Wal-Mart lowers sales forecast

[Keirsey]

No. 1 retailer says customer traffic declined in latest week; sees 0.7% same-store sales increase.

November 27, 2004: 11:14 AM EST



CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said Saturday it expects a 0.7 percent increase in November sales at its U.S. stores open at least one year, down from a forecast of 2 percent to 4 percent a week ago.

On a recording detailing sales through Friday, Wal-Mart (Research) sales fell below plan the past week -- typically the strongest reporting period during the Thanksgiving Day holidays -- which affected its forecast for sales in November.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based company said customer traffic declined toward the end of the week, and that Wal-Mart had taken a more balanced approached for sales on the day after Thanksgiving.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/27/news/fortune500/walmart.reut/index.htm

Are shoppers shopping?

Wal-Mart's lowered sales forecast could be a sign that holiday buying may be held back.

November 27, 2004: 11:37 AM EST

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The first indication that shoppers may be holding back this holiday season came Saturday as Wal-Mart, the nation's No. 1 retailer, lowered its November sales forecast.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/27/news/economy/holiday_shopping/index.htm?cnn=yes

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. There it is.

Don't believe the TV hype. Oh, there will be more hype.

[SemperEadem]

83. Frontline's expose on Walmart

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Lean christmas

we will see george give us false possitive numbers, followed by local store closures if this is bad enough


Could be the end of the gravy train

[gorbal]

4. And the News has been one big Walmart Commercial all week

Perhaps peole know they have been had finally and are sick of supporting it. LOL!

[AP]

68. NYT, NPR, local news couldn't have tried any harder for retailers.

Oh well. Guess you can't fight reality. People don't have money.

[Chipper Chat]

3. I will shed no tears......

for Wal-mart. Their stores stink (and not just from the lowlife freeper-reddies that shop there. Screw 'em - frickkin Republican Headquarters satellite locations!

[RegexReader]

43. and they are generally dirty

with second or third rate items. Cheap enough crap for the trailer park crowd.

RegexReader
$USA =~ s/Republican/Democrat/ig;

[ebayfool]

95. trailer park crowd - post #94 applies to you as well, shame on you! n/t

[trogdor]

76. Been to Wal*Mart Nation today.

About 1/3 of the cars had those magnetic flags on them. Guess what. They don't have any more X-Boxes. They're all out, and the harried sales associate says they don't know when they're getting any more.

Think the slobbering consumer hordes have scarfed up all the X-Boxes? Think again. Went to Best Buy. Huge display stacks of X-Boxes, both flavors of Halo 2, and the widest array of accessories you have ever seen.

The first story you've probably already heard on TV a hundred times. The second one you'll never hear from anyone but Best Buy.

BTW, they still had LOTS of those cheap-ass TV sets, Chinese-made HP computers, and DVD players you saw five or six people scramble for on the news. Lots and lots of them.

[ebayfool]

94. 'lowlife freeper-reddies .... that shop there'? Kinda snotty aren't we?

Not everyone that shops there are 'lowlife freeper-reddies' you know! Some people don't have the cash to pass up the prices (notwithstanding the case for boycotting) & it's offensive to see a supposed fellow Democrat snidely looking down on a group of people based on where they shop! That kind of crack is where people get their fodder for the 'elitist' tag that Dems get saddled with - gawd, this snobbery is showing up here more & more lately!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

97. I See A Lot Of Working Class Folks Shopping There Including Many People Of

Color...

What a mean statement...

[ebayfool]

98. I was quoting & replying to #3 & #43, not defending the remarks.

I sure hope you didn't mistake those views as mine?! They definitely qualify as mean & more!

[acmavm]

5. Hold the phone. I just read on DU either yesterday or the day before

where 'those that know all there is to know about the economy' predicted that this would be a gangbuster Christmas season, people would shop 'til the dropped.

What's the problem, a little reality sinking in? An inkling that the people who do the majority of the shopping DON'T HAVE ANY FRIGGING MONEY?

Such a shame when reality hits the fan, isn't it?

[genieroze]

12. Don't ya know that outsourcing is good for the economy?

Yeah riiight.

[schultzee]

56. On a PBS market show one guy said it would be good for high end retail

and low end would suffer, because the income divide is getting larger. And some idiots voted for BOOOSH who are getting the economic shaft.

