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- Longer Lines, Fuller Carts This Black Friday
- Dubai Stock Market Fear Has 'Legs': Dennis Gartman
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- Abu Dhabi Will Aid Debt-Fraught Dubai 'Case by Case'
- Banks With The Biggest Exposure to The UAE
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- Next Week: Cash In Now Or Wait For A Santa Rally?
- Dubai Stock Selloff May Bring Buying Opportunity
- Longer Lines, Fuller Carts This Black Friday
- Big US Banks May Be Forced to Raise Capital: Bove
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MOST SHARED
This blog will look at the winners and losers in the retail space. Who has the right strategy to capture consumer dollars? It also will look for trends in consumer spending and how that will impact the economy.
Folks weren't kidding when they said they were going to make a budget this holiday season.
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A recent survey by BIGResearch found more than half of Americans are sticking to their budget this holiday season. Nearly a third — about 29.6 percent — said they are being even more thrifty than they imagined and are under budget. Only 13.8 percent of those surveyed said they are overspending.
This is just another bit of tough news for retailers, who were handed a blow by Mother Nature this weekend. Storms dumped snow across the nation, making it hard in some areas for all but the most intrepid shoppers to hit the mall. This will likely result in a 5 percent drop in customer traffic, according to Planalytics.
The timing couldn't be much worse. ShopperTrak RCT said the final weekend before Christmas typically accounts for 11.5 percent of all holiday shopping.
More on Retail:
- Shoppers Bring Haggling Skills to The Mall
- Walgreen Profit Misses, Slows Growth Plan
- Deep Discounts Unlikely to Salvage Retail Sales
Things may be particularly hard for retailers in the Northeast. According to Weather Trends International, this was the snowiest pre-Christmas week in the region in more than 20 years.
JP Morgan analysts said there are several retailers that may be more at risk than others because of the bad weather. These retailers, according to a report by CNBC's Margaret Brennan, include Children's Place [PLCE
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], Aeropostale [ARO
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], J. Crew [JCG
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], Tiffany [TIF
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]and TJX Companies [TJX
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].
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Meanwhile, for those procrastinators whose shopping plans were stymied by the snow, take heart. More retailers than ever are going to be burning the midnight oil in a last-ditch effort to win sales. Hours are being extended late into the evening, or in some cases, abandoned for 24-hour marathons at select locations. Macy's [M
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], Wal-Mart [WMT
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], and Toys R Us are among those who are using this strategy.
This may give consumers a chance to catch up on the shopping they missed, unless, of course they're more worried about sticking to their budget.
Gift Guides
- Sports Holiday Gift Guide
- Geek Chic: 10 Cool Gifts for Gadget Lovers
- Stupid or Cool? Check Out These 12 Weird Gift Ideas.
- Good Luck Finding These Hot Holiday Toys
- Luxury Gifts: Blinging in the Holidays
- Hottest Digital Cameras for Your Budget
- The Green Holiday Gift Guide
- These four sectors will be the next to lead the market.
- Zhu Zhu Pets are this year's must-have toy, fetching $40 or more on eBay.
- From the why-didn’t-I-think-of-that file, we present Jason Sadler, a man whose job is wearing T-shirts.
- It may be the most unusual guide to business you'll read.
- Shopping for a gadget hound? The choices can be baffling. Here are a few that should be a hit.
- "The Who" will be the halftime act for Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7 in Miami. Is the NFL behind the times?













