Urban Outfitters (URBN) was downgraded this morning from hold to buy at Brean Murray Carret & Co. The brokerage attributed the downgrade to "forced incremental discounting" at the firm's Anthropologie and Urban Outiftters chains, MarketWatch reported.

In addition, URBN is facing "materially difficult" comparisons during the first half of fiscal 2012. The analyst expects the company will remain under competitive and cost increase pressures despite its varied inventory, MarketWatch added. Wall Street Strategies also lowered URBN.

Continue reading Urban Outfitters Downgraded by Brean Murray

Urban Outfitters Downgraded by Brean Murray originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It seems that retailers are ready to give up on pushing the practical gifts this holiday season in hopes that weary retailers are ready to unload some cash on higher-priced items. Retailers are hoping that socks and pajamas aren't on the list but large-screen LCD TVs and other fancier gifts find their way under the tree. The hope is that shoppers will buy into mainstream optimism.

A year ago, discretionary spending (items like clothing and home furnishings) dropped to 61% of total dollars spent, hopes are that this spending will increase to 63% this year (according to estimates from Customer Growth Partners). Such an increase would equal the percentage from 2008. While two percentage points may seem small, it represents an increase of roughly $60 billion.

Continue reading Retailers to Push Luxury Items This Holiday Season

Retailers to Push Luxury Items This Holiday Season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading JCPenney Worth a Look After Q3 Report?

JCPenney Worth a Look After Q3 Report? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There might be something extra in your paycheck this month. A survey of 100 human resource executives, conducted by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, found that 64% of companies are planning to pay holiday bonuses this year, even though they're still worried about expenses in a market that remains difficult. We've clearly come a long way over the past 12 months. Hiring may not have resumed yet, but at least employers are showing that they appreciate their employees ... and are worried about losing them. At this time last year, only 54% were planning to toss a little extra to the staff for the holidays.

And, the bonus checks are getting bigger, at least for a few people. Eight percent of respondents indicated that they are amping up bonus pay, compared to none a year ago. But, 16% say they aren't paying bonuses this year, up from 13% in December 2008. Another 4% are cutting bonus check sizes.

Continue reading Christmas bonuses are back!

Christmas bonuses are back! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wal-Mart (WMT) won't close Thanksgiving weekend -- not at all. The world's largest retailer is going to keep its stores open 24 hours in an attempt to manage demand for entry during the busiest shopping days of the year. The company has announced it will also implement other crowd-control measures. The festivities start at 5 AM on November 27, 2009. Of course, this doesn't involve any change fro the Wal-Mart Supercenters which already remain open 24 hours a day, but it does address the 800 stores that aren't.

The 24-hour access alone won't do much to alleviate the pressure from thrill-seekers and the bargain-crazed who will want to push through immediately. To help with this problem, Wal-Mart is allowing people to gather in different parts of the store when waiting for the deals to kick off. According to Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar, "If you've got a 200,000-square-foot store, people will be dispersed throughout the store instead of lined up outside the store." Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

As the old infomercial guys love to say ... "But wait, there's more!"

Continue reading Wal-Mart amps up hours, crowd control for Black Friday

Wal-Mart amps up hours, crowd control for Black Friday originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Retail hiring for the holiday shopping season was expected to be slow, and now we have the data to confirm it. According to data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (supplied to BloggingStocks by Challenger, Gray & Christmas), the retail sector added only 63,500 jobs in October -- in data that appropriately was not seasonally adjusted.

This is only slightly better than the 59,100 retail jobs added in October 2008. In the fourth quarter of last year, retail employment increased by a mere 384,300 jobs, with the retail industry turning in its worst holiday shopping season employment stats since 1989 (when it added 380,500 workers).

Continue reading Holiday hiring slow for retailers

Holiday hiring slow for retailers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If Amazon (AMZN) was comfortable with its spot atop the e-reader market, it just got a wakeup call from Barnes & Noble (BKS). The brick-and-mortar book retailer's e-reader, the Nook, which hasn't even hit stores yet, is in pre-order nirvana right now. The first run for the Nook occurred at the end of October (the product was introduced on October 20). These buyers were told the reader would ship on November 30. High demand resulted in backorders, so the next wave of pre-orders was scheduled to ship on December 7. Now, a third group will have to wait until December 11.

This product is on fire, and it still isn't even on shelves yet.

Mary Ellen Keating, a spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble wouldn't reveal how many of these devices have been pre-ordered, but she did say, "Demand for the product in our stores and online has surpassed our expectations." She also noted, "We are working hard to meet demand for the holidays."

Continue reading Barnes & Noble's Nook already makes a splash

Barnes & Noble's Nook already makes a splash originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Consumer spending had its largest fall this year, thanks to the end of the "Cash for Clunkers" program. And, incomes were flat. No change to the money coming in and a drop in the cash going out translates to an impediment to economic recovery.