[TexasChick]

73. Oh, come on now, be real! This is all Clinton's fault! Geez!

</sarcasm>

[ribrepin]

82. An inkling that the people who do the majority of the shopping DON'T HAVE

Yeah, they're spending all the money on filling the car and heating the house. If they got those covered, they don't have health insurance.

I know a woman right now with 4 kids and no health insurance who's putting off a CT for a suspected brain tumor. Nice world we live in.

[SammyWinstonJack]

104. Nice world we live in.

Yes indeed and those Congress critters both Dem and repub all have the best health insurance courtesy of us taxpayers, whether we want to provide it for them or not. That is the really pissy thing about them not providing all Americans with decent affordable health insurance. :argh:

[trotsky]

6. When we called to cancel our Sam's Club membership

(we switched to Costco), the rep asked if we had a reason why. My wife said because we prefer Costco, and let's just say the rep's response was NOT one of surprise.

Hopefully as people wake up to that slave labor & anti-competition factory, it will die a quick yet painful death.

[cliss]

10. Love it!

Thanks for telling them. Wal-Mart and Sam's Club need to know that what they are doing is not appreciated. More than not appreciated, we're taking our business elsewhere. I'm planning to write to them and say the same thing.

I'm planning to shop at Costco. This post-holiday season should be very interesting. Now that we're having big problems with the exchange rate, I'd say Wal-Mart is pretty sweaty these days.

[amber dog democrat]

38. This is Karma -

Wal-Mart is not our friend, not a good corporate citizen, not good for the economy.
May their sales even decline further. I wont shop there.

[pokercat999]

74. My guess is

that the last new store wal-mart opens will be the start of their very fast decline into oblivion.

[SammyWinstonJack]

105. Man! I hope that is true!

:bounce:

[schultzee]

57. Wish we had a Costco here.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. This is pretty bad news all around.

[mod mom]

8. WAL MART IS EVIL

After the election is re-done (hopefully). I think we should aim our attention on some of the other evils hurting our country like FOX and WAL-MART.

[Cha]

26. I'll add cnn to that and

Welcome to DU, mod mom!

[Mr_Spock]

37. Frig who's in the WH - take down Faux & ChinaMart NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why is it so hard to get angry people to realize who the engine is behind this evil and how EASY it would be to take them down? What are we waiting for?

[TexasChick]

75. ChinaMart! LOL! Mr_Spock, that was hilarious! n/t

[SemperEadem]

84. CommieMart, more like it

Walmart is supporting a communist regime.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view

[genieroze]

9. SWEET!!!!

[SmokingJacket]

11. Hahaha. Love it.

Can't wait till the landscape is littered with the empty shells of former big box realtors...

[marions ghost]

49. Where Wal-Marts used to be...

I have alot of ideas about what can be done with Wal-Marts:

Rec centers for teens
Senior centers
Bowling alleys
Skateboard rinks
Cultural centers
Libraries
Outpatient clinics
Educational purposes
Food Banks
-----------------------

OR:
Cut them up into small stores run by local people.

[cynthia]

55. great ideas

I have been trying to convince my Repub dad to stop shopping at WalMart.


I would love to see the demise of these stinking hulks...

[hinachan]

77. What are people in fixed incomes supposed to do?

Our family has to shop at Wal-Mart for food, mostly, because the union supermarkets just charge outrageous prices for the exact same merchandise, to overpay their lazy employees. We can't even make ends meet shopping at Wal-Mart, so unless and until the unions stop demanding that unskilled labor gets paid as much as people who've been through 4 years of university and beyond, we CAN'T shop anywhere else. I mean, before my mother retired (not very long ago, either), she was working at one of the most prestigious medical clinics in the country and the world, having been required to take further secondary education courses, and even after 10 years of service to the clinic, was getting paid less than sackers at the local KKKroeger-Nazi supermarket! And get this...I have friends who are postal workers and other civil servants, who also get paid less than these unskilled workers. This is not right!!

I know Wal-Mart's hands aren't clean, but we need to look a little more closely at the real menace to our country, which is Kroeger. With the acquisition of Fry's in Arizona, Kroeger is now the largest chain of supermarkets in the country...and as such, is in the position of gouging the public endlessly.

Long before Wal-Mart got into the business of selling food, Kroeger was doing the exact same thing: moving in, buying out local markets, driving others out of business, the whole bit. They would even buy out competing supermarkets, and end up owning supermarkets across the street from each other, before closing half of them down.

