retail sales

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Walmart Suffering Biggest-Ever Slump

Execs admit retail giant lost its way

(Newser) - Walmart is suffering its worst-ever slump in US sales and is widely expected to post more disappointing figures when it reports earnings today. Analysts say the retail giant's woes are the result of its failure to follow founder Sam Walton's formula of providing ordinary Americans with "every day low...

Retail Sales Rise for 5th Straight Month

Low inflation, big discounts bring customers to stores

(Newser) - Retail sales rose for a fifth straight month in November, as the biggest jump in department store sales in two years gave the holiday shopping season a strong start. Retail sales increased 0.8% last month, the Commerce Department announced today, beating analyst predictions of a 0.5% increase, according...

Welcome to Cyber Sunday
 Welcome to Cyber Sunday 
Nov 28, 2010 12:20 PM CST

Welcome to Cyber Sunday

Deals are getting earlier, going later

(Newser) - If Black Friday wasn't enough for you, and Cyber Monday seems just too far away, say hello to Cyber Sunday, reports MSNBC. While one Best Buy marketing honcho thinks Cyber Monday remains a "really viable marketing concept," chains including his are getting an early start today, seeking to...

Reasons to Bet Against a Double-Dip Recession
Reasons to Bet Against
a Double-Dip Recession
OPINION
Jul 19, 2010 3:34 PM CDT

Reasons to Bet Against a Double-Dip Recession

Data don't support hysterical headlines

(Newser) - Fears of a double-dip recession is running high, but economic data suggest that they are unfounded. Writing in the Wall Street Journal , Milton Ezrati of the money management firm Lord Abbett explains:
  1. The consumer is regaining strength: A 1.4% decline in retail sales for May gave rise to double-dip
...

Teens Are Spending Again at the Mall

Sales are up, a promising sign for recovery

(Newser) - One of the retail industry's best friends is back: the teenage mall shopper. For two straight months, stores that cater to young consumers have beat sales expectations. One of the leaders, Abercrombie & Fitch, even snapped a 20-month streak in the red by posting an 8% sales increase in January....

Wal-Mart Black Barbie Price Cut Sparks Uproar

Sends harmful message, say activists

(Newser) - Wal-Mart has dropped the price of a black Barbie doll in a move that's raising a ruckus. "Both are great dolls," carefully emphasized a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. But the price was cut $2 for a black Ballerina Teresa Barbie from the $5.93 for the white version because the...

Dow Climbs 27 as Year-End Rally Weakens
 Dow Climbs 27 as 
 Year-End Rally Weakens 
MARKETS
Dec 28, 2009 3:15 PM CST

Dow Climbs 27 as Year-End Rally Weakens

Mastercard reports better-than-expected holiday sales

(Newser) - Stocks faltered but managed to reclaim most of the day's gains in the final hour of today's session. The day saw light trading volume and news of a bump in retail sales from MasterCard's SpendingPulse unit, the Wall Street Journal reports.
  • The Dow gained 26.98 points to close at
...

Holiday Sales Up 3.6%
 Holiday Sales Up 3.6% 
Dec 28, 2009 3:29 AM CST

Holiday Sales Up 3.6%

Online spending surge fuels modest recovery

(Newser) - Retail holiday sales ticked up this year for a 3.6% improvement over 2008's disastrous showing. The modestly improved overall picture included a 15.5% surge in online shopping, thanks in part to snowstorms that stranded many shoppers at home the week before Christmas, as well as an almost 6%...

Credit Reform May Drain $9B in Holiday Sales

Consumer protections result in lower limits, less spending

(Newser) - The impending enactment of new credit card law is poised to rob retailers of $9 billion in holiday sales compared to last year. The law, designed to protect consumers from rates being raised on the sly and sneaky fees, already has led to lower credit limits and more rejected applications...

Dow Up 66 as Consumer Optimism Lifts Stocks

Retail sales beat expectations in November

(Newser) - Stocks ended today's session mixed, with the Dow posting solid gains. Alcoa saw a. 8% jump on an optimistic profit estimate by JPMorgan, and the University of Michigan/Reuters December consumer sentiment index beat expectations, the Wall Street Journal reports.
  • The Dow rose 65.67 points to close at 10,471.
...

