Sales Sucked This Year, So Stimulate The Economy By Taking Advantage Of These Post Xmas Sales

For stores, a very un-merry holiday
Sales during the crucial year-end shopping season evaporated as economic woes trumped gift-buying enthusiasm among consumers. By Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney.com senior writer



The 2008 holiday sales season is one of the worst for retailers in decades, as consumers' concerns about the economy and job losses crushed the typical year-end shopping exuberance. 'I don't see any reason for retailers to be rejoicing at all," said Britt Beemer, chairman and founder of America's Research Group.

Among the early sales tallies, new estimates from MasterCard Inc.'s SpendingPulse Data service indicated that total store sales fell about 3% in November and December combined. That would be significantly worse than the forecast from the National Retail Federation (NRF), which anticipated a 2.2% gain for the period.

The NRF's projection would still be the weakest holiday sales gain in six years. Beemer said he expects holiday sales to decline about 2.8%. The fourth-quarter shopping period is critical for merchants since it can account for as much as 50% of their annual profit and sales. And since consumer spending also fuels two-thirds of economic activity, any signals of a severe pullback in discretionary buying also doesn't bode well for the overall economy.

"A difficult economic environment combined with unfavorable weather during the last week of shopping made 2008 one of the most challenging holiday shopping seasons in decades," Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis for SpendingPulse, said in the report. SpendingPulse's estimates are based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network, combined with estimates for all other payment options, including cash and check. Based on those numbers, the firm said total clothing purchases in November and December dropped by as much as 21% over last year while purchases of electronics tumbled by 26% over last year.

"Sales above $1,000 have been a consistent drag on this sector throughout the season," McNamara said. The report said luxury sales showed the largest year-over-year decline, down by more than 34% over last year.

Even online purchases, which had shown year-over-year sales growth since the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, took a hit this year as consumers curtailed their spending in all retail channels. SpendingPulse numbers showed overall Web-based holiday sales fell 2.3% versus a year ago.

Separately, a report last week from sales tracker ComScore said Web-based holiday shopping fell for the first time in seven years. One retail analyst fears that although the holiday shopping season is winding down, the worst isn't yet over for merchants . "January [sales] will just collapse," said Richard Hastings, consumer strategist with Global Hunter Securities. Hastings had forecast a 6 to 8% sales decline for the three months of November through January. He said January has become an important sales month over the past few years because retailers look to clear leftover merchandise and redeem the gift cards given over the holiday season. But not this year, according to Hastings.

The NRF forecasted a 6% drop in holiday gift card sales as a shaky retail environment, accented by a rising number of bankruptcies, made consumers nervous about whether a merchant would still be around in 2009 to make good on the cards. . What's more, Hastings said there's no enthusiasm to shop if you really don't need anything. "The layoffs will continue into 2009. People realize that and it's making them nervous about spending money," he said.

So.......... how to make the best of this lousy news? try taking advantage of some of the after christmas online sales:

After Christmas Online Sale #1: Macmall.com

At Macmall.com you will be able to save up to 44% off Apple systems as they put on their Year End Clearance & Tax Savings Sale. The Apple iPods are also available at discount pricing and free engraving is offered for the case. Some are available for free shipping

After Christmas Online Sale #2: Homedepot.com

The online home building company will be offering online rebates that will include up to $300 off GE appliances and up to 30% off products made by Dirt Devil. All Christmas items will be offered at 50% - 60% off regular prices. Sale is good until December 31st.

After Christmas Online Sale #3: Walmart.com

Sales start at WalMart on December 26th and go until supplies are gone. Expect to see deep discounts up to 80% on lines of jewelry, appliances and toys. And don't forget those Christmas decorations that you need for next year, get them now at this After Christmas online sale.

After Christmas Online Sale #4: Macys.com

Macy's After Christmas Online Sale will include items from the jewelry department, bedding, kitchen and appliances. You will be able to get great household goods at up to 75% off retail prices. And they will also have women's clothing heavily discounted as they have a lot if inventory that needs to be moved.

After Christmas Online Sale #5: Target.com
Target's After Christmas online sale will start December 26th and will continue until all the supplies are gone. Expect to see great deals on Nintendo DS games at $25 each, and up to 60% off toys and 75% off select Christmas decorations and kitchen items. You will be able to get 90% off of GO designer Jonathan Saunder's collection which they are phasing out to make way for a new designer. There will also be deep discounts on appliances.

After Christmas Online Sale #6: Sears.com

Go to Sears.com for discounts on fine jewelry of up to 70% off, and home appliances and some clothing lines will be discounted the same. If you are going to get in shape for the New Year then treadmills will be on sale at 40% off. Watch Sears.com though, some sites say that even further discounts will be coming on New Year's day.

