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July 25, 2008 8:46:55 AM CDT

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Started by S Goldstein; Last updated Feb 28, 08 12:09 PM CST by D Lim | View history

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Retail Sales

"Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping." -Bo Derek

Stories

Stories 1 - 20 of 53

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  • July 2008

    • Consumers Are Quickly Trading Down

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Jul 11, 08 12:26 PM CDT

      Consumers Are Quickly Trading Down

      As fuel prices and home foreclosures steadily rise, Americans are trading down in everything from automobiles to their lunch options. That's not unusual in an economic downturn, but the speed with which it's happening is, the Wall Street Journal reports. And the flight to the affordable and generic is affecting the broadest array of goods since the recession of the early 1980s. More »

    • Steve & Barry's Heads to Chapter 11

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Jul 9, 08 7:51 AM CDT

      Steve &amp; Barry's Heads to Chapter 11

      Dress-down discount clothing retailer Steve & Barry’s, which launched its first store nearly a quarter-century ago, could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as today after a fruitless search for rescue financing, reports the Wall Street Journal. The trendy retailer could close all of its 275 outlets, many of which are cavernous anchor stores in financially-squeezed malls. More »

  • June 2008

    • Americans Have Less in Their Shopping Carts

      newser  |  Time  |  Jun 30, 08 1:04 PM CDT

      Americans Have Less in Their Shopping Carts

      Food prices are rising, but thanks to some chicanery on product labels, many Americans may not realize it. Instead of raising prices, manufacturers are slimming cereal boxes, juice cartons, and bars of soap, and they’re doing it very quietly. If asked, they’ll say it offsets rising fuel and commodity costs, but most keep quiet and hope consumers don’t notice. Time goes shopping. More »

  • May 2008

    • Ditching TV Ads Helps Put Gap Back on Track

      newser  |  Advertising Age  |  May 27, 08 10:27 AM CDT

      Ditching TV Ads Helps Put Gap Back on Track

      The Gap's balance sheet is back in the black, helped along by its decision to stop spending on TV ads, Advertising Age reports. The clothing retailer slashed marketing spending by nearly a fifth in the first quarter and saw profits leap 40%, even as sales slumped. The Gap has switched its focus to merchandising initiatives instead. More »

    • Retail Sales Rise, but Consumers Spend Cautiously

      newser  |  Associated Press  |  May 8, 08 9:04 AM CDT

      Retail Sales Rise, but Consumers Spend Cautiously

      Consumers gave some of the nation's retailers a little relief in April, following months of dismal sales, but business was helped along by heavy discounting that could hurt fiscal first-quarter earnings, AP reports. Early sales reports issued yesterday showed that shoppers—who are contending with rising gas prices, sagging home and worries about their jobs—bought the basics at discounters and wholesale clubs. More »

    • This Won't Be the Mother of All Mother's Days

      newser  |  Newsday  |  May 6, 08 4:43 AM CDT

      This Won't Be the Mother of All Mother's Days

      Even gifts for mom aren't  immune to the economic crunch, Newsday reports. Spending on Mother's Day gifts is thought to be dipping, but only by an average of 50 cents, from last year's $139.14, according to a consumer survey. Only 13% of consumers plan to spend more this year.  Those just out of the nest—18 to 24 year olds—will shell out $30 more than other age groups, and 40% of them will spend more than last year. More »

    • New Soda Sizes Aim to Cap Fizzling Sales

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  May 2, 08 3:38 AM CDT

      New Soda Sizes Aim to Cap Fizzling Sales

      Coke and Pepsi are testing new bottle sizes in an effort to boost deflating soda sales, reports the Wall Street Journal . Coke pulled 20-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke and other drinks from Virginia convenience store shelves this week and re-stocked them with 16-ounce and 24-ounce bottles. Pepsi plans to try out 12-ounce and 16-ounce bottles. More »

  • April 2008

    • Restaurants, Retailers Gulp as Consumers Tighten Belts

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Apr 27, 08 11:46 AM CDT

      Restaurants, Retailers Gulp as Consumers Tighten Belts

      The rising price of staples like milk and gas, coupled with layoffs and flat-lining wages, is creating a nation of penny-pinching consumers, the New York Times reports. Industry is taking notice as buyers substitute generic brands for top-of-the-line products and skip eating out at restaurants. More »

    • Retailers Checking Out as Economy Falters

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Apr 15, 08 8:00 AM CDT

      Retailers Checking Out as Economy Falters

      Stores across the country are closing their doors, the New York Times reports, victims of a downturn in consumer spending. Retailers are often heavily leveraged, and as the economy falters banks are tightening credit. Several chains, including Sharper Image, have declared bankruptcy; others like Footlocker, Ann Taylor, and Zales are closing stores to stay afloat. “You have the makings of a wave of significant bankruptcies,” said a former Kmart executive. More »

    • Haggling Makes a Comeback

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  Apr 15, 08 7:05 AM CDT

      Haggling Makes a Comeback

      Many shoppers might consider haggling a buying technique better suited to a Moroccan carpet bazaar than their local mall, but the practice is picking up steam in the US in the midst of increasing economic woes, reports the Los Angeles Times . Cash-strapped consumers are trying to create bargains rather than hunt them down, and retailers stuck with unsold stock are giving sales staff more leeway to cut deals. More »