Wal-Mart, for all it does wrong, is our nation's only defense against this tide of overpriced supermarkets, which has been devouring community grocers! It's also our only defense against the Kroeger monopoly which has, until now, allowed them to charge ever higher prices, partly to overpay their workers, but mostly to line their own pockets.

To people like me, living on a fixed income, Wal-Mart has been a savior, forcing these other markets to compete instead of lording it over us with an iron fist.

If you run Wal-Mart out of business, here's what will happen:

* Union supermarkets will go unchecked, allowing them to charge prices as high as they want, with no fear of competition. You think the economy's bad now...??

* Disabled people and elderly folks on fixed incomes will have to go without food and other necessities, even more than they do now.

* Prescriptions are also cheaper at Wal-Mart, for those who can't manage to get their meds in Canada or Mexico.

* Welfare mothers won't be able to make their food stamps stretch enough to feed their children, just because Kroeger wants to pay some high-school graduate $18+/hour plus massive benefits, to run around in an apron, ignoring customers to the best of his ability.

Instead of attacking Wal-Mart, we need to attack the demon that has created the existence of Wal-Mart in the first place: Kroeger. Kroeger is the Microsoft of supermarkets and grocery/drug stores, and Wal-Mart is just the hacker exploiting its vulnerabilities. No, Wal-Mart's hands aren't clean, and I make no claim that they are...but Kroeger's are a lot dirtier. (And lemme tell ya, Kroeger sells plenty of Chinese junk, from "Dollar Days" to clothing to cleaning utensils and beyond...Wal-Mart is NOT the only offender.)

Don't buy into the media's portrayal of Wal-Mart as the one and only evil...they're hiding the real story, the Kroeger story. I've spoken with enough Kroeger victims--I mean, former employees--to know what I'm talking about here. Kroeger is the reason Wal-Mart can thrive. For that reason alone, we should all start getting all over Kroeger like a cheap suit. :(

[Poor Richard Lex]

81. you have a problem with unions?

I suggest you read your history books, freeper.

[mitchum]

92. What Poor Richard Lex said!

Fucking unbelievable, wasn't it? A post that defended Wal Mart AND attacked "lazy union workers" I also detect very freepish sentiments.

[SemperEadem]

85. what's more evil--unions or supporting a communist regime?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view

you need to do more research--start by watching the Frontline program at the link I've provided for you--before talking about stuff you clearly know nothing about. The instances you point out sound just like regurgitated emailed freeper rhetoric taken at face value.

[Jane Austin]

64. They'd make great places for indoor dog shows!

:)

[Carolab]

93. ReTAILERS

Not REALTORS (I'm a realtor and I sell "big boxes"...so careful!)

[Florida_Geek]

13. Meaning that after the 2004 inflation in factored in

Sales are going to be down from last year.

[MSgt213]

14. Everybody can't be Walmart. If Walmart sees a decline in their business

imagine what the others are feeling. Don't forget the others don't have Walmarts name and business model they are running on smoke and mirrors.

[genieroze]

16. This is why we need to support

other business people who aren't so darn political and small local business owners who hire locals.

[MSgt213]

22. Sorry to say doing that is just not going to be effective these days.

We are up against powerful forces here that have been for years consolidating every thing. They can run the small guys out of business whether we support them or not.

There are people who have approached Walmarts for example, to get them to buy American made stuff saying people will buy even if it's a little more if it's made in America. Walmarts been telling them to get bent. This is just one example of what the evils can bring to bear, but trust me when I tell if they want mom and pop gone and all the apple pie for themselves. It's going to happen. Supporting mom and pop is just not enough we first have got to get congress out of big businesses' fucking pocket.

[tsuki]

30. When they move into a new area,

Walmart's runs at a loss for three years. That is the period of time to drive the mom and pop's out of business.

I am not making this up. Son was taught this at University in one of his business classes.

[foo_bar]

42. the Microsoft of retailers

[genieroze]

67. This is why we need to boycott them

they can't take a loss all over the USA. Just don't shop there, go to target or the mall.

[Jane Austin]

65. You wrote:

We are up against powerful forces here that have been for years consolidating every thing. They can run the small guys out of business whether we support them or not.

Me: I promise you that if you support our Mom and Pop, we CAN stay in business. Honest.

[Ima]

33. I'll second that!

I don't shop there any more. Everything you get is crap that doesn't last. It's cheaper in the long run, to pay a little more and get better quality.

[stillcool]

15. My last trip to Walmart...

was a few months ago. Time spent feeling guilty is too costly.