After Christmas Online Sale #7: Circuit City.com

The After Christmas Online Sale is mixed in with the need to liquidate for this bankrupt electronics store. Word is that they bought way too much inventory for the holiday season and now they have to move it. That means deep, deep discounts both online and at the brick and-mortar stores. While discount percentages are not posted yet, you can expect to see amazing deals on laptops, TV's, DVRs and digital cameras.

These are just some of the deals that you can expect to see in cyber-world for the After Christmas Online sales. Many retailers will be offering deep discounts in the days following Christmas as they try to move 2008 stock. Shop carefully, start early, know what you want and get it at the best prices you are likely to see at the After Christmas Online Sales.
Those above were brought to you by Associated Content.

and more, according to the US World and News reports:
J.C. Penney announced it will open at 5:30 a.m. the day after Christmas—the earliest opening in the store's history—and offer 100 door-buster specials, including 50 to 60 percent off private-label clothing for men and women, as well as 75 percent off Christmas decorations. The general merchandiser is offering a free wake-up call so that shoppers don't miss the sale.

The savings and values at Toys "R" Us stores will stretch into the New Year. Some of the items that will be available from Dec. 26, 2008, through Jan. 3, 2009, include 75 percent off a 1.60 Scale X-Trek Pro 15' Race Track Set; 60 percent off certain table games; 50 percent off some Hannah Montana Dolls; and 20 percent off all iPod cases and headphones.

Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest book retailer, is offering thousands of books at 50 to 90 percent off for its "After Holiday Warehouse Clearance Sale." Discounts are also available on music, DVDs, toys, video games, journals, calendars, and albums.

KB Toys announced Monday that it will be closing its doors for good and has launched a liquidation sale at all 461 of its KB Toys, KB Toy Outlet, KB Toys Holiday, and KB Toy Works stores. Sales at KB Toys stores will begin at 40 percent off regular prices.

The bath products retailer Bath and Body Works is having an after-holiday sale of up to 50 percent off on products including body lotions, shower gels, hand creams, and fragrances.

Kohl's is having a huge clearance of 60 to 80 percent off on men's, women's, and children's clothing.

Even luxury retailer Neiman Marcus will be offering steep discounts with its After Christmas Sale. Shoppers can find sales on women's, men's, and children's designer apparel, as well as designer shoes, handbags, and jewelry. Neiman Marcus will be offering an extra 40 percent off already-reduced prices.

Forbes has recommended these after Christmas sales as well:

Leron, New York, Jan. 5-Feb. 7
A queen-sized set of Leron's of hand-milled and -stitched sheets takes nearly a year to produce. That's why it's unusual that the linen company is offering 20% savings on a wide selection of custom bed, bath and table linens, as well as lingerie. There also will be up to a 60% discount on many one-of-a-kind items. Those who spend $1,000 at the sale get a $100 gift card for Feb. 9-April 30 purchases.For more information, visit www.leron.com.

Louis Boston, located on Newbury Street in a gorgeous old mansion that was formerly the Boston Natural History Museum, will begin its only holiday sale Jan. 7, where all fall items will be 50% off. Designers include runway favorites like Marni, Balenciaga and The Row, designed by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. For more information, visit www.louisboston.com.

Blackbird, Seattle and Online, Dec. 26-mid-January
This popular boutique predominantly features menswear, with a bit of utilitarian women's wear and home goods sprinkled in for good measure. Fall and winter items will be discounted by 25% to 75% starting Dec. 26. Feature sale items include Acne Jeans' PVC-coated cotton lace-ups for men, Julius' waxed cotton gabardine military-style coat and Comme des Garcons cowhide wallets in several colors. Other brands include Nom de Guerre, Band of Outsiders, Filippa K, A.P.C. and Opening Ceremony.For more information, visit www.blackbirdballard.com.

High-fashion discounter Yoox.com--which has sold everything from vintage to in-season Maison Martin Margiela in the past--is giving an extra 50% off certain already-reduced items, including pieces from Italian glitz label Versace and French progressive design collective Surface to Air. But the Web site, based in Italy, is not desperate to offload inventory before the holidays. While more items will go on sale starting Dec. 26, Yoox's discounts will apply only to about a quarter of its total inventory.

Jeffrey, Atlanta and New York, Dec. 26-mid-January
Known best for its combination of hard-to-find designers and relentlessly friendly customer service, Jeffrey will offer up to 50% off selected fall '08 ready-to-wear garments and shoes, such as Brian Atwood platforms and Prada pumps.For more information, visit www.jeffreyatlanta.com.

Calypso Home, Bal Harbour, Fla., Santa Monica, Calif., and New York, Dec. 26-mid-January
Designer Christian Celle's colorful silk shantung dresses continue to create rabid female fans of all ages. After the holidays, you'll find discounts up to 60% off everything from pillows to blankets to wall hangings from Celle's collection.For more information, visit www.calypso-celle.com.

