It’s That Time of Year, Again

Things are looking up this holiday season:

“As School Bells Ring, Retailers Start Listening for Sleigh Bells” (Reuters)

U.S. retailers expect another solid showing this holiday season, as summertime surveys and shipments show that companies are placing big orders even as some remain cautious about the economy.

A report from the National Retail Federation showed that increases are expected in imports during August, September and October, critical months when chains get their merchandise from overseas in time to stock their holiday shelves.

Meanwhile, manufacturers and importers surveyed by Capital Business Credit showed “cautious optimism” for the 2012 holiday season, said Andrew Tananbaum, executive chairman of CBC, a non-bank lender for the retail sector.

Such upbeat takes suggest that retailers expect the upcoming winter holiday season could help them overcome what has been a somewhat muted back-to-school season. Retailers such as Walmart and Gap Inc have seen strong sales of apparel, but others including Aeropostale Inc have seen a soft start.

Or maybe not:

“Walmart Brings Layaway Back Early, Tweaks Fees” (Reuters)

Walmart is bringing back layaway a month early, giving U.S. shoppers under economic pressure more time to pay for holiday gifts, and will refund related fees with gift cards once payments are completed.

Layaway, which allows a customer to keep a product on hold at the store and pay for it over time, helped boost holiday sales for Walmart when it brought the service back in 2011 after a five-year hiatus.

Offering layaway helps retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc win over shoppers without access to credit. Walmart U.S., Wal-Mart’s largest unit, also offers check cashing and other services as it tries to appeal to shoppers without bank accounts.

Walmart’s holiday layaway service will begin on September 16, it said on Monday. Last year it began on October 17.

“The customer was saying if they had two more pay cycles that really would be helpful for them,” said Walmart U.S. Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer Duncan Mac Naughton.

The longer layaway plan comes after Wal-Mart said it saw more incidents of consumers living paycheck-to-paycheck during the latest quarter.

2012-08-20 19:24:00

Source: http://www.financialarmageddon.com/2012/08/its-that-time-of-year-again.html