Retailers Post Robust Start to Holidays

AP via MyWay ^ | Nov 24, 10:32 PM (ET) | ANNE D'INNOCENZIO

[ECM]

NEW YORK (AP) - The nation's retailers had a robust start to the holiday shopping season, according to results announced Saturday by a national research group that tracks sales at retail outlets across the country.

According to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets, total sales rose 8.3 percent to about $10.3 billion on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, compared with $9.5 billion on the same day a year ago. ShopperTrak had expected an increase of no more than 4 percent to 5 percent.

"This is a really strong number. ... You can't have a good season unless it starts well," said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak, citing strength across all regions. "It's very encouraging. When you look at September and October, shoppers weren't in the stores."

[martin_fierro]

Actually heard a line like this on CBS News last nite:

"Retail sales were up 4% from last year, but the increase was the smallest in nine years."

Translation: "This silver lining has a cloud!"

[neodad]

The template will now be that “strong sales due to heavily discounted merchandise.”

[neodad]

In an apparent sign of desperation, the nation's stores ushered in the official start of the holiday shopping season on Friday with expanded hours, including midnight openings, and a blitz of early morning specials that were more generous than a year ago

Found it further in the article.

[ChocChipCookie]

Well, I did my part at the mall yesterday.

[garylmoore]

And they thought that they would cripple us by raising the price of gas!

[dufekin]

With the internet providing pricing information to potential consumers, merchants no longer can afford to increase prices during the commercial season.

[therut]

You mean the MSM hacks were wrong again. But as we know the damage they did is already done.

[Democrat_media]

Actually heard a line like this on CBS News last nite:

"Retail sales were up 4% from last year, but the increase was the smallest in nine years."

Translation: "This silver lining has a cloud!"

The liberal media and liberal CBS lied again."total sales rose 8.3 percent to about $10.3 billion on Friday,"

That's 8.3% not 4%, CBS.

[Flavius]

they better pump that news out

[AZLiberty]

I didn't start shopping until around 10 am Thanksgiving Friday, but I was a little surprised how light the traffic was. In Tempe, Costco was underpopulated, if anything, with no line longer than 2 people and the parking lot less full than a typical Saturday. Target was also not very busy. Wal*Mart was the exception, with Saturday-like traffic, but nothing special.

Perhaps this is specific to place and time, but I'm guessing this year is the tipping point. So much shopping will be done online that brick-and-mortar retailers will really start to feel the pain. Black Friday isn't going to look so black for offline stores.

[fightinJAG]

But I thought the economy stunk.

[MNJohnnie]

Try actually reading the story it is 180 degrees in opposition to your assessment.

[Iron Munro]

I read the story too but what I saw and experienced is similar to what poster 11 was saying.

Friday AM road traffic was exceptionally light and in the local Target there were more employees than customers - no exageration.
Almost all the POS stations were staffed but only one cashier had a customer and groups of employees were making jokes about the lack of business.
The nearby WalMart wasn’t as busy as on a regular Friday AM and there was no waiting for checkout (unusual).

Saturday AM there was only very light traffic on the roads - much lighter than a normal Saturday morning.
Again in Target there were almost no customers and employees were standing around in groups without a customer in sight.
I walked the length of the main asile and didn’t meet one other shopper.

On the other hand the local paper and TV news reported big crowds and high sales for Friday.
Maybe the shoppers were concentrating on big ticket electronics at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. in the morning when I was out and hit the other stores and malls later on in the day when I wasn’t.

[MNJohnnie]

Anecdotal hearsay evidence does NOT trump hard fact. This is the problem I have with the Freeper Doom and Gloom choir. They insist on clinging to their personal economic dogmas rather then objectively deal with the facts

[dakine]

There’s a fire in Calif...go harass those folks....

[A_Tradition_Continues]

But I thought the economy stunk.

To be a crappy economy things here in NW Indiana are really busy. In the last 30 days we have seen a new Kohl's open up, a new Menards open, and several new restaurants open. In the last 60 days we've had a Cabella's open and within the last 6 months even a Pro Bass Shop. Seems like new offices and retail buildings are popping up over night.

What I find amazing is that the economy really is somewhat depressed around here. This is old steel mill country. There have been no new trades jobs created, just service and retail jobs paying in the area of $6.50/hr.

[Proudcongal]

Hmm, I guess it depends on where you are. We visited my mother in North Georgia for Thanksgiving and early Friday my brother had to run out to Walmart and complained to us how he had to park at the outter end of the lot and people were trying to beat him to the door and stuff. Later in the day I went there with my husband and kids and it was likewise busy. Couldn’t even push a cart down an aisle without running into “cart” roadblocks.