Red Stamp Stationary, Online, Dec. 25-Jan. 15
Stock up on holiday cards for next year at this online stationers' annual sale, which will offer 20%-60% discounts on holiday trimmings (including gift wrap, tags, bags and ribbons), holiday cards and stationery, as well as 2009 calendars, agendas and desk accessories. For more information, visit www.redstamp.com.


Now, here are a few After Christmas Sales that I recommend:

Garnet Hill has the best bath towels I've ever bought. Nice and heavy and now 30% off here


Bluefly's Winter Sale:


Design Her Gals Boxing Day Special


Artful Home's Studio Sale:


Room & Board's Annual Clearance Sale


Happy Sale Shopping!

The Latest On Holiday Shopping & Spending

Amazon.com, EBay Shares Fall as Online Shopping Slows
By Joseph Galante

Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc., EBay Inc. and other retailers fell in U.S. trading as cash-strapped consumers limited their Internet holiday purchases of leather coats and high-definition televisions while waiting for better bargains.

Internet sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 11 increased 19 percent to $20.5 billion, Reston, Virginia-based ComScore Inc. said late yesterday. Online purchases in November and December may advance 20 percent, a record low for the industry, and slower than the 26 percent pace of a year earlier.

U.S. retailers may see the worst sales growth this holiday season since 2002 as shoppers grapple with $3-a-gallon gasoline and consumer prices that rose the most in more than two years in November. Target Corp., Kohl's Corp. and J.C. Penney Co. have responded with discounts of 50 percent or more to lure customers.

``It could be challenging for our ecommerce companies to outperform expectations'' this quarter, Robert Peck, an analyst at Bear Stearns Cos. in New York, said in a note today.

U.S. retailers' shares have dropped during the holiday season, with the Standard & Poor's 500 Retailing Index falling 11 percent since the start of November, compared with a 5.3 percent decline on the S&P 500.



Amazon.com, the world's largest online retailer, decreased $3.32, or 3.6 percent, to $89.08 at 4 p.m. in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. EBay, the largest global auctioneer, dropped $1.39, or 4.1 percent, to $32.70, and Circuit City Stores Inc. fell 59 cents, or 8 percent, to $6.82.

Internet Sales

Internet sales, which make up more than 3 percent of total retail sales, may be the fastest-growing retail channel this holiday season. Online sales may increase to $29.5 billion in November and December from $24.6 billion a year ago, ComScore predicted.

``In a rapidly growing market like ecommerce, very high growth rates become more difficult to sustain as the market gets bigger,'' ComScore spokesman Andrew Lipsman said in an e- mail. ``It doesn't mean the growth rate this year is necessarily a sign of weakness.''

The slowdown contrasts with government data that showed U.S. retail sales in November rose at twice the rate anticipated by economists.

Retail sales increased 1.2 percent in November, the Commerce Department said in Washington yesterday. That followed a 0.2 percent gain in October, the U.S. agency said.



Shopper Visits

Sales fell 2.7 percent in the seven days through Dec. 8, following a 4.4 percent decline a week earlier, Chicago-based research firm ShopperTrak RCT Corp. said this week. About 12 percent fewer shoppers visited stores last week, compared with the same period a year ago, ShopperTrak said.

Consumers are completing their holiday shopping later than usual, and they're trimming purchases to pay more for food and fuel. The National Retail Federation in Washington forecast a 4 percent increase in holiday sales this year.

While the Monday after Thanksgiving is promoted as Cyber Monday because of a pattern of higher online shopping, days closer to Christmas had purchases totaling more.

Last year, Cyber Monday was the 12th-heaviest online shopping day, while Dec. 13 had the biggest sales, according to data from ComScore.



Profit Margins

Stores may further reduce prices, hurting profit margins, to lure customers seeking bargains. Target, the second-largest U.S. discount chain, and J.C. Penney, the nation's third- biggest department-store company, missed analysts' sales estimates for November. CompUSA, the 23-year-old computer retailer, said Dec. 7 it will shut down after the holidays.

Office Depot Inc., the world's second-largest office- supplies chain, forecast ``continued erosion'' of sales and earnings in the current quarter because of declining demand from corporate customers.

Purchases at Office Depot and Staples Inc., its larger rival, have slowed as small businesses and consumers buy fewer copiers and furniture during the worst housing slump since 1991.

U.S. consumer prices increased 0.8 percent in November, up from 0.3 percent the previous month, on higher food and energy costs, the Labor Department said today in Washington.

To contact the reporter on this story: Joseph Galante in New York at jgalante3@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: December 14, 2007 16:16 EST

It's black friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.

Perhaps I can help?

Today is purported to be the biggest shopping day of the year. Some stores opened their doors at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m., others had people camping out the night before. According to early news reports this morning, Nintendo Wii, Zune and other mp 3 players as well as games like Halo 3 and gadgets like iphones and ipods are the hot sellers.


