This holiday is definitely a boost for retailers, thanks to the 25 - 34 year-old age group. Restaurants and bars will benefit greatly from this group's increased spending power. |
Though a large percentage of shopping has been completed, many sales have not been recorded due to heavy purchasing of gift cards, which are not recorded until merchandise is redeemed. Most consumers will have their shopping completed by Christmas Day, but will head out after Christmas to take advantage of discounted merchandise and spend gift cards. |
Though many consumers are more financially comfortable now than they were a year ago, they are still looking for great prices and savings on gifts and everyday merchandise. The retailers that succeed this holiday season will be those that continue to focus on sales and promotions to drive traffic. |
Wal-Mart gets more than 100 million customers a week. It's still growing its sales double-digit every year. |
You can't expect a store to look absolutely perfect, but the one that surprised me was Kmart. Kmart isn't a flea market-type store. It needs to do a much better job in making its store more attractive to customers. |