In September, consumer spending fell 0.5%, the first decline in five months and the worst in nine. Wages and salaries dropped 0.2%, effectively offsetting the 0.2% up-tick in August. The economy did grow in the third quarter of 2009, hinting that the worst recession in 70 years may be coming to a close, but the tough September suggests we still have some work in front of us.

Continue reading Bad September, good Q3 for consumer spending, what's next?

Bad September, good Q3 for consumer spending, what's next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For retailers, the crucial season is on its way. Blow the Christmas rush, and next year starts off on a miserable foot. Success, of course, also delivers a healthy dose of momentum -- and a little bit of wiggle room, important in what will continue to be a tough economy through at least the first half of next year. For booksellers, now contending with a new variable in the form of digital readers, e-readers will play a major role in defining the winners and losers. So far, it looks like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is off to a great start, and it will take some genuine innovation for the competition to chip away at its market share.

Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), once the leading names in literary retail, is expected to release its own e-reader this week. It will look a bit like Amazon's Kindle, according to Reuters, but with a touch screen intended to make the reader's experience easier. The price hasn't been disclosed yet, but rumor has it that it'll be higher than the Kindle's $259. BKS is staying mum on its plans in this space. There are others in the space, as well, including IREX Technologies, which is a spinoff of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG), Asutek (tk: tk) and a project called FirstPaper that has Hearst behind it.

Continue reading Amazon in the lead, but Kindle competition is coming

Amazon in the lead, but Kindle competition is coming originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: 'Tis the season to boycott: Would Christmas by any other name be so controversial?

Continue reading Lowe's, PetSmart targeted by conservatives battling the 'war on Christmas'

Lowe's, PetSmart targeted by conservatives battling the 'war on Christmas' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's super Thursday, when same-store sales from many of the nation's retailers hit the Street, and the outlook for the holiday-shopping season is looking less than cheerful.

Weakness in the housing sector, high prices at the pumps, and unseasonably warm weather kept consumers' wallets on a tight leash in October. Early estimates from the International Council of Shopping Centers/UBS indicate that overall U.S. same-store sales in October rose about 2%, missing analysts' previous growth target of 2.5%. Data from Thomson Financial indicates that 18 retailers have missed expectations, while 10 have exceeded.

Ken Perkins, president of research company RetailMetrics, told The New York Times that "Overall, the sales trend continues to slow . . . I think the consumer is certainly feeling the [economic] pressure heading into the holidays."

Continue reading October same-store sales a bad sign for the holidays

October same-store sales a bad sign for the holidays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Target (TGT) warns of September sales slowdown originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Christmas tree price index: a metric whose time is now? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Dec 2006 05:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading TMX Elmos flood the market: was the shortage 'manufactured'?

TMX Elmos flood the market: was the shortage 'manufactured'? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's nothing like year-end tips to spoil one's holiday spirit. Just when you can't stand to spend another cent on a present for friend or family member, you remember all those folks you still owe a gratuity.

For busy families that have a lot of service providers to thank (house cleaners, babysitters, hairdressers, etc.), the tipping tally can easily total in the thousands of dollars. (Read SmartMoney's take on what is reasonable and expected for year-end gratuities or take AOL's tipping quiz to see if you know it all already.)

As much as you might fantasize, you can't skip the tips. If you want to keep your tipping budget to a reasonable level, you don't have to play scrooge this season. Here's some ideas for how to thank the folks who help you out year-round without busting your budget:

Tip generously without blowing your budget originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Dec 2006 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Wrap Rage: indestructible packaging, endless twisties turn nursery into war zone

Wrap Rage: indestructible packaging, endless twisties turn nursery into war zone originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Dec 2006 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Starbucks, please don't take away my gingerbread latte in January!

Starbucks, please don't take away my gingerbread latte in January! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Nov 2006 16:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Will you 'pay it forward' with Oprah or rely on good ol' consumption? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Nov 2006 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lowest prices on what the kids are begging for this year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Looking for the perfect gift for the husband, dad, or grown son on your list? My advice: Skip the clothing racks and go straight for the hardware aisles. Another tie, sweater or pair of pajamas reeks of domesticity, comfort and a kind of quiet fading into the sunset. Instead, set his pulse to racing with a gift that shows you think he's a real man, a take-charge kind of guy, king of his castle and all that.

Some high-quality tools should do the trick. And, at these prices -- a leaked Sears circular indicates half-off sales for Craftsman tools -- quality tools are a great investment. How about a new socket wrench set, grip sander or miter saw? BFads.com is showing that you can purchase a DeWalt Heavy Duty Grip Sander for $29.99 with rebate at Ace Hardware.

The trick is to get tools that are so cool that he'll be happy to have them even if he never plans on using them. No home should be without a really nice cordless electric drill, for example. Shop at Big Lots on Black Friday and you can pick up a Stanley 150-piece "Fast Change Drill and Drive System" for $39 (listed on Gotta Deal's Black Friday site). Think of that: You get to give to give speed, drilling and driving -- all in one box!

Tools for Christmas: At this price, it's an investment, right? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Nov 2006 17:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.