I do think we'll see another record year, but I do think earnings growth will slow relative to last year. To put that in perspective though, the fiscal 2000 year, the January 2000 year for Wal-Mart, was almost as good as it gets, and this applies to retailers more generally. The economy was great; the consumer felt terrific. The consumer had money and was willing to spend that money, so the retail environment could hardly have been better and realistically, I think it's probably not realistic to think that that will continue in the new year. |
I think they can keep it going because they offer the consumer exceptional values. And in an economy where the consumer may be a bit more cautious and therefore a bit more price sensitive, I think those values become even more important. So, yes, I'm optimistic about the sector. |
I'm a convert, and I wasn't necessarily an easy one. What I've found is that it not only saves me money, it saves me a lot of time. It's a very easy shopping trip. I'm convinced it saves me trips to the supermarket. |
It seems Rite Aid made an announcement and people started speculating. |
It's very easy to be a little bit off the mark. And going into new categories, you multiply that risk a little bit. |
The number of weddings has been fairly stable over time, but the story with David's is they have a better mousetrap in my opinion. ...It makes the shopping experience much easier. So what they've done is they have created a format that is very consumer friendly and solves a lot of problems for the bride-to-be, and they've been able to roll this out. And as a result, they've been gaining market share. |
They are more popular than they once were. They are gaining market share. I think consumers have gotten it ? they recognize value. If they've got a hook to get someone in there, they've got a very good chance of making that person a member for life. |