The Retail Buzz

An article by Scott Kreisberg takes a look at factors that weigh in for improving the bottom line for a retail store.

There has been a tremendous amount of discussion by economists and government experts in regard to the type of recession we are in, as well as the possible ways we could come out of it.

The good news is that it seems to be a fairly unanimous sentiment that we are at or very near the bottom. Plus there are other positive signs such as retail sector sales picking up slightly (with autos excluded) in both August and September. However, there are varied opinions and speculation as to where things go from here.

This is pretty clearly demonstrated in the different models, or 'shapes', that the recovery might take, which have come to be characterized by various letters of the alphabet.

It is likely that many of you have seen these so I will only briefly touch on what they are. We have the classic 'V' shape recession, which is a clear downturn and bottom followed by clear and sustained recovery, the 'U' which is a longer time spent at the bottom and in recovery, and the 'W' or double-dip.

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Consumers are expected to spend $5.07 billion on Halloween this year, up from $4.96 billion last year and only $3.29 billion two years ago, with spending expected to rise slightly in all
categories.

Learn how Halloween shoppers plan to spend their money in 2007 and what types of costumes are the most popular for children, adults, and their pets.

From Melody Vargas,
About.com: Retail Industry
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