Kurt Barnard
Kurt Barnard
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.
cost customers good job offering value
Sears is on the way back to health. They're doing a good job (of cost cutting) and they are offering customers a good, recognizable value and customers are responding.
background beginning experience good immense job length mistakes possible qualify quite retailing taking tenure
I think Conaway is a good retailing executive, but he made too many mistakes at the very beginning of his tenure at Kmart. It is quite possible that his background and length of experience did not sufficiently qualify him for the immense job he was taking on.
accept anticipate bring consumer future good growth massive slow strong time willing
It is a good time if you're willing to accept slow growth and slow improvement. We do not anticipate at this time that the foreseeable future will bring a real strong massive upturn in consumer spending.
access bridal company good growing interested
It's a good industry. It's growing, and it has been growing for a long, long time, but I think the May company is particularly interested in getting access to the bridal business,
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.
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.
bought customers good left loyal resist time
Even the most loyal customers won't be able to resist a very good bargain. And by the time the loyal customer has bought all the Wal-Mart bargains, there won't be very much left for Target.
coming consumers doors earth economic few good guess knocking meant months notion recession retailers rolling swept three
It is a coming back down to earth. About two or three months ago, the world was swept up by the notion that the economic recession is over and the good times are rolling again. That meant consumers would be knocking down the doors of retailers the way they did a few years ago. But guess what? It ain't happening.
buying consumers good insist money quality spend stopped turned
Consumers have turned cautious. They have stopped buying things frivolously. Consumers do spend money today, but they will buy only what they need, will insist on good quality and fashion. But they will buy cautiously, and not buy extravagantly.
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.
beginning crowds deals good morning opened palm sales snowflake special stores stroke supposed
It was disappointing. A lot of stores told us that when they opened at 7 or 8 in the morning with special deals good for two hours, crowds were beginning to mass. But at the stroke of 9, when those sales were supposed to end, the crowds disappeared like a snowflake in the palm of your hand.
blizzard major malls presidents serious shut since stores weekend
The blizzard was a serious setback for retailers, especially since the Presidents Day weekend is a major day for sales. Most of the malls and independent stores were shut in the Northeast.
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.