Department Store Network

Shara John asked:


Holiday and shopping are just like two sides of same coin. These two are interrelated with each other since long days. During the time of holiday we get enough time for shopping. Some people are there they just make their holiday plan for shopping only. There are number of shopping ideas for which our mind could get disturbed to get the suitable one. These are some ideas for your shopping during holidays.

Flowers are the better idea for start the shopping. This is the gift which is loved by most of the women. Present your women some beautiful flower, and before sending any flower you should know whether she like it or not and also try to know which flower and color she likes most. With the introduction with e-shopping flower delivery has became an easier one. And also online flower delivery has gained popularity day by day than the traditional ones.

Jewelry is also an element for which all most all women are crazy about. Shopping jewelry in holidays is of great idea. These are suitable for every kind of ceremonies, occasions and functions.

Despite of shopping for yourself, you can think of buying some thing for your near and dear ones while you come back to home your hand must be full with different gifts for family and friends.

If you are going to attend a dinner party, wine and spirit can be of good idea if they belong to cosmopolitan group otherwise you can gift them boxes full of with chocolates, cheese, coffee and fruits who love these exciting things.

Perfume as a gift item is liked by all most everyone. As it is a daily used stuff it’s not a bad idea to gift. Shopping for perfume is also a better idea in holiday.

Gifting a watch to your beloved one is neither an old concept nor a modern trend. It can be gifted to both men and women. The idea of gifting watch is there since long days. A man love watches more than jewelry. Watch shopping while in holiday could not be a bad idea.

One of the modern trends for gifting is some home décor items. So shopping some home décor is also occupied some better position while you are in your holiday. As shopping could not be denied when you are in your holiday. Taking some of the tips for your shopping is not a bad idea.

Educational Toys Direct

Angie Meeks asked:


Oh the weather outside is frightful, or it will be soon.  And with cooler weather and fall temperatures comes shopping season.  Even with an economic downturn there will still be millions of dollars spent during this holiday shopping season.  Most of us will watch our spending very carefully and make sure we are getting the best price on every purchase.  Many of us will even look for ways to capitalize on earning opportunities while we shop.  Here are my quick tips for saving and making a little extra money while you spend this holiday season.

 



SHOP ONLINE!  I know I know you **** to miss out on the sites, sounds and smells of the holiday shopping season.  I am right there with you.  All of the brick and mortars will be beautifully adorned and filled with holiday music.  There will be smiles on every face and spiced cider all around, but there will also be thousands of people with thousands of cars filled with thousands of children and disgruntled spouses.  Plan a day to head out and enjoy the season.  Take some notes while you’re out, and then head right back home to make all of your purchases online.  You will save time, gas, and energy.  If it makes you feel better, put on Bing Crosby!

Comparison Shop!  Don’t jump on the first attractive deal.  Ever merchant wants and needs your business this year.  All of them will be offering discounts and coupons.  If you pay full price, you didn’t look hard enough.  The deals are out there.  If you can’t find a good one, ask the merchant to offer you one!

Sign up for a Rewards Program!  If you shop online, you are losing hundreds of dollars by not using a shopping rewards program.  These programs offer cash back rewards when you shop the merchants available on their sites.  Most reputable rewards programs have relationships with all the major stores in addition to hundreds of smaller retailers some of which are only available to you online.  I have a relationship with Sunshine Rewards and enjoy making the same purchases I would have made anyway but with cash back to me in my account ranging from 1% to 25% of my purchase price.  I have never been offered cash back for heading into the store to make a purchase.  In fact if you add up my time, energy, and gas, it probably cost me more.  Rewards programs also negotiate great discounts and coupons for their members.  It really is the right way to shop!

Make a list!  Try not to impulse buy.  Another great way to get everything you need without overspending is to make a list of the people you will be shopping for with a couple of gift ideas for each.  Make your selections and then cross them off the list.  Every year, I find that I overspend when I overbuy or buy in duplicate.  If I make a list, I’ll stay on track.  Now is the time to make your list.  It’s still early.  Before things get crazy, you should get organized.

