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And they're off!
By Anne D'Innocenzio, AP Business Writer
Monday, November 26, 2007 | No comments posted.
NEW YORK - Maybe it was the deep discounts, maybe it was the colder weather and maybe it was just for the sport of it. Whatever it was, shoppers gave retailers something they were hoping for — a solid official start to the Christmas shopping season.
Now all that merchants, and the economy, need is for shoppers to maintain Black Friday’s frenzied buying pace from now until Dec. 25.
It’s a steep challenge. Consumers have been battered by a slew of problems: slumping home values, tighter credit and rising gas prices, among them. Those haven’t gone away.
But aggressive tactics — bigger discounts and expanded hours like midnight openings— apparently worked. Based on early reports, Macy’s, Inc., Toys “R” Us, K-B Toys Inc. and others that were noisy with discounts reported bigger crowds for the early morning bargains than a year ago. And electronic gadgets, particularly the hard-to-find Nintendo Wii, topped shoppers’ wish lists, though frustrations were high among shoppers who couldn’t get their hands on the limited bargains.
“I’m really looking for the bargains this year because I’m losing my job; they’re moving our plant to Mexico after the first of the year, so I have to be careful,” Tina Dillow of New Richmond, Ohio, who camped out at a Best Buy store near Cincinnati at 3 a.m. because of a great deal on a laptop. But she ended up empty handed.
“I stood in line until they finally let us in about 20 after 5, but I was really disappointed because I didn’t get one,” Dillow said.
C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, said that tougher economic conditions are driving more shoppers to take advantage of early bird specials. “There were more bargain hunters this year,” he added.
Marshal Cohen, chief industry expert at NPD Group Inc. agreed, but he noted shoppers were buying selectively. Overall, the biggest draws were consumer electronics, including flat-screen TVs, digital cameras, digital frames and laptops. In toys, which have been battered by recalls of a slew of lead tainted Chinese toys, there were plenty of hits including video games such as Activision Inc.’s “Guitar Hero III,” toys related to Walt Disney Co.’s “Hannah Montana” and Smart Cycle from Mattel Inc.’s Fisher-Price, toy executives said.
Janet Hoffman, managing partner of the North American retail division of the consulting firm Accenture, believes that some parents, concerned about toy safety, may shift their purchases away from toys to video games and children’s clothing. She added that sales of children’s clothing fared unusually well Friday.
And while mainstream department stores such as Macy’s and J.C. Penney Co., which hammered shoppers with big discounts Friday, seemed to pull in the crowds, traffic at mall-based apparel stores was disappointing, according to Wachovia Capital Markets LLC analyst John D. Morris. One problem is that there aren’t a lot of must-have fashions.
Macy’s chief executive, Terry Lundgren, said that 3,000 people started lining up at the Herald Square store at 5 a.m, forcing the store to open at 5:30 a.m., half hour earlier. That was up from about 2,500 people a year ago. Among some of the most popular early morning deals were Martha Stewart faux holiday trees, that were 50 percent off, and outerwear and sweaters, which were marked down by 40 percent to 50 percent.
“We all know that September and October were not great months, so there is some pent-up demand,” Lundgren said. “We feel encouraged by the early signs.”
Recognizing a potentially tough shopping season ahead, stores began discounting weeks ago, with such gimmicks as door busters and expanded hours. Merchants that cater to middle and lower income shoppers have suffered as consumers struggle with higher gas and food prices as well as a slumping housing market.
While Black Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the season, it’s not a predictor of how retailers will fare in the season overall. In fact, the weekend only accounts for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales. But it does set the tone since what consumers see that day influences where they will shop for the rest of the year.
Now all that merchants, and the economy, need is for shoppers to maintain Black Friday’s frenzied buying pace from now until Dec. 25.
It’s a steep challenge. Consumers have been battered by a slew of problems: slumping home values, tighter credit and rising gas prices, among them. Those haven’t gone away.