Sales Rise Even Though Shoppers Spend Less
 Sales Rise Even Though 
 Shoppers Spend Less 
thanksgiving weekend
Nov 29, 2009 4:58 PM CST

Sales Rise Even Though Shoppers Spend Less

$41.2B weekend total beats 2008 haul by $1.2B

(Newser) - Thanksgiving weekend retail sales totaled $41.2 billion, a .5% jump over last year's $41 billion, but the average shopper spent 8% less than in 2008, $343.31 against $372.57. Discounts, especially on electronics and toys, were the overwhelming attraction as cautious consumers pried open their wallets, Bloomberg reports....

Holiday Shipping Costs Get the Heave-Ho-Ho

Charges ditched as online competition heats up

(Newser) - Free shipping is quickly becoming the rule instead of a bonus as online and catalog retailers seek to lure holiday shoppers. Many shoppers searching for deals now abandon Internet shopping sites as soon as they find they must pay shipping costs, analysts are finding. Some 57% of retailers are offering...

Wal-Mart Enters Coffin Biz
 Wal-Mart Enters 
 Coffin Biz 
Oct 30, 2009 2:08 AM CDT

Wal-Mart Enters Coffin Biz

Funeral homes face competition from discount caskets

(Newser) - America's leading big-box store is now also a pine box store. Wal-Mart has started selling a range of discount coffins on its website and plans to expand its death products to include pet urns and memorial jewelry. Prices start at just $895 for a steel coffin. Funeral home owners say...

Outlook Bleak for Holiday Hiring

Pessimistic retailers plan to slash seasonal jobs

(Newser) - Retail jobs are expected to be in short supply even as the holiday shopping season approaches, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some 40% of retail chains surveyed say they plan to hire fewer workers this year than they did last year when the recession forced many to cut staffing levels....

Dow Up 56 on Bernanke, Retail
 Dow Up 56 on Bernanke, Retail 
MARKETS
Sep 15, 2009 3:22 PM CDT

Dow Up 56 on Bernanke, Retail

'Clunkers' boosts sales, NY manufacturing up

(Newser) - Stocks posted solid advances after Ben Bernanke said it was “very likely” that the recession is over, the Wall Street Journal reports. Economic reports showed retail sales gaining 2.7% last month, largely because of the “Cash for Clunkers” program, while the Fed’s index of NY manufacturing...

Toys R Us Pumped Up for Holiday Offensive

Chain plans to open 80 temporary stores in time for holiday shopping season

(Newser) - Toys R Us is getting ready to go on the offensive in the battle for holiday sales, the Washington Post reports. The company—which snapped up the KB Toys and FAO Schwarz brands earlier this year—plans to open 80 temporary "Holiday Express" stores in malls across the country,...

Beer Prices Going Up
 Beer Prices Going Up 
Aug 25, 2009 4:23 PM CDT

Beer Prices Going Up

(Newser) - The nation’s largest brewers plan to raise beer prices in the fall, the Wall Street Journal reports. Anheuser-Busch InBev—maker of Budweiser—and MillerCoors will further test the notion that beer is generally recession-proof. “The environment is very favorable, we think,” says an Anheuser exec. Both companies...

Lousy Retail Sales Will Delay Recovery

Recession isn't over as far as consumers are concerned

(Newser) - If the recession is indeed waning, nobody told consumers. Retailers of every kind reported lousy sales for the quarter ended Aug. 1, the Wall Street Journal reports. Target’s same-store sales fell 6.2%, Home Depot’s dropped 9.1% and Saks’ plummeted a whopping 15.5%. And with unemployment,...

Retail Gains Drive Dow Up 83
 Retail Gains Drive Dow Up 83 
MARKETS
Aug 18, 2009 3:15 PM CDT

Retail Gains Drive Dow Up 83

Signs of life from the consumer help stocks rebound

(Newser) - Positive retail reports helped get stocks back on track today after recent declines, the Wall Street Journal reports. Home Depot, Target, and Saks saw smaller-than-expected declines in quarterly profit, while discount chain TJX reported a 31% gain. The Dow rose 82.60 to close at 9,217.94. The Nasdaq...

Back to School Sales in Slump
 Back to School Sales in Slump 
Aug 15, 2009 5:20 AM CDT

Back to School Sales in Slump

(Newser) - Retailers are seeing the slowest back-to-school season in many years as consumers cling to their cash, the New York Times reports. Estimates on sales, an early indicator of how stores will fare in the holiday season, show declines of 3 to 8% from last year, which saw a 1% increase....

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