Start early!  Getting a jump on the shopping season is never a bad idea.  You don’t want to miss the fun of the holiday season stressed out about this whole shopping thing.  Get your list made and get started!  Merchants will be rolling out deals very soon.  The earlier you start, the better you will be at spotting the best deal!



 

 

 

Super Photography Studio

Robert Buford asked:


With online shopping becoming a billion-dollar market in Britain, analysts say that stores will be forced to change their business models to adapt.

Online shopping is poised to take 20p out of every UK consumer pound by the end of the year, a landmark milestone that analysts believe will make the channel a critical business for many high-street retailers.Although online shopping growth actually fell in June (the first time it has done so since 2005), the report predicts the economic downturn will encourage more consumer spend to go online, as shoppers hunt for bargains.Also, with the price of fuel at such all time highs,you have to count the cost of the shopping expedition as well as the prices of merchandise.

In CMR’s latest thought leader position for Forbes, we show that e-commerce is actually booming in China, driven by changing demographic demands, especially from Chinese youth. It is critical that companies begin to look at how to use the internet to drive sales.Not only should companies utilize the internet for marketing purposes, but they should look at it as a critical sales channel to Chinese youth who are increasingly turning to the internet to buy not just cheap items like books and DVDs but more complex and expensive products like electronics, luxury items, and clothes. This week, comScore Networks released the first in its latest series of studies geared at examining the online shopping activity of European citizens throughout the holiday season.

The initial data shows that French retail sites experienced the largest gains in the first three weeks of the holiday seasons, highlighted by a 79 percent increase in online shopping traffic for the week ending November 26th versus the pre-holiday average.

“While cyber shopping visits rose most quickly in Germany during the first week of the holiday shopping season, online shoppers in France have since become more active,” said Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe.

“These gains show that consumers armed with high-speed access and positive online retail experiences are increasingly comfortable shopping online.”

Ivins continues, “As online spending continues to grow and account for a larger percentage of total consumer spending, the growth in online shopping could be the difference between a good Christmas and a great Christmas for many online retailers.”

Metrical analysis of the United States and Europe show trends of increased spending in online retail from last year, and the rate of transition from traditional to online shopping isn’t showing signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The larger question, however, lies in what all these numbers actually mean? How do you gauge these metrics to gain insight into actual user behavior rather than just dollars spent online?

Why are shoppers spending more time online rather than in traditional retail marketplaces? Is it just a matter of price, or does product availability and comfort factor into the equation as well?

If marketers are truly serious about gearing their advertising campaigns in contextually relevant ways, it will be important to ask the “why” question more and more in response to studies like this which reflect statistics, but give little insight into gauging consumer intent.

It depends on how far one lives from the store as well as the mode of transportation used. While it is hard to beat the greenness of walking across the street to your neighborhood grocery COOP and bringing your own containers for bulk purchases and canvas bags for the short walk back home, not everyone is fortunate enough to live in such close proximity to the marketplace. Not everyone even desires to live centrally.

Living in the country, a family on Wa$ted was addicted to online shopping. Wasteful? Yes, however, if it weren’t for the internet, they would probably still be addicted to shopping. The difference is that they would have to drive their gas guzzlers into the city to get their fix.

The US Postal Service, along with shipping giants such as Fed Ex and UPS are making the rounds anyway, driving close to most American households everyday, if not right past it. Even in the country. These services are like well-organized carpools for goods

Christmas Stuff Guide

Brian Williams asked:


Here is a different kind of Christmas list: shorts, tank tops, flip flops, sundresses, swim trunks.

Yes, Santa Claus and sunscreen typically don’t mix. But buying summer clothes in the winter (and winter clothes in the summer) can save you a lot of money. You can bolster your own wardrobe through this practice or buy for friends and family. Many off-season items are half off or reduced even more. Buying off-season is a common practice of the budget-conscious consumer, especially those who are trying to get out of debt.

Many retailers are gearing up for winter’s blast and are putting coats, scarves, clothes and jackets on the shelves. That leaves little room for summer gear and retailers often sell summer stock to clear space for cold-weather items. Summer gear may be a bit harder to find at retailers this time of year. It will probably be tucked in a corner far away from the horde of holiday shoppers.

