Friday, February 8, 2008

What If Shoppers Turn Patriotic?

– Posted in: Current Touts

Even Wal-Mart appears to be struggling these days. Same-store sales rose a meager 0.5 percent in January and 1.4% for the fiscal year. The latter number is the lowest since the company began reporting such data 30 years ago. Not only that, customers were drawing down their gift cards more slowly than in the past and using the cards increasingly to buy food and other necessities rather than discretionary items. Let's pray we get those fat rebate checks soon, and that shoppers do their loyal best to piss away every last cent as quickly as possible on goods made somewhere other than China. Not that it would necessarily be a good thing if shoppers were to suddenly turn patriotic and buy only goods made in the USA. It'd be a banner year for Harry & David's, for sure, and for Texas farmers who grow those fabulous grapefruits. But think of all the deserted consumer electronics showrooms and apparel stores. (Click on photo to enlarge) Get Thee to Nordstrom's Personally, we're hoping the lion's share of business goes to Nordstrom's -- possibly the last place in America where a shopper can get help from a sales clerk. (Actually, there is McGuckin's Hardware Store here in Boulder, where the staff is famously helpful. But Nordstrom's is probably in more dire need of a shot in the arm, having reported a sales decline of 6.6% in January.) Nordstrom's does more things right than just about any other retailer that comes to mind. The floor personnel know the merchandise and they are always eager to please. Moreover, customers get the benefit of the doubt on all merchandise returns. Can a retailer that bends over backward to please customers survive in this day and age? We certainly hope so, although we are not optimistic about