Comments on: PSA: Holiday Shopping 2009

By: Christina

Christina — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:03:57 +0000

Economics 101… This is how supply & demand works rght? Everybody’s buying much less than they used to (or they realize with their busted up credit, they can’t buy anything with their plastic cards anymore) and so retailers can’t keep things molding on their shelves any longer.

This definitely gives reason for people to shop early, get what they need before we all end up with just candy canes and a card for Christmas. Moreover, what this presents is a very interesting situation for us advertisers. Branding and building awareness for products and retail goods are hyper-time-sensitve and its all about hitting viewers at the right time, and also right before they go out to spend: Recency Theory 101.

tip o’ the hat to Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/xmas-shopping.html

By: Eric H

Eric H — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:07:28 +0000

Nick, I assume you’re a drop-in from MR — did you just look at the picture or did you read the post? Because “prices are going up” is substantively what is said in the last two sentences of the second to last paragraph.

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:32:35 +0000

If shelves go empty retailers made a big mistake. Unless economics was just repealed, prices will rise before supply goes to zero reducing purchases. The advice is good, but not because shelves are going to be empty, price are going up.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:20:25 +0000

The National Retail Federation weighs in with more of the same news:

With a soft economy, retailers have cut back on inventory to make sure drastic markdowns aren’t necessary. “In anticipation of weak demand, many retailers scaled back on inventory levels to prevent unplanned markdowns at the end of the season,” said NRF President and Chief Executive Tracy Mullin. “Once the most popular items are gone, retailers won’t have anywhere to get them. So if there was ever a holiday season to buy early, this is it.”

By: Dawn B

Dawn B — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:37:31 +0000

Great photo! This is what a relative who is a day trader has been telling me – holiday merchandise has already shipped and the volume coming into the ports is very low. Still, it will be a surprise to actually see empty shelves in this land of plenty.