It is also good to pick up winter clothes, such as parkas and ski caps, in the summer. Just ignore the curious stares as you haul that bag of sweaters through the mall parking lot in the middle of July and think of the extra cash in your pocket.

Fashion mavens take note: Buying clothes off-season means you probably will not get the latest style. On the other hand, requesting summer clothes items from friends and family for Christmas can help you overcome the winter blahs and dream of summertime at the beach.

One drawback comes from buying clothes for young children who may outgrow clothes by the time they are in season. Plus, you probably shouldn’t do buy clothes too far in advance for people who plan to lose weight.

Off-season shopping is an offshoot of waning consumer confidence which has Americans wary of any extra spending. People cannot avoid rising costs associated with housing, food and transportation. Plus, plenty of hard-working folks are strained by consumer debt such as mortgages and credit card debt. That leaves little cash for clothing and that cash has to go a long way.

Retailers, in turn, are bracing for the smallest gain in U.S. retail sales in five years, according to the National Retail Federation. Therefore, there are probably deals to be found.

Great French Furniture

Stephen Sikes asked:


The economic turmoil the country seems to be going through has everyone in a panic. One industry that is seeing more panic than many others is the retail industry. With the holiday season just around the corner, the retail federation is terrified that this will be one of the worst holiday selling slumps they can remember.

With consumers in a tizzy, wondering what will happen to the economy, many retailers are worried that means they won’t come into their shops and spend money. They may be right, to some extent. A lot of consumers have said they are worried about the economic situation, so they are cutting back their spending this year.

If you aren’t one of those cutback consumers, you may be able to get a lot of great deals when you go shopping.

Instead of waiting until the last minute to offer great deals, many retailers are starting early, hoping to encourage people to spend a little more this season. If you know how to work the system correctly you can not only get those good deals, but also get something back for shopping.

It’s not just the retail shops that are trying to get good customers this holiday season. The credit card companies are under pressure to get good credit risk customers to sign up for their cards, to make up for some of the bad lending decisions they have made in recent years. This means they are willing to offer more and more perks to get you in the door.

It’s time to look for the best shopping rewards credit card. A shopping rewards credit card is just what it sounds like, a card that will give you rewards, of some sort, when you go shopping.

Traditionally, the best shopping rewards credit cards are connected to a particular store or mall. This could be a smaller store, like a bookstore, or larger stores where you can buy nearly anything like Target. Each of the cards has different shopping rewards. Some offer points you can add up towards free items in the stores, others offer discounts. But the best shopping rewards credit cards will give cash back on purchases you make.

If you play your shopping rewards credit cards right you can find yourself quickly and affordable knocking all those presents off your holiday shopping list while getting points towards free items or even a little cash back that you can spend on yourself.

The Careers Stream

Jim Brown asked:


Many holiday shoppers were integrated to faster means of shopping at malls and other retail outlets with the introduction of the electronic check-out process and the use of debit cards and credit cards at the cash register. Some people really like the option of getting extra cash because the holiday shopper might be running low on gasoline and they have very little time left over in their day to stop at a bank.

The holiday shopping choices have been thoroughly inventoried by electronic machines that are capable of scanning thousands of products in a store and the retailer knows exactly what quantity is on hand on any product that they choose to sell. Customers enjoy being able to read prices more clearly with the electronic digits that are computerized and legible and are never rang up incorrectly because all discounts are duly recorded by a computer system.

This same computer system allows holiday shopping discounts to be applied at the register and the customer is rarely delayed because a sale price was missed. Some retailers are able to offer more items at sales prices because the electronic machines told them which items in the store were limited and needed to be sold to make room for other merchandise in the back that was waiting to go to the sales floor.

With the introduction of gift cards, holiday shoppers had a new way to give a neat gift to their best friend. The selection of gift cards offered the holiday shopper a unique way to express how they feel because they had unique quotes or photographs on them that could be kept for years. The gift cards were electronic money sources that could be spent on any item that the gift recipient wanted.

Electronic machines have added speed to holiday shopping sprees in many ways. Consumers now have a choice of waiting in long lines at a grocery store or they can choose to use electronic check-out’s that scan products at lightning speeds that customers enjoy using very much because they are so very easy to use.

