Retailers continue to trot out bargains

12.22.08
By Lewis Green

In past years, Black Friday may have been the best day to secure a deal on holiday gifts, but this year the special offers show no sign of slowing down.

An article in the Los Angeles Times suggests that many stores are continuing to slash prices - significantly - in the week leading up to Christmas.

Meanwhile, others are offering incentives of all types, from free shipping to gift wrapping and buy-one-get-one-free sales, to lure customers inside or online.

With a recent poll by the National Retail Federation showing that 20 percent of shoppers had not yet finished buying all of their Christmas presents as of December 19th, savvy retailers may actually end up squeezing some profits out of tardy shoppers.

"With so much shopping left to do, the weekend before Christmas will be one of the most important periods of the year for retailers," commented Tracy Mullin of the NRF.

Her prediction may sound hopeful for the retail industry. But other reports indicate that people have already refocused their intentions this year.

Some people have agreed to skip presents altogether with friends - and even adult family members. Others are creating homemade gifts or offering to trade favors, such as shoveling snow, instead.

Bloomberg reported that consumer spending fell for the fifth month in a row in November.

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There are bargains galore for shoppers ahead of Christmas