Kurt Barnard
Kurt Barnard
broke willing
They're willing to buy, but not willing to go broke in the process,
beating best horse jockey market three wonderful
Amazon's prospects, in my view, are at best limited. They may do some wonderful things, but the market isn't there. It's like a jockey beating a horse with three legs.
cautious continue evident extremely retail sales
Americans have become very cautious spenders, and that was extremely evident in May. Retail sales will continue to advance, but very slowly, very cautiously.
drive gas given less money paying people reason spend
Americans, for one reason or another, have not given up on their infatuation with SUVs that guzzle gas by the gallons. But there's only so much money to go around. If people are paying more to drive their cars, they will have less money to spend on other things.
air less shoulder tendency
Americans are less secure. There's an uneasiness in the air and a tendency to look over one's shoulder more often.
anytime asking bombarded buying decent good head hear income jobs laid listen means number people question radio voice
Americans are being bombarded with announcements of layoffs. Anytime you listen to the radio it's always 3,000 laid off here, 500 there, ... That means a lot of people who have decent jobs and good income hear that little voice in the back of their head asking the question 'could my number be up next?' They're buying what they need, but they don't buy frivolously.
bites business buy mainly market mature people primarily represents share sneakers taking wear
They are taking big bites of market share out of the sneakers. The sneaker business is a mature business that represents primarily a replacement mode. People mainly buy sneakers when the old ones wear out.
full line mind question store trying
They are streamlining operations, trying to make it more profitable, productive, ... The real question to my mind is how can they be a full line store without cosmetics?
buy consumers days easily jewelry leading loss shopping snow stop storm week
This loss will be easily made up, ... If I want to buy some jewelry for my wife, do you think I'm going to let one snow storm stop me? No, I won't. Consumers will get their shopping done this week and in the days leading up to Christmas.
consumers good half retailers time wary
This is not the time for runaway enthusiasm. The first half was very good for retailers but consumers are going to be very wary in the second-half, ... if we're lucky.
suddenly surprise turned weather
This is really the surprise of the year. We should have really anticipated it because suddenly the weather turned very cold.
beyond catching effects factor finally gasoline higher likely next prices retailers softness three weather
The weather was a factor and the effects of higher gasoline prices are finally catching up with retailers at the registers. Beyond that, I think we're likely to see softness for the next two to three months.
effect events foolhardy housing number pensions point send spine ways
Oil, jobs, housing prices, unfunded pensions and geopolitical events that could go any number of ways will have an effect in 2006. At this point it's foolhardy to forecast. Any one of those things could send shivers up the spine of consumers.
demand dollars great home occupied sales simply spent thousands time
Demand is great simply because home sales have been going through the roof, and every time a home is occupied for the first time, usually tens of thousands of dollars are spent on furnishing it and refurbishing it,