With the use of electronic scanning at the check-out, a holiday shopper customer no longer has to wonder if an item was rang up twice by a store employee or if they made a mistake that they might not become aware of until they unpack the items at home. With electronic scanners at the check-out, customers can check for errors as the item is rang up. If the item is lower than the holiday shopper realized then they also have the option of buying more than one if they see the discount in time. Holiday shoppers like the easy to read receipts and the electronic payment methods that many banking institutions are connected to 24-hours a day.

All Uniforms Online

Samuel Martin asked:


Now at FindGift.com, gift-givers can connect with unique finds like OneShare.com, where you can buy a beautifully framed individual share of stock in one of 130 U.S. public companies. This gift doesn’t require batteries or assembly, won’t wear out, is never the wrong size and lasts a lifetime. The frames are engraved with the company’s services, products, characters and history.

New parents or first-time grandparents, for example, can celebrate a child’s first Christmas with a first share of Disney stock. Instead of a box of golf balls, golf lovers will appreciate a share of Callaway stock. If you have a biker on your list, you can honor his alter ego with a share of Harley-Davidson stock. And for mothers, a share of Tiffany & Co. or Martha Stewart is sure to please.

Shoppers can purchase one share of stock for $39, plus the price of the stock as listed on the stock exchange, in less than three minutes. Frame choices range from a complimentary hard matte paper frame to wood or brushed metal frames from $34 to $75. You can further personalize the gift with a special message on the frame’s plaque.

This holiday season, OneShare will donate 1 percent (approximately $1) of each stock sold through Dec. 31, 2005 to benefit Women for Women International. Founded in 1993, the organization helps women in war-torn regions rebuild their lives by giving them financial and emotional support, vocational training, rights awareness, education and access to capital for business development.

Travel Service Site

Bobby Urbanek asked:


Everyone has experienced the stress of holiday shopping at one time or another. Racing through the stores to find that perfect gift. The one that is already sold out, leaving you wishing you had gotten there when you first saw it advertised. I,m sure we have all experienced that scenario.

Many of us are guilty of procrastinating when it comes to holiday shopping. We tend to put it off until the last couple of months so that we can take advantage of those so called “Holiday Sales.” There is a reason they call the day after Thanksgiving the biggest shopping day of the year.

Although there are a number of very good sales around the holidays they also have a number of drawbacks. Let’s consider the day after Thanksgiving sales for example.

Many of the sales items are very limited in quantity so you need to get to the store very early. In most cases that means standing in huge lines as early as 5 A.M. to get the good deals. Often times even that leaves you empty handed.

Many times there are great deals at several stores. This often means making a decision as to which huge line to stand in. Makes for great holiday fun, doesn’t it.

Are those “Holiday Sales” really all that great? The truth of the matter is NO. We have all been conditioned through a flood of advertising to believe that they are. Though many holiday sales are good, there are many sales throughout the year that are just as good. In some cases even better! By taking advantage of specials, coupons, periodic sales throughout the year, you can save year round.

The holiday shopping season is when most retailers report the majority of their annual profits. That’s just a fact of life in the retail world. There is also another fact of life in the retail world….

Those same retailers have to pay their overhead all year round! They have to have your business all year in order to stay in business. To ensure this they run sales and specials regularly throughout the year. Many of the sale prices are just as good or better than the holiday sales.

eCareers and Employment

Money Morning asked:


By William Patalon III

Executive Editor

Money Morning/The Money Map Report

If it’s good enough for Wal-Mart…

Looks like the discounting model pioneered by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailing giant, will make its way to some rather unlikely high-end retailers: Barney’s New York Inc. and Neiman Marcus Inc. have announced significant price reductions (up to 75%) over the next few days to avoid a disastrous holiday shopping season.

For optimists, the message here is that all hope for holiday retail sales is not yet lost. A National Retail Federation survey showed that only 47% of consumers have finished their holiday shopping and another 19% have not even started. As a dismal 2008 comes to a close, the last die-hard eternal optimists are calling for a year-end Santa Claus Rally, as the government bailouts and U.S. Federal Reserve actions give investors some hope for 2009 and beyond.

