[xcamel]

Hmmm... and Amazon had the best year ever....

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Yep. And don’t ignore the weather. For a large chunk of the shopping season 2/3rds of the US was buried under ice or snow. I went out to the mall on Christmas eve - around 2 PM - to do some last minute shopping. The mall was empty, but that’s not because of the lack of gifts (gauging from the number of UPS and Fedex trucks in front of the neighbor’s houses) - it was due to 12” of snow on the ground and simply impassible roads around here.

A little thaw today, and the mall was packed...

[Phinanceguy]

No kidding. Remember, gift card sales and internet buying are NOT included in holiday spending totals. Old line, figures lie and liars......comes to mind.Dumb down everything. It will make Osama bin Biden look good.

[FlyVet]

Amazon has killer deals, if you have patience. I've bought a lot of things from them, and so far, no problems. Early this year I got a Sony 15" powered subwoofer from them for $160, no tax, free shipping. Other dealers wanted over $300, plus shipping and handling.

The trick is to put your "want" items on a list, and check the prices a few times a week. If you're willing to wait for months, there will be an unannounced ridiculous price drop on that item, sometimes 50% or more.

I guess it depends on what kind of truckload deals they are able to obtain from the manufacturer.

[cherry]

I think Walmart and Fred Meyer here on the West coast did well....stores were packed....the economy is not so bad where I live...eastern washington.....