But aggressive tactics — bigger discounts and expanded hours like midnight openings— apparently worked. Based on early reports, Macy’s, Inc., Toys “R” Us, K-B Toys Inc. and others that were noisy with discounts reported bigger crowds for the early morning bargains than a year ago. And electronic gadgets, particularly the hard-to-find Nintendo Wii, topped shoppers’ wish lists, though frustrations were high among shoppers who couldn’t get their hands on the limited bargains.
“I’m really looking for the bargains this year because I’m losing my job; they’re moving our plant to Mexico after the first of the year, so I have to be careful,” Tina Dillow of New Richmond, Ohio, who camped out at a Best Buy store near Cincinnati at 3 a.m. because of a great deal on a laptop. But she ended up empty handed.
“I stood in line until they finally let us in about 20 after 5, but I was really disappointed because I didn’t get one,” Dillow said.
C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, said that tougher economic conditions are driving more shoppers to take advantage of early bird specials. “There were more bargain hunters this year,” he added.
Marshal Cohen, chief industry expert at NPD Group Inc. agreed, but he noted shoppers were buying selectively. Overall, the biggest draws were consumer electronics, including flat-screen TVs, digital cameras, digital frames and laptops. In toys, which have been battered by recalls of a slew of lead tainted Chinese toys, there were plenty of hits including video games such as Activision Inc.’s “Guitar Hero III,” toys related to Walt Disney Co.’s “Hannah Montana” and Smart Cycle from Mattel Inc.’s Fisher-Price, toy executives said.
Janet Hoffman, managing partner of the North American retail division of the consulting firm Accenture, believes that some parents, concerned about toy safety, may shift their purchases away from toys to video games and children’s clothing. She added that sales of children’s clothing fared unusually well Friday.
And while mainstream department stores such as Macy’s and J.C. Penney Co., which hammered shoppers with big discounts Friday, seemed to pull in the crowds, traffic at mall-based apparel stores was disappointing, according to Wachovia Capital Markets LLC analyst John D. Morris. One problem is that there aren’t a lot of must-have fashions.
Macy’s chief executive, Terry Lundgren, said that 3,000 people started lining up at the Herald Square store at 5 a.m, forcing the store to open at 5:30 a.m., half hour earlier. That was up from about 2,500 people a year ago. Among some of the most popular early morning deals were Martha Stewart faux holiday trees, that were 50 percent off, and outerwear and sweaters, which were marked down by 40 percent to 50 percent.
“We all know that September and October were not great months, so there is some pent-up demand,” Lundgren said. “We feel encouraged by the early signs.”
Recognizing a potentially tough shopping season ahead, stores began discounting weeks ago, with such gimmicks as door busters and expanded hours. Merchants that cater to middle and lower income shoppers have suffered as consumers struggle with higher gas and food prices as well as a slumping housing market.
While Black Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the season, it’s not a predictor of how retailers will fare in the season overall. In fact, the weekend only accounts for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales. But it does set the tone since what consumers see that day influences where they will shop for the rest of the year.
Christmas trees: How green is green enough
By Sarah Skidmore, Associated Press Writer
PORTLAND — Picking a Christmas tree is typically a matter of taste. Is the shape right Is it too tall Too short
And is it “green” enough
Christmas tree growers have been pushing the environmental benefits of fresh trees over artificial trees for a number of years. Now a handful of Oregon growers have created a system to help consumers identify trees grown under certain environmental standards.
“Consumers like to do the right thing,” said Joe Sharp, managing partner of Yule Tree Farms and co-founder of the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers. “We are just helping with education.”
This is the first year the coalition’s program will be seen in the market. More than 200,000 tags will hang on trees, indicating the trees were farmed by the coalition’s standards.
To pass muster, a farm must be inspected to ensure that it meets certain standards for managing wetlands, nutrients and pests. Water and soil conservation measures are reviewed, and biodiversity and worker safety are also considered.
The trees are not organically grown, but the coalition says the measures help mitigate some of the environmental dangers of Christmas tree farming, such as excessive use of pesticides and contribution to erosion.
“Now when consumers buy a tree, they can be sure that the tree was grown with the best intentions for the environment in mind,” Sharp said.
But only a fraction of the trees on corner lots and at garden centers will bear the tag.