    • Gas Fuels US Retail Sales, Up 0.2% in March

      newser  |  Bloomberg  |  Apr 14, 08 10:25 AM CDT

      Gas Fuels US Retail Sales, Up 0.2% in March

      US retail purchases rose in March by 0.2%, pushed up by higher prices at the gasoline pump, Bloomberg reports. Purchases excluding gasoline were unchanged, and consumer spending is still on its way down, causing investors to think that the Federal Reserve might again look to cut interest rates—despite worries about rising inflation. More »

    • March Retail Sales Fall Flat

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Apr 10, 08 11:29 AM CDT

      March Retail Sales Fall Flat

      Retailers’ same-store sales were flat in March, due in part to an early Easter, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Thomson Financial Same Store Sales Index, projected to sink 0.1%, fell 1.1%, excluding Wal-Mart. Shoppers weren’t ready to buy for spring on the heels of winter, store closings for the holiday reduced sales, and consumer sentiment his a five-year low amid still-rising fuel prices. More »

    • Book Publisher Takes Stab at New Model

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Apr 4, 08 2:46 PM CDT

      Book Publisher Takes Stab at New Model

      HarperCollins has decided to rock the book-publishing boat, the Wall Street Journal reports. It’s launching a new imprint that won’t allow retailers to return unsold books—a potentially risky departure from tradition—and will offer little or no advance payments to authors. The imprint will focus on online sales and likely refuse to pay for prime bookstore real estate. More »

    • OMG, Txt Msg Shopping!

      newser  |  Associated Press  |  Apr 2, 08 12:25 PM CDT

      OMG, Txt Msg Shopping!

      Ruling the computer shopping world wasn’t enough for Amazon. Thanks to its new TextBuyIt service, customers can search the retail giant from anywhere… including, just as an example mind you, brick-and-mortar stores. Is Amazon specifically hoping to pluck price-comparing shoppers out of real world aisles? “We think they’ll use the product…wherever they happen to be,” said Amazon’s director of mobile payments. More »

  • March 2008

    • Car Makers Prepare for a Crash

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Mar 20, 08 9:06 AM CDT

      Car Makers Prepare for a Crash

      The slumping US  economy is casting shadows over the New York Auto Show, as industry forecasters this week cut their projections for sales of new cars and light trucks in 2008 to less than 15 million, the lowest level in 14 years. Chrysler, GM, and Ford, who had been projecting sales of 15.5 to 15.7 million, are preparing for a fresh round of belt tightening, the Wall Street Journal reports . More »

    • Retailers Expressing Gratitude

      newser  |  Portfolio  |  Mar 19, 08 1:58 PM CDT

      Retailers Expressing Gratitude

      Today's slow economy has sparked more retailers to thank shoppers with bouquets and personal notes, Portfolio reports. Common for big spenders, such thank-yous are now mailed to regular shoppers too—like one reporter who bought two shirts and a jacket at Nordstrom. "Our salespeople build relationships with their customers by calling them and sending out thank-you notes," a Nordstrom rep said. More »

    • Retail Sales Sank in February

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Mar 13, 08 9:15 AM CDT

      Retail Sales Sank in February

      Stoking fears of recession, US retail sales fell in February by .6%, the Wall Street Journal reports, despite economists' predictions of a 0.1% increase. Sales had been up a revised 0.4% in January. Factors cited in the decline include rising gas prices, falling home values, the credit crunch, and a soft job market, with 63,000 jobs disappearing in February. More »

    • Shops Shut as Wind Goes Out of Sales

      newser  |  Associated Press  |  Mar 11, 08 3:59 AM CDT

      Shops Shut as Wind Goes Out of Sales

      Soaring gas prices and a still-boiling housing crisis are taking their toll on America's smaller retailers, with store bankruptcies and vacancy rates rising steadily as customers avoid impulse-buys that once fueled the industry's rapid expansion, reports AP. Vacancies hover between 7% and 8%, up from 5% just six months ago—and some analysts predict rates as high as 12.5% by the end of 2008. More »

    • Wal-Mart Leads Feb. Retail Rally

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Mar 6, 08 10:47 AM CST

      Wal-Mart Leads Feb. Retail Rally

      Big retailers showed unexpected signs of life in February, beating weak sales predictions to inject some hope into the market. Wal-Mart led the way, posting a 2.6% same-store increase, beating its own predictions of flat-to-2% growth. Overall, same-store sales climbed 1.9%, with more than half of retailers beating predictions, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

  • February 2008

    • States Look to Collect Tax on Internet Sales

      newser  |  Forbes  |  Feb 28, 08 10:26 PM CST

      States Look to Collect Tax on Internet Sales

      As tax time draws near, more Americans may be stumbling upon an extra line on their state returns, Forbes reports. About half of state governments—including New York, Michigan, California, North Carolina, and Ohio—are trying to collect their fare share of sales taxes from Internet sales. Chances remain slim, though, that most buyers will admit—or pay—anything. More »

Stories 1 - 20 of 53

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Ann Tebbe , project leader for Red Wing Shoes casual division, is shown with a line of casual shoes Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007, at the Red Wing Shoes store at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. Red...   (Associated Press)
Expensive handbags sit on a display waiting for a shopper to approach in a Nordstrom store in Cherry Creek Mall in Denver on Oct. 17, 2007. The New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday, Oct. 30,...   (Associated Press)
On Oct. 22, 2007 Dell Inc. and Staples, Inc. announced a new retail partnership agreement. Staples, the world's largest office products company, will carry the widest assortment of Dell products available...   (Associated Press)
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Shopping Can Be Fun (1957)   (sirgraves (YouTube))

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