But such blind optimism too often ignores a key point or two. The Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, for instance, just announced that its third-quarter earnings plunged 84% because of its aggressive discounting, the Dallas Morning News reported. And since the discounting will continue, so will the decline in profits, the high-end retailer conceded.

With even luxury retailers discounting to try and salvage something from the holiday shopping season, the outlook for lackluster sales and even-more-lackluster earnings feeds into an already dour outlook for the U.S. economy.

And if that doesn’t squelch the optimists’ ardor, then a looming revision in the third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) – last reported as minus 0.5% – will almost certainly bring them back to the realities of the sluggish economy.

It may even force those optimistic economists to finally say: “Bah Humbug.”

That GDP report is due out tomorrow (Tuesday).

Market Matters

Though perhaps it’s wishful thinking, there are some analysts who point out that one or more of any number catalysts could jump-start the economy and the financial markets in the New Year, putting the past few miserable months in the rearview mirror. They argue that the trillions of dollars in bailout money pumped into the financial system should finally start to provide badly needed liquidity; the Fed seems intent to do “whatever it takes” to reverse, or at least blunt, the current downturn (even if runaway inflation may be a repercussion down the road); an “Obamanomics” stimulus plan could create new jobs, while enhancing the country’s aging infrastructure; risk-free Treasury yields at 0.00% should start to look less and less attractive, prompting investors to look into stocks and non-government bonds again. Just a few last minute items to add to the holiday investment-shopping wish list.

Sadly, Bernie Madoff saw to it that his investors will have a holiday season to forget as the list of prominent victims grew each day: Real estate mogul Mort Zuckerman, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., Hollywood movie mogul Steven Spielberg, Spanish bank Banco Santander SA (ADR: STD), France’s BNP Paribas SA, Nomura Holdings Inc. (ADR: NMR), and many charitable foundations and non-profit organization were among the people and institutions victimized.

Plenty of finger-pointing has been directed at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for failing to uncover some rather obvious signs of wrongdoing through the years. As Money Morning reported even before the official announcement was made, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama tapped FINRA Chief Executive Officer Mary L. Schapiro to head the SEC during this time of turmoil. Congrats on the appointment, I guess?

The Detroit Big Three automakers received early holiday cheer as the U.S. Treasury Department will release $17.4 billion of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money in return for potential equity stakes and other concessions from management and unions. General Motors Corp. (GM) and Chrysler LLC will be the recipients, while Ford Motor Co. (F) pursues – for now – the go-it-alone strategy. Meanwhile, Chrysler will be shutting down all of its North American production plants for at least a month and also will begin charging dealers large fees on unsold cars that remain on their lots after prolonged periods. In perhaps a sign of things to come, a consortium of 14 companies – including 3M Co. (MMM) and Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) – have asked for $1 billion in government funding to begin manufacturing state-of-the-art batteries for electric cars. The move is reminiscent of action taken by computer chip firms decades ago that helped make the industry more competitive domestically. (Johnson Controls also announced last week that it would invest $90 million to open a lead-acid-battery-production plant in China’s green-power energy industrial center in Changxing Economic Development Zone of Zhejiang province, Alibaba.com reported).

Energy traders disregarded the decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut production by a record 2.2 million barrels a day, fearing lack of compliance by its members. Instead, traders chose to focus on the shrinking demand in the sluggish economy as oil prices briefly fell below $35a barrel to levels not seen since 2004.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) reported its first-ever quarterly loss and Morgan Stanley (MS) followed with a shortfall of its own.

FedEx Corp. (FDX) posted a higher profit, but gave a dire outlook and announced major compensation cuts for senior management (and benefits cuts for the rank and file). Stocks were relatively flat as investors digested the latest on Madoff, the auto bailout, and significant Fed actions.

Economically Speaking

“The Federal Reserve will employ all available tools to promote the resumption of sustainable economic growth and to preserve price stability.”

Too bad Fed Chief Ben S. Bernanke couldn’t punctuate that last statement with a hearty “Ho, ho, ho – happy holidays.”

