copper-commodity-sell-off-points-growth/story.aspx?guid=%7B5B0B6DAE%2D4AED%2D4AF0%2DBB74%2DD57D50FDFB3B%7D
On the other hand, the Market Beat commentator David Gaffen seems to imply that it’s all just a bunch of “investors and speculators” unloading their positions:
http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2007/01/04/crude-not-so-sweet/
So, folks, which is it?
Yep, maybe the Swedes will get that socialism thing right one of these days, you think?
In the meantime, the least we can do is roll back the tax breaks that disproportionately favored the rich and have had 0 net positive effect on the economy.
“Without altruism OR regulation, corporations become dungeons of Robber Barons. There isn’t alot of altruism going around.”
well said, bdg123
I am with Donna and others who are tired of watching the super rich old white guys pillage the corporations for their own benefit. Home despot dude is only the latest example of capitalism gone very bad and off the tracks.
Debt is good. Just ask the CEO’s and Wall Street who are paying cash for their McMansions and Ferraris. Yup, debt is good….for you.
LOL
Hey! Don’t be mentioning Ferraris in the same sentence as McMansions — Thats blasphemy! One is an overbuilt ostentatious display of wealth that is ugly, poorly designed eyesore.
The other is a rolling piece of fabulous sculpture, sensuously designed and capable of awe inspiring performance.
Don’t let the fact that a few idiots buy both for ostentatious wealth display detract from the natural beauty of the F-cars.
But your point is well taken . . .
You’re damn right my point was well taken.