The coalition was formed in August, and three large Oregon growers, which harvest more than 2 million trees a year, are part of it. More than a dozen other tree growers are on a waiting list to be inspected and join.
The “safe” trees are sold only by a handful of retailers willing to make the effort to educate consumers about the difference the coalition believes the tag represents.
It is a new twist in a market where products tend to look similar.
“The sustainable certification issue, it’s really something that is new this year, although it’s been a hot topic on the side for a number of years,” said Chal Landgren, an Oregon State University extension agent in Oregon who specializes in Christmas tree and forestry issues.
Other farms have sought awards for good farming practices, and some have sought “Salmon Safe” identification, which indicates their farming practices do not harm the fish.
The coalition is hoping to take the tag system nationwide, providing an edge in the multimillion-dollar business.
Nearly 29 million households bought a fresh Christmas tree in 2006, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Oregon is the top producer in the country.
Growers nationwide have been launching more aggressive campaigns to defend their market share as they see the sales of artificial trees grow.
Earlier this year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and growers launched a “Get Real This Christmas” campaign. The National Christmas Tree Association has for several years pushed its campaign of “Nothing Says Christmas More Than a Real Tree.” This year it is trying to get people to post videos to YouTube.com explaining why a real tree is best as part of the “Get Real This Christmas” campaign.
The coalition says its environmental effort is more than a public relations effort.
“I do not believe this is a fad,” Sharp said.
“Environmentalism is here to stay.”
By Sarah Skidmore, Associated Press Writer
PORTLAND — Picking a Christmas tree is typically a matter of taste. Is the shape right Is it too tall Too short
And is it “green” enough
Christmas tree growers have been pushing the environmental benefits of fresh trees over artificial trees for a number of years. Now a handful of Oregon growers have created a system to help consumers identify trees grown under certain environmental standards.
“Consumers like to do the right thing,” said Joe Sharp, managing partner of Yule Tree Farms and co-founder of the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers. “We are just helping with education.”
This is the first year the coalition’s program will be seen in the market. More than 200,000 tags will hang on trees, indicating the trees were farmed by the coalition’s standards.
To pass muster, a farm must be inspected to ensure that it meets certain standards for managing wetlands, nutrients and pests. Water and soil conservation measures are reviewed, and biodiversity and worker safety are also considered.
The trees are not organically grown, but the coalition says the measures help mitigate some of the environmental dangers of Christmas tree farming, such as excessive use of pesticides and contribution to erosion.
“Now when consumers buy a tree, they can be sure that the tree was grown with the best intentions for the environment in mind,” Sharp said.
But only a fraction of the trees on corner lots and at garden centers will bear the tag.
The coalition was formed in August, and three large Oregon growers, which harvest more than 2 million trees a year, are part of it. More than a dozen other tree growers are on a waiting list to be inspected and join.
The “safe” trees are sold only by a handful of retailers willing to make the effort to educate consumers about the difference the coalition believes the tag represents.
It is a new twist in a market where products tend to look similar.
“The sustainable certification issue, it’s really something that is new this year, although it’s been a hot topic on the side for a number of years,” said Chal Landgren, an Oregon State University extension agent in Oregon who specializes in Christmas tree and forestry issues.
Other farms have sought awards for good farming practices, and some have sought “Salmon Safe” identification, which indicates their farming practices do not harm the fish.
The coalition is hoping to take the tag system nationwide, providing an edge in the multimillion-dollar business.
Nearly 29 million households bought a fresh Christmas tree in 2006, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Oregon is the top producer in the country.
Growers nationwide have been launching more aggressive campaigns to defend their market share as they see the sales of artificial trees grow.
Earlier this year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and growers launched a “Get Real This Christmas” campaign. The National Christmas Tree Association has for several years pushed its campaign of “Nothing Says Christmas More Than a Real Tree.” This year it is trying to get people to post videos to YouTube.com explaining why a real tree is best as part of the “Get Real This Christmas” campaign.
The coalition says its environmental effort is more than a public relations effort.
“I do not believe this is a fad,” Sharp said.
“Environmentalism is here to stay.”
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