Kurt Barnard
Kurt Barnard
both charitable hit reflection seems weather word
It's charitable to use the word 'dismal,' ... It's a reflection both of the weather and the contraction of the economy, and it really seems to have hit everybody.
suddenly surprise turned weather
This is really the surprise of the year. We should have really anticipated it because suddenly the weather turned very cold.
beyond catching effects factor finally gasoline higher likely next prices retailers softness three weather
The weather was a factor and the effects of higher gasoline prices are finally catching up with retailers at the registers. Beyond that, I think we're likely to see softness for the next two to three months.
continue level maybe pop retail weather
It's going to continue on this level for some time. Maybe if the weather really improves, we'll find a little pop to retail sales, but even if it does improve, there will still be the contraction in the economy.
above buy heavy normal question strong sweater wants weather
It's going to be a very, very strong day. No question about it. But the weather has me a little worried. The temperature has been way above normal and who wants to buy a heavy sweater when the temperature is 65 degrees?
core profitable
It's not a core business, but (gardening) is a very profitable part of the business.
easier growing happens horizon shopping simply store
E-commerce is growing exponentially, and it is not at all unreasonable to think that simply because the store essentially, or a whole horizon of stores, happens to be right on your desk, that shopping is made so much easier than before,
beginning christmas consumer cost economy everybody exciting extra families far gas gasoline high landing less means month pump soft spending toll worried year
Everybody is worried about a soft landing for the economy and a contraction of consumer spending. And come Christmas it will be far less exciting than a year ago. The high cost at the gas pump is beginning to take its toll and for a lot of families spending an extra $20-to-$25 a month on gasoline means spending that much less on stores.
blizzard major malls presidents serious shut since stores weekend
The blizzard was a serious setback for retailers, especially since the Presidents Day weekend is a major day for sales. Most of the malls and independent stores were shut in the Northeast.
add bigger business grow growth percentage smaller stores
The bigger it gets, the smaller the percentage growth will be. Let's say that when you add 10 new stores to 100 stores, you grow the business 10 percent. When you add 10 stores to 3,000 stores, the growth isn't obvious.
activity august basically figures labor reliable september time
The August figures this time are basically not very reliable for anything whatsoever. A lot of the Labor Day activity will come in September this year.
cash demand dollar means related signs tremendous
There's tremendous demand for anything related to gardening, horticulture. It means dollar signs at the cash register.
comfort industry rest
The rest of the industry can take comfort from Wal-Mart's projections,
against beyond easier fueled heavy july last numbers period retailers school situation year
These numbers come on the back of heavy discounting. The back-to-school period also fueled results. Beyond that, the situation last year in July wasn't good. So retailers were up against much easier comparisons.