November sales disappoint retailers

Washington Post ^ | December 4, 2009 | By Ylan Q. Mui

[MaestroLC]

The hordes of Black Friday shoppers weren't enough to save retailers from dispiriting November sales, according to company data released Thursday.

About 30 national chains reported monthly sales at established stores on Thursday, a key measure of the industry's health. Several chains, including Costco and J.C. Penney, performed worse than analysts expected. Retailers said that unseasonably warm weather dampened sales at the beginning of the month. In addition, shoppers saved their cash for post-Thanksgiving deals.

"It was a month that disappointed us and, I think, the industry," said Michael Niemira, chief economist for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group.

[ishabibble]

Thank you for saying this, needs to be said more often.

[Chances Are]

I experienced the same thing on Saturday...

CA....

[2Jedismom]

I was at the mall last night and it was nearly empty. The road in front of it...a busy 4 lane major road that is usually bumper to bumper this time of the year, was no more crowded than on a normal evening. Super Target only had about 1/3 of the parking lot full of cars when we drove by.

One thing I noticed...the restaurants were packed!! The parking lots were full at all the major restaurants! Wonder why?

[a fool in paradise]

Obamalaise

[norraad]

.."said more often";

..2,3,4 , lot's and lot's of crap that isn't even as well made as the crap we already have!

That' why my fav. store is Goodwill, you have to go often, it's like a river, but eventually something really well made from days gone by will arrive for you to take home and treasure for pennies on the dollar.

[SunkenCiv]

I’m going shopping in a minute. Or nine. As soon as I logoff here. Nine o’clock at the latest...

[Jmouse007]

It comes as no surprise, SANE Americans are holding onto what little money they have left with both hands and are NOT doing any major Christmas spending at all, PERIOD:

Obama and his entire MARXIST, SOCIALIST, COMMUNIST administration along with all the MARXIST, SOCIALIST democRATS in both the senate and congress are single-handedly DESTROYING THE ECONOMY with THEIR POLICIES; MILLIONS have lost (or are in the process of losing) their jobs since Obamessiah took over. Obama and his administration have labeled law-abiding Americans "the enemy", while SURRENDERING in Afghanistan and giving our true enemies = Islamic terrorists both here and abroad a free pass!

Thanks to Obama, America has already been successfully attacked by ISLAMIC TERRORISTS for the first time in 8 years! And America is now ripe for further Islamic terrorist attacks, all thanks to Obama and the liberal national security policies of Obama, Holder and the rest of the liberal democRATS.

As if the above isn't enough, Obama DEATH CARE and Obama Cap and TAX are going to DECIMATE the American economy once/if they are approved and enacted. Everyone except for those in political and union power (i.e., FOO [Friends of Obama] are frightened; they are very concerned and have NO CONFIDENCE in Obamessiah the man-boy or ANY of his policies either in country or abroad.

As a direct result of Obamessiah's insane MARXIST, SOCIALIST agenda and policies; the price of gold is going wild/through the roof while at the same time the U.S. dollar is going down the toilet!

In light of ALL of the above, and then some is it any wonder why Americans refuse to "spend, spend, spend"?

[TheThinker]

It will still be down a decent amount. But the thing is, people were going to get their bargains and that’s it. It isn’t like they got a lot of stuff, just the thing they wanted and left.

Yup. They needed those bargains just to have Christmas.

[kcvl]

Is it just me or does this sentence not make any sense at all? Warm weather dampens sales? So if it were cold and snowy more people would have shopped?

It makes perfect sense to me (I'm strange) because I don't like to shop for Christmas until the weather is cold. It doesn't seem like Christmas when it's 70 degrees outside. Today would be a perfect day to shop with 38 degree weather. All that global warming & all. We may even get snow later if we are lucky!

[RetiredArmy]

You apparently have not visited our three local stores. We have not had those 8,000 people lining up for 10 TV sets at $150 each. Sorry, not here.

[RetiredArmy]

My three locals are all 24 hour stores. They have not offered the $150 TVs for dirt and there are no 8,000 people standing outside to storm in and trample people to death. Not here. Maybe where you are, but never here.

[EBH]

Old retailer here. Snow is needed to set the spirit. Doesn’t have to be big, bad snowstorm...but the first snow kinda snow sure helps improve the mood.

Corny...yah. True.

[WVKayaker]

Our stores are all 24 hour stores, but they put shrink wrap around the pallets of BF merchandise, and guarded them until time. I bought several things that day, but did it online. I hate lines.

I didn't see any dirt tv's either, but I was in one of the Winchester stores yesterday and saw a 42" Emerson plasma TV (full 1080) for only $448. I almost bought one, but already have too many tv's. The sales are continuing. I didn't think Wally's excluded anyone from the savings. The fact that you have "three locals" means you are in a major target area. We don't have any tramplings around here either. I think they are reserved for a different demographic.

I went in to get milk, butter, and eggs... and came out with a couple of great gifts, too (can't tell you what I bought, since "someone" might be reading!...)

[RetiredArmy]

Well, I have seen nothing special on special in ours and we are in and out a few days each week these days for various items and things. For ourselves and for our church, and on black friday I was in there between 11:30 and 1 pm and it was d-e-a-d, dead. Maybe 25 people in one of the huge mega grocery type stores. Send some of your specials down here.

[nodumbblonde]

Thanks. All that’s keeping us afloat is ours is a very small business at this point and our overhead is extremely low. Hubby had planned to add an employee or two in order to expand but that’s certainly off the table for the foreseeable future. We’re just glad we waited out the election before making that decision! :/

[DontTreadOnMe2009]

unseasonably warm weather dampened sales

Huh?