A Wal-Mart shopper loads up her cart with Black Friday bargains.


Midnight shoppers rush into the Altamonte Mall in Florida.


The parking lot at the Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga, Tenn., was 85 percent full shortly after 9 a.m.

If you are one of those sane people who, rather than getting your car door dinged by a thoughtless shopper in a crowded parking lot or losing your cell phone in the local mall, would prefer to shop from the comfort of your home and personal computer, then I am here to help.

Nowadays, most of the 'great deals' people are clamoring for the day after Thanksgiving in malls are also available online.

And the savvy shopper does better to buy out of state (no tax) and find an online coupon code for free shipping!

I suggest checking these sites before you hit the 'check out' button to be sure you're not missing out on any promo codes or special deals:

http://www.keycode.com
http://www.retailmenot.com
http://www.dealhack.com
http://www.fatwallet.com
http://www.edealfinder.com
http://www.couponmountain.com
http://www.couponcabin.com/
http://www.couponheaven.com/
http://www.dealcatcher.com/
http://www.onlinepromotioncodes.com/
http://www.currentcodes.com/


First and foremost, The Apple Store (who rarely ever has a sale) does have a sale today. AND Only today!

Apple gifts this year, you had better act fast--the sale is of the one-day variety. Highlights include $51 or $101 off MacBooks and iMacs (sadly, you're out of luck if you're trying to justify a MacBook Pro purchase), $21 off the AirPort Extreme Base Station, and $21 off the iPhone Bluetooth Headset. Three iPods are on sale: you'll save $31 on an iPod Classic and $11 on either the Nano or the Shuffle. Lots of other products and accessories are on sale. See them all here.
So now's the time to get that iphone or ipod.



Click here to go to the apple store online sale.

Go here to see Jonathan Blum choices for the top ten tech toys this year.

Watch a CNN video on hot toys this christmas season here.

Check out Buy.com (they have great deals all year and even better today). Especially on things like external hard drives and Zune media players, as well as books and tvs!

Got a serious Sports Fanatic in the house? According to Money Magazine's Charles Passy, Noah Rothbaum and Wilson Rothman, here are The greatest gifts ever for sports fanatics....

My personal top 5 choices for gifts that no one would return:

For anyone, male or female, young or old, the following five gifts are my favorite things to give this season.

1. The Flip Video Ultra 30 minute recorder


Above: The Flip Video Ultra, a pocket sized video camcorder (available with 30 minutes of recording time or 60 minutes). Even my grandmother can use this one. Record and plug it into the tv (cord comes with) or into the computer via the built in usb.
This rocks! I bought four earlier this year and am giving them to my whole family (who are not tech savvy!)

Here's a money saving hint. No one really needs 60 minutes of recording time unless you are making an actual movie. So if it's just for "you tube" fun or to see keep up with your growing nephews and nieces, get them the 30 minute recorder.. they will be thrilled.

Available online at www.theflip.com or target, toys r us, amazon, buy.com, etc.
Be sure to check out all the stores, prices vary on this one. Also available in black or colors.

2. Netflix movie rentals and instant computer movie downloads.



So easy, affordable and who doesn't rent DVDs? Plus the options for the amount of time or number of rentals makes it easy to purchase this for anyone regardless of how much you want to spend.

How it works:(click to enlarge)

Buy it here.

3. Pottery Barn's Fabulous Fur Throws on sale today only!!!!!!!!!!



I get so many compliments on the luxurious feel of this throw from men and women everytime they visit and see it !
Comes in four nice options. Usually $150.00, it's on sale WITH FREE SHIPPING today only for $99.00
Buy it now.

4. Money no object? Spoil your child or yourself with the $345.00 PLEO by Ugobe.

Learn more about this adorable interactive toy here.

5. A Bluefly gift certificate.



Lots of people have heard of Bluefly but haven't actually checked it out. They are unaware that in addition to having designer clothes at a discounted price they carry great home decor items like Thomas Paul Pillows and luxury bedding at prices that are hard to beat anywhere. Shoes are a great find here as well...and as many items for men as women.

And for Project Runway fans, they actually sell the "wall of accessories" here. Luxury and designer handbags, belts and more.

Also, a bonus is that no one makes it easier to return items than Bluefly. They provide you with the free return sticker, just put it in the box, seal it up and set it out for the postman. Costs you nothing and you get full return credit.

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Ready to hit some of the stores who have sales and free shipping today?
Here are a few you can access from the comfort of your home instead of braving the heinous crowds.

Click away...
Apple store
Bluefly
Target
Buy
Toys R Us
Amazon
Bluefly
Pottery Barn
Walmart
JC Penney
Kohls
Best Buy
Circuit City
Sharper Image