Christmas Sales Down This Year?

Offline retailers are reporting lower sales

[IanTurner]

I have just been listening to an interesting radio discussion on Christmas retail sales and the stores are reporting a downturn this year compared with previous years figures.

Are we seeing this in online sales? I'm not, but my main market isn't really seasonally affected.

[engine]

I just caught a snippet of this news and I heard that the key factors have been the unseasonally warm weather which has resulted in poor winter clothes sales and (so far) the failure to sell widescreen TVs.

On many widescreen TVs the pictures look awful. I'd be reluctant to buy one for that reason.

It's now got really cold with these Siberian winds (crikey, it must be cold there) so I'm sure clothes sales will pick up.

[glengara]

Well my wife has just flown off to London for some Xmas shopping, so things may pick up.

[GilbertZ]

Warm weather? Where are you?

Part of the reason for the downturn is there are 6 less shopping days this year with a late thanksgiving.

[engine]

South East England
The Met Office report. [metoffice.com]

[edit_g]

"Well my wife has just flown off to London for some Xmas shopping, so things may pick up." lol!

We haven't seen this- we've had an increase on last year (and we are seasonal).

[EliteWeb]

:P This is the first year I've done 50% of my shopping online. And its not over yet :)~

[Bobby_Davro]

GilbertZ,
we don't actually have Thanksgiving in the UK, so although we share many things with our American cousins this is not likely to be a cause for less shopping here ;)

If anything I would think that it is possibly shopper fatigue - people now spend so much all year round that the Chrismas shopping no longer has quite the same appeal...perhaps?

Or maybe a reducing birth rate among the more affluent circles of society means slightly less kids to buy for each year? Just a thought and no idea if it is true. The recent public census did reveal a dropping population, although it was supposedly a flawed report.

And I have done about 50% of my shopping online as well. Amazon has done very well out of me, but I have also ventured into other online shops, which has previously been rare for me.

[engine]

I'd add that the bricks and mortar retailers start Christmas soooo early these days (Christmas Crackers and pressies out in late September) in attempt to encourage shoppers to spend more, sooner does not help. I simply ignore the retailers push until the very last minute, as I've always done.

I've certainly ordered more goods online this year than previously.

[nickc001]

I know the onset of the cold weather has influenced me to order some presents online in the last few days and risk the 'delivery guaranteed by christmas' so that I don't have to take a trip into rainy / cold town. Also saved myself quite a few £s in the process.

[Jon_King]

Here in Midwest USA demand is up slightly from last year. +3 to 4% as reported by major shopping malls.

[Go60Guy]

And Walmart, the other day, had its biggest day ever.