[dbt]

54. Welcome to DU, stillcool47!

:hi:
dbt

[GHOSTDANCER]

17. For anyone who missed Frontlines episode a couple weeks ago..........

a must watch!!!<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view/>

[schultzee]

58. I ordered that Frontline video to loan it out to some dems who I

suspect voted RePIG but may be influenced to think again next election.

[genieroze]

18. Just for the record

Sears who is or did acquire K-Mart gave 95% of it's contributions to the Repukes.

[jmowreader]

46. Kmart acquired Sears, not the other way around

Kmart ain't broke no mo, they could afford to do an acquisition.

[genieroze]

69. I thought K-Mart went chapter eleven.

[jmowreader]

102. They did, but they've come out of it

There are two chapters of the Bankruptcy Code applicable to business:

Chapter 7 is Liquidation. The company is handed over to a receiver who sells off its assets, then pays off the company's creditors as well as he can. IIRC, after this happens the debts are considered satisfied even though they usually aren't completely paid down.

Chapter 11 is Reorganization. The company devises a plan to satisfy its debts within a reasonable period of time and gives it to a bankruptcy judge. If it's approved, the company implements the plan. If the plan works and the debts are satisfied, the company is released from Chapter 11. If the plan fails, the company is forced into Chapter 7.

You can only file Chapter 11 once every seven years, and I've heard of companies who filed for it and were sent into Chapter 7--the judge doesn't have to approve the plan and he doesn't have to allow you to go back home and fix it.

Now understand, you don't HAVE to stay in Chapter 11 for the full length of time in the plan. If your company is given three years to get its shit together and it does it in two, you can petition to be released from Chapter 11 early. This is what happened in Kmart's case--their cuts worked. They closed enough underperforming stores, shed enough underperforming departments (try buying a tire at Kmart--you can't do it, even though all Kmart stores used to have a big tire department; hell, at various times in their history Kmart stores sold lumber, pet fish and birds, deli foods, all manner of merchandise they don't have anymore) and got rid of enough underperforming people that they came back to life.

[VegasWolf]

19. 16 greeters bite the dust. n/t

[2Design]

20. I saw a bit on toys R us and the toy makers working with them

people don't realize they buy at walmart for 10 or 20 cents less - but once the competition is gone - the price margin will be gone too and walmart will up its prices

I am glad to see figures are down -

[natrat]

21. *uck you wal-mart

boycott
boycott
boycott

[Scooter24]

23. I think

Walmart is positioning themselves to increase their value when it comes time to declare their earnings. A friend of mine works as a manager at a walmart in the Dallas region and he said sales are up nearly 40% for the region.

When it comes time for Walmart to declare its earnings, I have a feeling we will see better than estimated amounts. It'll make the company's stock look healthier and more appealing, and it will shoot confidence back into investors who are considering retail stocks.

[Jane Austin]

66. Sales up 40% for the region?

Would that include all the new stores they are adding?

That would make sales go up a lot, but not the same store's rate.

[Flammable Materials]

24. I will be spending less than $100 on my entire family this holiday season.

Mostly raw materials to make things for the family. And surprisingly, more people in my family will be getting gifts than last year.

But usually, my wife and I spend about $3000 at Christmastime.

[schultzee]

59. Just about the same here.

[Piperay]

25. They're still expecting an increase

so it isn't like they are losing any money. I notice this often where businesses complain that their profit is lower than expected but for crap's sake they are still making a profit it just isn't as big as they would like, gee ain't that a bitch (too bad everybody in this country doesn't do as well). x(

[durablend]

29. Walmart's "profit mentality"

I don't know if it was brought up during that expose, but they consider anything short of the last increase as being a loss. Meaning if they made a 20% increase last quarter, they consider anything short of a 21% increase this quarter as being a loss.

[angrydemocrat]

27. I Use To Be A Big Walmart Shopper But Not Anymore

I havn't stepped foot in a Walmart for a year now and it will continue to be that way. I will spend my money at retailers that support democrats not repukes. I have gotten alot of people I know doing the same. Most of us are shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond this year. They have plenty to choose from. Their name is a little misleading because some people think it is mostly items such as bath towels, acessories for bathrooms ect. But they have a little of eveything. As far as Walmart goes I hope they lose their a$$!

[K8-EEE]

31. www.coopeamerica.com has GREAT Lib-Friendly Gift Ideas

that you can get online. Great to hear about BBB. Great stocking stuffers there!

