Filthy Commerce

Holiday update: Monday, November 30, 2009

Hey! Did you know it was Black Friday last week? And that it's Cyber Monday today?

How could you not, with the breathless media coverage and the ceaseless email promotions and the holiday music that is now permeating the public sphere. But the question is: Did people spend on Black Friday?

Well, sort of: Total Black Friday sales edged up a scant $200 mil to $41.2 billion. BUT that's due to an increased volume of shoppers, not an increased rise in per-shopper spending. More people came out over the weekend -- 195 million shoppers, or 13% more than last year -- spending per shopper dropped 8% to $343.31. ("More Shoppers Hit Stores, But Spend Less Each," WSJ, Nov 30, 09) What this suggests: more people came out for bargains, and their definition of "bargain" is stricter than it used to be.

Also of note: Although total Black Friday sales hit $41.2 bil, online shopping only accounted for $913 mil -- or 2% of the total haul. It's not clear why just yet: I will be interested to see if Cyber Monday and Free Shipping Day on December 17 generate more sales. But my general sense going into this season is that e-commerce is still primarily a niche option for most holiday shoppers. It would be interesting to find out why.

[Interesting: the average online order jumped 35% to $170.19, people bought more items per order, and they did less window-shopping in favor of very specific items. Are we looking at leading-edge bargain hunters?]

You'll all be relieved to know that nobody lost their life at the hands of greedy Wal-Mart shoppers this year, although a Wal-Mart in Upland, CA, closed down in the face of savage crowds for a bit.

Where to point and click for e-holiday shopping

My friends and family are far-flung, and after the first few years of frantically shopping-and-shipping, I've decided to cut out the horrible Post Office ordeal and just go with e-commerce. I thought I'd share some of my favorite places for shopping. Please feel free to add yours!

Holiday update: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Scared of being stuck with a lot of merchandise they'll have to ditch at clearance prices, retailers are paring down their toy inventories now. The lesson seems to be "If you want it, get it now." ("Retailers Cool to Hot Toys," AP, Nov 10, 09)

Following on the heels of a survey that reports 36% of holiday shoppers planning a practical Christmas, retailers like Whole Foods and Staples are pushing pragmatic gift options. ("Gee, Thanks for the Socks," MediaPost, Nov 11, 09)

And Wal-Mart is hoping to avoid another trampling death: it's opening its stores at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning and keep them open nonstop through Friday night. No word on whether the employees who have to work the Turkey Day shift will get bonus pay for their trouble. ("Retailers Take Steps to Tame the Black Friday Crowds," NYT, Nov 11, 09)

Christmas Creep, Blog-style

I am especially curious as to how this year's holiday sales are going to shake out, especially when compared to last year's recessionary narrative. (Some consultancies expect them to remain flat at $810 bil.) So I will be covering this with a special category (see below) and you'll be able to tell when the post is about Holiday 2009 sales because of the handy graphic at left.

So let's get started.

Would you like to know how you're going to be blatantly manipulated this holiday season? Try a merciless advertising blitz. According to "Retailers Boost Spending on Holiday Advertising" (WSJ, Nov 9, 09), stores have purchased up to 35% more advertising than this time last year in an effort to get shoppers in the holiday mood. The Gap will be pumping $60 mil more into advertising in Q3-Q4 -- so hands up, all of you who have noticed the Old Navy ads flogging children's dress-up clothing already.

And would you like to see what behaviors retail experts think you'll display? In Retail's Big Blog, the "Top Ten Holiday Trends for 2009" include: plans to hit up discount purveyors and thift stores; careful attention to holiday promotions (thereby justifying those ads); and more food-related gifts.