Britt Beemer Retail Quotations

Retail sales were pretty good, considering at the start of the season we were looking at $3 gasoline and were still recovering from the hurricanes. Consumers got out early and responded to early-bird specials, but there wasn't much new. There was no hot toy or hot apparel look.

I think retailers will hold prices up to 40 percent off before Christmas and then go even deeper in January to clear inventory. No doubt, heavy discounts help sales but they hurt profits. And retailers, more than ever, know that they have to answer to Wall Street and not Main Street.

Consumers look around and see (the Home store's) $1,299 sofa and see others for $699 or $799 at other stores and it's a reality check. I find after the hoopla is over, they become retail museums.

Consumers believe that the bigger, better deals happen closer to Christmas, and they're willing to wait. Last year, lots of consumers were disappointed because they didn't see the early discounts. Shoppers are playing a game of cat and mouse, and they're waiting to see if the retailers will outlast them.

Starting in the late 1980s, employees and prospective employees in the retail sector stopped looking at retail as a career opportunity. They look at it as a temporary stopover until something better comes along. When this happens, everybody loses -- employees, customers, stores, etc.

Some of the this may be attributed to the removal of the quotas and some to the strength of retail sales.

Retailers had a sales plan for Christmas, stayed with it and then benefited from a very strong January without giving up margins.

Retailers are fighting lower profits than in years past. The industry's is definitely more competitive today and companies have to do what they can to not take unnecessary markdowns.

Retailers are caught in a 'Catch-22' situation. Their costs, such as transportation costs, are going up and this is not going to change in the short term. Meanwhile, their consumers are going to be extremely deal focused.

There are a number of consumers I've talked to who have given money to hurricane funds in lieu of gifts. Last year luxury retail was the grand slam .... If this shopper cuts back, it will send Wall Street into a spin.

I see an extremely promotional shopping environment. I've advised my retail clients to be super aggressive Thanksgiving weekend. Retailers don't want to do it from a margin perspective, but otherwise they won't see shoppers in stores. Consumers have less money to spend and they'll take their 'less money' elsewhere.

High hotel rates that border on price gouging are the single biggest issue that I hear retailers complaining about, and they usually use the word 'abuse' in their complaint,

Today, only about one-third of holiday purchases are returned as compared to just four years ago, ... Returns are very expensive for retailers because they have to retag the item and mark down the price. If I bought something for $29 and return it, store may have to cut the price to as low as $14 before restocking it.

It costs some retailers as much as 20 percent per item to retag it, get it back on the shelf or rack and try to sell it again.

It costs some retailers as much as 20 percent per item to re-tag it, get it back on the shelf or rack and try to sell it again.

I don't think the day is the kind of day that retailers thought it would be. Christmas Eve is seldom the big day because of the fact that so many consumers ... want to be home.

About 30% of people who got gift cards plan to use them this week. Many retailers are going to be putting out spring merchandise to get people excited about it.

The trouble today with retailers is they can't afford to have too many underperforming stores. When 10 percent of your stores are unprofitable, you will start losing money. That wasn't the case years ago.

I won't be surprised if a day comes very soon when the customer is charged $5 for every return. On the one hand, tougher measures frustrate the consumer. But retailers also don't want to struggle with unnecessary discounts.

Back to school is a very important season for retailers because it's one chance in the year when retailers get a shot at parents and kids at the same time. Historically, sports figures have been the big players; now it's a different breed of endorsers taking over.

What's happens is retailers become known for certain things. You want to be known for some product category. You want to be known for a return policy.