I've spend $1,000 so far but I'm almost done and last year I spend about $2400. Factoring in our Xmas dinner which, we have about 12 people over, and the cost of mailing etc.

[Winamericaback]

72. Bad Link n/t

[K8-EEE]

87. Ooops, Sorry For The Typo, Here It Is

www.coopamerica.org

I got my dad a solar phone charger from one of the companies on the green pages....pretty cool!

[madrchsod]

28. wal-mart works on a very thin

profit margin,lower than any other retailer. if they don`t meet that low end 2% they are in trouble because the next 3 months is the dead zone in retailing...doesn`t look good now does it?

[Bullshot]

32. Between the Frontline expose and the general condition of the economy

I would be surprised to hear that retail sales are ahead of expectations.

While I'm ranting, does anybody believe the claim that people buy more for Christmas if there are more days between Thanksgiving and Christmas? I'm one who has a list of people to buy for and I take a day or two to make these purchases. I don't make a point to shop every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as the network stooges claim on their programs.

Last night, a "news" reporter said retailers are concerned about the weather because bad weather means fewer shopping days and lower sales.

[Randers]

86. They are working on 80%+ profit margins

what with all of their Chinese goods - according to Frontline.

Said they used to work with a 20% margin - when using American made goods. (The show also talked about putting many American companies out of business when the companies could not afford to sell at the low prices that Walmart demanded.)

[Mr_Spock]

34. BOYCOTT WALMART - LOOK!!! THEY ARE VULNERABLE!!!!!!!!!!!

These evil bastards:

1. Censor book/video sales based on their idea of family values.

2. Contributed more to Repuke party than ANY other retailer (and almost nothing to the Dems).

3. Lead the race the the bottom RE: ChinaMart - they are making the American consumer consume themselves (ie outsource their own ability to buy the cheap outsourced goods)

4. The stores are FULL of nasty rotten Repuke bigots.

WHY WHY WHY would ANY Democrat or progressive minded person support these jerks. It's almost as bad as watching Faux "News" to "know the enemy"!!

[Maat]

47. And they refuse to prescribe Plan B - the Morning After Pill.

Apparently, they are telling me what I can do with my own body now. Unfrickin' believable!

[Mr_Spock]

48. Can you direct me to an official policy statement on this from WalMart?

If this is true it's just another aggregious offense amongst many. I find it hard to believe that a larger movement against these anti-American trolls isn't being waged at this time. Does the internet take away or suppress people ability to enact change out there in the REAL WORLD?

[KayLaw]

35. Bargain shopping

I saw all those shpoppers on TV and wondered if they weren't just bargain shoppers, rather than, " Hoorah, the economy is fantastic!, shoppers. The ads they put in the papers make Black Friday quite tempting for the person who needs to be bargain shopping.

[AndyTiedye]

36. Target Doesn't Seem to be Doing too Badly (up .24 yesterday)

Maybe people just don't like Walmart anymore.

[whistle]

39. Oh oh, did George W Bush blow that prediction too . . .

. . . throughout the months leading up to the election I thought Dubya was saying, "The economy has turned the corner"? Well it looks like it is headed straight down a dead end!

[sonicx]

40. too bad, so sad...

fuck walmart.

[Demeter]

41. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

How do you like them apples, Mr. Republican? I fart in your general direction!

[spinbaby]

44. Mall wasn't all that crowded today

I snuck in the back way and ducked into the Bon Ton expecting the worst. To my surprise it was only moderately busy and everything seemed to be selling at deep discount. I got two very cute baby sleepers for a gift and checked right out with no wait.

[Sara Beverley]

45. Is our boycott having any affect? Is it catching on across the nation?

Have you put the word out to your family members? Are there any Ukrainians among us?

[katinmn]

50. Friday was national "Don't buy anything day."

I wonder if that had an effect.

We should make every Friday don't shop day. Not that alot of us have a choice.

[schultzee]

61. I bought nothing yesterday.

[Bono71]

51. NBC nightly just reported $8 Billion in sales yesterday...so

Wal-Mart may be down, but retail as a whole did pretty dern well.

[sonicx]

52. relatively, it's not that good...

Noone expects Walmart NOT to rack in billions (barring an act of God or something), but they don't want flat sales growth.

[Erika]

53. YES. Starve the Beast

My whole family agreed for the first time that we would not exchange presents this year. The necessary holiday buying needs will be from Costco.

