ArchivesCategory: Tips

by Robin Fiedler Before venturing out on Black Friday, shoppers should prepare an attack plan. Research involves knowing the times stores open and comparing items being offered as doorbusters or loss leaders. Visiting each retailer's individual website or combing through circulars in the mail or newspapers is time consuming, but that's when the Internet comes Continue Reading

by Robin Fiedler The Friday-after-Thanksgiving shopping ritual is now tightly embedded in our holiday happenings. But since when? Who started it? Can we point to one person and say, ah-ha, it's all your genius master plan? It seems not. We could give indirect credit to Franklin Roosevelt who changed the official date of Thanksgiving in Continue Reading

by Robin Fiedler As the Black Friday post-Thanksgiving shopping day approaches, retailers gear up for the "traditionally" largest profit quarter of the year. Profits so far, for the big retailers with $50 million plus in assets, are modestly increasing in the first two quarters of 2009 but still down from the same quarter in 2008, Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Airlines hoping for air travel to rebound for the 2009 holiday season will have to wait until next year or maybe even longer.  The lingering recession and ongoing job losses have prompted consumers to travel less this year and the trend is expected to continue through Thanksgiving and Christmas. The International Air Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Booking holiday travel online has gone from a niche market to the norm as more people search for bargains on flights, hotels and car rentals. And the increasing number of travel sites in a market once dominated by a few big players has raised competition to a level few could  have imagined Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins When you think about holiday travel, one of the first things that comes to mind is crowded airports. But this year, lower gas prices and discounts on rail travel could lure more people back to the roads and rails to reach their destination. Recent talk about building high-speed rail lines in the Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Halloween started early this year with most retailers trotting out costumes and decorations just after Labor Day. But that early start isn't likely to improve sales as Halloween shoppers tighten their belts and look for ways to save money. With 88% of consumers planning to spend less money on Halloween this year, Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins In 2008, people who waited until the last minute to book holiday travel found great deals as falling fuel prices and a crumbling economy drove prices down. But consumers looking for a repeat in 2009 shouldn't hold their breath. The unique set of circumstances that produced bargains last year also created major Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Retailers expecting Halloween to resurrect moribund sales had better start looking forward to the holidays instead. In what's become a familiar refrain for every shopping season in 2009, analysts are expecting Halloween sales to be slower than 2008. The National Retail Federation (NRF) said it expects total retail spending for Halloween to Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Halloween is the busiest time of the year for candy manufacturers - October alone accounts for 75% of all candy corn sales - and that's not going to change this year. But more suppliers than ever are tapping into a growing demand for healthier treats and eco-friendly Halloween products. This isn't a Continue Reading