Retailers and the 2008 Holiday Season

I see and read non-stop about how retailers are worried about the holiday shopping season and about how aggressive they're being in discounting items. Having hit the stores and completed my shopping in the past couple of days I can only say I sure didn't see discounting of much of anything anyone actually wants.

For example, Toy's R Us advertises some heavy discounts but not on anything any of the many kids or adults on my shopping list want (and believe me everyone, young and old, wanted toys). I'll at least give them credit for having staffed reasonably well. I went to a department store to look for a gift and after walking in circles for awhile never found anyone to locate the item for me. Hiked down to another store and was able to find it. A few weeks ago I had seen some shirts I liked for myself but the price was high. Self - I said - when you do the Christmas shopping you can pick those up at a much better price. Well, so far the shirts are only discounted 25%. For a normal year that would be OK but that sure doesn't represent "big discounting". And it was obvious from the tall stack of the shirts, in every size, they are not moving. If they had been discounted heavily I probably would have bought one or two. As it is I walked out spending $0.

I bought a second HD TV a couple months ago. Checking the ads, the price I got back then, with a discount, is less than what you can buy the set for now. And overall this seems to be the case. Other than Black Friday weekend TVs don't seem to have been discounted much at all.

On the other hand you sure can get big discounts on toys no one wants, ugly socks, hideous neckties, and other unwanted gifts. Basically the stores are just trying to move the junk you shouldn't buy as a gift...