[hippywife]

60. My family stopped

years ago and this year, finally!, my husband's family is agreeing to stop. I'm so sick of all the rabid consumerism. It's like watching hogs go to the slaughter everytime they show those people waiting outside stores the day after Thanksgiving.

[natrat]

62. i am liking the phone cards for troops in iraq idea

if i can figure out how.

[recovering democrat]

71. Phone cards resource

You can buy phone cards from the Military Exchange site even though you are not in the military, for troops deployed overseas. Try this link to the site:

https://thor.aafes.com/scs/default.aspx

My family does military support, "angel tree" (local program for underprivileged kids) and shop Costco, eBay and when necessary, Sears. Walmart and Sams aren't getting our money!

[NMDemDist2]

78. MCI is giving free long distance to any troops overseas to call home

on the holidays

the wounded at Walter Reed need phone cards tho...

[thebaghwan]

91. I don't advocate shopping Sears. They fuck you on any credit account you

have with them. They raised the interest rate on my sears card because "I had to many credit checks recently". Fuck, I refinanced my house assholes. The same thing happened to my multi-millionaire brother in law. He was here around Christmas time and his wife wanted some sort of sheets so we went to Sears to get them and you could get some sort of deal if you got a Dears card so he applied right there and they turned him down for having to many credit checks. Like this is something you can really control. Sears is just another greedy corporation. Fuck them and all they stand for.

[recovering democrat]

103. Sears issues

Overall, they are not my favorite. However we have a family member how is in the military and try to support to some extent those businesses that do help. Sears is one of few businesses in this country who pay employees who are in reserve units and called up for active duty the difference between their military pay and the job they left for active duty service.

The call-up is a financial hardship on most reservists and this helps.

[jmcgowanjm]

101. WMT has p/e,ttm of24+,historical sp500 12-no growth,no premium

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/charts/big.chart?symb=SP500&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&size=2&state=8&sid=3377&style=320&time=20&freq=2&nosettings=1&rand=9077&mocktick=1&rand=3658

BTW-notice splits coming farther apart.

[Zynx]

63. At the store I work at, we kicked our sales goal's ass.

Hopefully, this is a Walmart specific problem.

[AP]

70. You're at Best Buy, right?

They got tons of free publicity.

[Zynx]

96. No. OfficeMax.

We had about a 16.5% increase in sales year over year at our specific store.

[katinmn]

79. Choose to not participate

some people have been working to starve the beast for a while now. You can get some good ideas for ways to avoid shopping in solidarity with these good folks:

http://www.donotparticipate.org/
http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/
http://www.verdant.net/index.html
:)

[Kindigger]

100. Wow! I'm suddenly in style :)

http://www.verdant.net/index.html

Shameless dumpster divers are cool now. :bounce: :)

[area51]

80. "recovery"

Gee, maybe it's a bit of evidence that we haven't had a recovery @ all. </sarcasm>

[tomreedtoon]

88. Interesting facts about Christmas sales.

First, most stores base their entire year's profitability on Christmas sales. They make 30-40 percent of their profit on Christmas.

Second, the Thanksgiving sales are the main barometer of how the season will go, and consumer confidence in general. Stores start out pricing the merchandise fairly high, hoping that if the mullet are biting, they'll be glad to pay the higher prices.

Third, if the mullet AREN'T biting - as seems to be the case - stores start offering sales in a week or two, cutting prices just to get bodies into the stores. They have to get rid of that inventory somehow, and before the end of the fiscal year.

Fourth, the "day after Thanksgiving sales" are for suckers. They are always crowded, only the most anal-retentive shopping addicts have the endurance to put up with it, and there are no real buys. (Wanna bet that those cheap DVD players will start dying in January?)

My main Christmas presents for my friends were bought in June. I picked up a few more in October. There are a few more I still need to buy, but they're small and custom-made. (Signed CD's by a good comedy music artist, who is currently on vacation.) And that's it!

So, what's Wal-Mart's misfortune will mean lower prices everywhere in the latter weeks of the Christmas season. Just don't spend those bucks at Wal-Mart.

[RevCheesehead]

89. Nah, the Thanksgiving sales are the "early exit polls" of retail...

Expect ANYTHING.

[gorbal]

90. Supposedly higher end retailers were doing well

The lower end didn't do so well. Does anyone know how Costco and Target did?

[lonestarnot]

99. WALMART WANTS YOU!

AND UNCLE SAM TOO!