.... when all through the mall, not a shopper was shopping, the wallet too small....
"Holiday shopping season a disappointment so far" by Anne D’Innocenzio | Associated Press, December 19, 2013
NEW YORK — Sparse crowds at malls and ‘‘50 percent off’’ signs at The Gap and other stores offer clues as to how this holiday season is shaping up: It’s the most discount-driven one since the nation was in a deep recession. It’s also the most disappointing for stores.
My experience has been confirmed and is not just an anecdotal anomaly! Even the propaganda pre$$ is forced to admit it!
And what this is telling you is THERE WAS NO RECOVERY! Yes, the wealthy elite made out splendidly during the last five years at the expense of everyone else so the numbers look good on paper and are then repeated over and over my the ma$$ media mouthpieces.
Hell, two weeks ago they were telling us the economy was gaining momentum!
Sales were up 2 percent through Sunday, according to data from ShopperTrak, a slower pace than expected for the two-month holiday stretch, typically the busiest shopping period of the year.
Discounts this season are up 13 percent from last year — the highest level since 2008, according to BMO Capital Markets, which tracks 20 clothing stores.
‘‘The holiday season has been marginal to just OK,’’ said Joel Bines, managing director at AlixPartners. ‘‘Retailers are doing anything they can to get rid of merchandise.’’
I hope you can $ee why I no longer want to read or blog about this bull$hit.
The data underscore how aggressive discounting has been both a blessing and a curse for retailers. Since the recession, the best way to get Americans into stores has been to flash discount signs.
But the discounting has had unintended consequences. Shoppers become immune to the deals, so retailers must offer bigger discounts to keep them coming into stores. That eats away at profit margins.
Listen to this corporate and busine$$ pre$$ $hit.
Yes, it is the $poiled little $hoppers wanting their discounts that is ruining Chri$tmas. The same shoppers who have seen their jobs stolen from them and shipped overseas, the same shoppers who have seen their wages cut in half because of such things, the same shoppers who have had their homes fraudulently foreclosed upon, the same shoppers who are getting $crewed left, right, and sideways in this wealth-$erving economic $y$tem!
Of course, it is all real funny to some as the $tatu$ quo remains in place. The truth is WE HAVE NO MONEY to BUY GIFTS, a$$holes. You have it all and you $ick, greedy f***s are still not happy.
Of course, the Globe and the benevolent corpoartions and wealthy elite will take care of us all. Haven't they been doing a great job so far?
Analysts say retailers will have to continue discounting to attract shoppers, many still dealing with stagnant wages and rising costs.
When I was told the job market was improving and inflation was being kept in check because of the wonderful Federal Reserve policies?
Stores are rolling out more discounts in the final days of this holiday season.
Meaning this ba$tard of a holiday is a total BUST! One week and a weekend isn't going to $ave it.
The number of promotional e-mails that seven major retailers, including Walmart and Target, sent for the 13-day period that ended Sunday was up nearly 70 percent from the same period last year, according to Market Track, which tracks discounts.
Uh-oh! Walmart and Target are in trouble this holiday $ea$on!
Toys ‘‘R’’ Us is offering discounts it didn’t initially plan for Saturday, which is typically the season’s biggest sales day. Kathleen Waugh, a spokeswoman who called the season ‘‘hyper competitive,’’ said the retailer is cutting prices on popular toys....
What does that tell you?
Retailers hope the sales will lure last-minute shoppers. But the sales so far have not attracted as many shoppers as retailers had hoped....
Sad, pathetic, desperate.
So how many businesses will be going out of business after this year? I'm sure the recovery will really be rolling by then.
Still, the National Retail Federation is standing by its forecast that sales in stores and online combined will be up 3.9 percent to $602.1 billion. That growth would be higher than last year, when sales rose 3.5 percent to $579.5 billion. The last time the holiday season was really strong was in 2004, when sales rose 6.8 percent.
The NRF is delu$ional!
Much of any growth this year could come from online shopping. Even though it accounts for only about 11 percent of spending in the three months that include the holiday shopping season, it’s been a bright spot. Yet online spending, too, is behind predictions.
Oh, no! Better start impul$ively buying things!
Online spending from home and work desktop computers in the United States from Nov. 1 through Sunday was up 9 percent from a year before to $37.8 billion, according to comScore.
That's not going to make up for the lack of visits to brick and mortar, nor will it result in spending on food and gas (other than the delivery truck).
But the Internet research firm still expects online sales to meet or slightly surpass its 14 percent growth forecast.
They are just as delu$ional as the NRF!
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Also see: Have a Holly Jolly Christmas
Merry Christmas, dear readers and world, if I don't make it back here before then.
NEXT DAY UPDATE: Last call for online sales is later than ever
Later, folks.
