Kurt Barnard
Kurt Barnard
died
died many years ago, but (they) just weren't buried.
consumers emphasis modestly spending word year
Consumers still aren't in a spending mood, ... This year is going to be modestly better. The emphasis is on the word 'modest.'
bigger break carried
Don't get carried away with this whole thing. It's considerably bigger than in times past, but it is not the kind of thing I would say that will make or break a company's quarter.
activity early full last levels lower retailers selling store surprised traffic year
Early indications show that store traffic and the promotional activity is at lower levels than last year at this time. I wouldn't be surprised if many retailers try to get away with selling merchandise at full price.
bottom checks effect hurt itself nightmare results retailers tax worst
The worst part of these results is that they show that the effect of the tax rebate checks has petered out. This is a nightmare in itself for retailers and it doesn't bode well for Christmas. Also, we'll probably see more markdowns now, more than retailers anticipated for the holidays. That will hurt their bottom line.
companies consumer controls decent demand difficult economic evidence good however inventory nobody orders planning spring time until
They are all planning very cautiously, very carefully. Some companies have very decent inventory controls, but however good those controls are they still have to do some economic forecasting, and forecasting is a little difficult this time around. Nobody is going to spring for big orders until there's evidence that consumer demand is back, and there is no such evidence to date.
clear consumer decent evidence expect holiday last modest sales slow spending three
The sales clear evidence of modest consumer spending slow down. We expect a decent holiday sales season, but an unspectacular one. The last three have been spectacular, particularly the last one.
basically carry coat coats factory fashion full good including line name value
The name Burlington Coat Factory is a misnomer because they carry a full line of fashion apparel, including coats in the winter. It's basically an off-price operation. You get good value there, very good value.
cash clients continue continued february half marked retail sales sore spending stood stronger telling year
February sales were very strong, stronger than anticipated in many instances. I will tell you that if you were a retailer in February and did not do very well, you stood out like a sore thumb. We're telling our clients that the first half of this year will continue to be marked by continued strong spending at the retail cash register.
february likely month past results seems seen spring testing
February is a testing month for spring, and the results have not been spectacular, ... There seems to be a sense of foreboding that while spring is likely to be a smidgen better than we have seen in past months, it is not going to be a barn-burner.
bad context viewed within worse year
This is actually a little worse than I expected, and particularly bad when viewed within the context of a year ago, which was already very weak.
becoming far kids
This has become far more important today. Kids are becoming more independent.
consumer disruption otherwise serious spending
This has become a very serious disruption in what could otherwise be a much better consumer spending climate,
brutal guess hope
They (retailers) don't know. All they can do is hope and guess more than anything else. It's a brutal, brutal problem,