After setting the target for the Federal Funds rate at 0.00% to 0.25%, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policymakers revealed they are studying other measures and may purchase U.S. Treasuries at some point in an effort to stimulate the financial markets.

There are already some signs that the central bank’s action already are working. Mortgage rates have dropped dramatically and borrowers are taking advantage of refinancing opportunities to save on future interest payments. Investors are finding value in corporate and municipal securities, as certain high-quality issues are yielding more than 6% more than comparable Treasuries. Meanwhile, Japan’s central bank followed suit with a rate cut (to 0.1%) of its own.

More details of the Obama stimulus plan emerged during the week and his economic team pegs the total package at about $800 billion (or more than $1 trillion by the time Congress adds its required “pork.”). Tax cuts of up to $100 billion will serve as the most immediate stimuli, with construction (infrastructure), energy and healthcare among the industries that will benefit the most over time.

The data of the week revealed that his package can not arrive soon enough. Housing starts fell by 18.9%, to a record low, and declining building permits did not offer much promise for future construction. Another forecasting release, leading economic indicators, fell for the second consecutive month; in fact, over the past six months, the index has experienced its worst decline since 1991.

The inflation picture remains favorable, though naysayers find pessimistic views in that data as well. The November consumer price index (CPI) fell 1.7%, the largest decline on record (since 1947), as gasoline prices plummeted by 29.5%. While the deflation-mongers claim that falling prices will force consumers to delay purchases (for when they become even cheaper), others point out that gas purchases can not be delayed, as people have to get to work (and few are choosing to ride their bikes or shift into mass transportation). In reality, plunging gasoline serves as a stimulus package without any government interaction (though OPEC is getting involved).

To read more Click here

Investment news

Do It Yourself World

Jim Vrana asked:


The slowing economy hit retailers hard this past shopping season. Many stores depend on the holiday gift giving season for up to 40% of their annual sales. When retail stores don’t realize enough sales during December, many face the real prospect of closing their doors in the January.

This is happening throughout the country. Retail stores from the local mom-n-pop shop to major national chains are going out of business, or at least closing some of their under-achieving stores.

But holiday shopping still occurred. People still shopped, though just not as much in years past. And when they purchased those gifts, too many were paid for using credit cards, increasing already inflated account balances.

Once again, the reality of those balances will begin to show up as the credit card monthly statements start to arrive in the mail. More people than ever are wondering how they are going to pay those 2008 debt balances, and still survive in 2009.

Unless a person can payoff their card balances within a few months, then the amount of spent on those 2008 gifts will continue to increase as interest on those purchases continues to accumulate. Too many people don’t realize that the $500 they spent on holiday gifts could really cost them $600 to $700 once those purchases, plus interest, are paid for.

The sad part is that most people never know how much money they are actually spending. Purchases made now, are simply added to previous balances, plus old interest, plus future purchases, plus future interest. A family cannot possibly budget their expenses when they do not know how much their purchases are actually costing them. All they really see is an ever growing debt balance.

How does a family survive when their debt begins to grow out of control? The first order of business is to put away the credit cards. Make a commitment to live without them. If a family’s monthly income is not enough to cover the monthly expenses, then some hard, difficult choices must be made on which expenses must be cut out their lives.

The second order of business is eliminating the debt burden left behind. There are many solutions and programs available to achieve this goal. Not every solution is a good fit for every person. Some may try and settle for a lower balance, some people may obtain a low interest consolidation loan.

Many people are now discovering that debt elimination programs are very real. To accomplish this, you must make the commitment to live without credit cards. It can be done. The interest savings alone could seem like getting a pay raise.

The perception in this country is that you must have a credit card. This is false. Many debit cards can be used just like credit cards. Many people travel around the world, and never use a credit card. Of course, the money must actually be in the bank in order to make purchases using a debit card. Do not forget about using cash for your purchases. You are less likely to make that un-needed purchase when you can actually see the money disappearing from their wallet.

This just leads to a very simple concept: If you don’t have the money, don’t make the purchase. Living by this rule will eliminate foolish purchases, and save money that would be wasted on interest charges.

When you live in this manner, the $500 spent on next year’s holiday gifts, will only cost you $500.

eGambling Site