sifuwong Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 With the economic crisis, i expect retailers to provide some great deals on electronics, apparel, etc. this holiday season!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I don't. Most retailers are already tapped out. They slashed so much last year and things haven't been great since then. Everyone from luxury to bargain basement retailers reported bad news this quarter. Nordstrom and its ilk reported sales down. Wal-Mart's sales weren't down, but they were well below expectations. I think it's going to be a belt-tightening year for a lot of people.Who wins? Probably eBay. I know I've been putting tons of stuff on eBay for the last month or so. I bet at least some of the items are destined to become Christmas presents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahiki Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I don't. Most retailers are already tapped out. They slashed so much last year and things haven't been great since then. Everyone from luxury to bargain basement retailers reported bad news this quarter. Nordstrom and its ilk reported sales down. Wal-Mart's sales weren't down, but they were well below expectations. I think it's going to be a belt-tightening year for a lot of people.Who wins? Probably eBay. I know I've been putting tons of stuff on eBay for the last month or so. I bet at least some of the items are destined to become Christmas presents.I heard a report on this today on NPR (while I was sipping chardonnay and munching arugula). They said that retailers placed their orders for the season before the economy went so far south, so they will be burdened with more stuff than people are ready to buy. The reporter's take on it was that they would, indeed, have to slash prices to move things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Who wins?All of us win. We will use the economy to cut back on giving gifts to friends and distant relatives who should not have been getting them in the first place. The pressure to conform to the uber-consumerism that changed American Christmas into a retailer holiday will be lessened greatly by economic conditions. Call it a silver lining to the economic black cloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifuwong Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 I don't. Most retailers are already tapped out. They slashed so much last year and things haven't been great since then. Everyone from luxury to bargain basement retailers reported bad news this quarter. Nordstrom and its ilk reported sales down. Wal-Mart's sales weren't down, but they were well below expectations. I think it's going to be a belt-tightening year for a lot of people.Who wins? Probably eBay. I know I've been putting tons of stuff on eBay for the last month or so. I bet at least some of the items are destined to become Christmas presents.BTW, do you use Craigslist. I put some of my stuff on Craigslist. Small value stuff that can sell quickly and also avoid fees. Items that are more difficult to move and higher dollar get put on Ebay for me.I heard a report on this today on NPR (while I was sipping chardonnay and munching arugula). They said that retailers placed their orders for the season before the economy went so far south, so they will be burdened with more stuff than people are ready to buy. The reporter's take on it was that they would, indeed, have to slash prices to move things.I read that in an article also. There is quite a bit of supply out there. They're trying to get rid of that stuff. I heard that this year's Black Friday will be big!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 All of us win. We will use the economy to cut back on giving gifts to friends and distant relatives who should not have been getting them in the first place. The pressure to conform to the uber-consumerism that changed American Christmas into a retailer holiday will be lessened greatly by economic conditions. Call it a silver lining to the economic black cloud.Very insightful. I love shopping as much as the next person, but even I am fatigued by the holidays. Even though financially the only effect we are likely to see are our 401ks take a hit, we are using this year as an excuse to cut back and tighten up. We don't have kids, but the nieces and nephews have come to expect high dollar expenditures, and now is as good a time as any to teach restraint and what really matters. Do we still have a new plasma TV on our Christmas list? Yes, but it won't be one of 15 things we buy for each other, it will perhaps be the ONLY thing we buy (can't completely get rid of the consumerist mindset, LOL). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 BTW, do you use Craigslist. I put some of my stuff on Craigslist. Small value stuff that can sell quickly and also avoid fees. Items that are more difficult to move and higher dollar get put on Ebay for me.Most of the items I've been selling on eBay have a built-in audience there, so I haven't had to go the Craigslist route. I find eBay cumbersome, but I trust it more than Craigslist because I've had a couple of fraudulent auctions fixed by eBay. Though they can always be improved, I like the levels of protection available on eBay that aren't available on Craigslist.But I'm getting to the bottom of my bin and I have some low-value electronics to sell (iPod shuffles, PSP games, a couple of cell phones), so I might go Craigslist for those. I'll offer them here on HAIF first. Probably in the next week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifuwong Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 Very insightful. I love shopping as much as the next person, but even I am fatigued by the holidays. Even though financially the only effect we are likely to see are our 401ks take a hit, we are using this year as an excuse to cut back and tighten up. We don't have kids, but the nieces and nephews have come to expect high dollar expenditures, and now is as good a time as any to teach restraint and what really matters. Do we still have a new plasma TV on our Christmas list? Yes, but it won't be one of 15 things we buy for each other, it will perhaps be the ONLY thing we buy (can't completely get rid of the consumerist mindset, LOL).You can be sure i will be spending on myself though Red is correct in that i won't be spending as much on relatives... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Word to the wise. Steer clear of Gift Cards. If the retailer goes bankrupt, your relative will be holding a worthless piece of plastic. Clearly, not every retailer will go under, but do you want to gamble on which ones? Remember, Christmas is the big selling season. Those who are going under will do so after the last chance to make some money. And, those who are on the edge could be pushed over the edge by a slow holiday selling season. January is a very slow month. Spend the extra couple of minutes and buy a real gift. I reccomend a warm sweater, perfect for standing in those cold soup lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Word to the wise. Steer clear of Gift Cards. If the retailer goes bankrupt, your relative will be holding a worthless piece of plastic. Clearly, not every retailer will go under, but do you want to gamble on which ones? Remember, Christmas is the big selling season. Those who are going under will do so after the last chance to make some money. And, those who are on the edge could be pushed over the edge by a slow holiday selling season. January is a very slow month.Spend the extra couple of minutes and buy a real gift. I reccomend a warm sweater, perfect for standing in those cold soup lines. Good advice. Didn't that happen last spring when Circuit City or some other electronics filed for bankruptcy? It was something like two months after Christmas and the value on everyone's cards vaporized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.