| Convenience quashes the shame of gift cards
Who cares that holiday spending fell short of expectations in 2007? The real shopping is happening right now.
Gift cards, according to a survey by American Express and the International Council of Shopping Centers, were the third most popular item during the holiday season, behind only clothing, CDs and DVDs. The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will have spent $26.3 billion on gift cards last year, up from a paltry $18.5 billion two years ago. As bad as that news is for the wrapping paper industry, it's good news for the retail economy. Because gift card purchases aren't recorded until the card is actually redeemed, it's safe to say that the holiday shopping season will continue well into the new year.
I bought several gift cards this year, and the experience left me feeling empty and a bit ashamed.
Naples, Lee County real estate market continues to stagnate
As homebuyers continue to wait for the real estate market to hit bottom, existing home prices and sales continue down in Collier and Lee counties. The number of homes sold in Fort Myers/Cape Coal saw a 28-percent decline while condominiums dropped 10 percent. The Naples-Marco Island area showed a 26-percent decline in homes sold, said a report from the Florida Association of Realtors issued Thursday. The association's report did not include data from the Naples Board of Realtors. For the year, the board reported sales to have declined nearly 14 percent in the Naples area including Immokalee and Ave Maria. Condo sales dropped 8 percent. Slow sales dragged prices down as well. “I have seen prices drop by more than 30 percent in some areas like Golden Gate Estates, less in others," said Jerry Osinski, broker with Naples' Weichert Realtors on the Gulf.
EDEKA-Group Fills Its Shelves With SAP
HAMBURG, Germany, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Strengthening its position as one of the leading solutions providers to retailers around the world, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that German-based EDEKA-Group will implement SAP(R) for Retail solutions to ensure an integrated merchandise planning process, reduce IT operating costs and support enterprise growth through a flexible enterprise service-oriented architecture (enterprise SOA). With revenues of more than EUR 37 billion, EDEKA-Group is Germany's leading grocery retailer and is currently facing a business challenge to consolidate its IT activities with its new subsidiary LUNAR GmbH. LUNAR GmbH acts as the IT center of excellence for EDEKA-Group and will be enlarged by up to 250 employees. The company aims to complete the reorganization of its IT landscape and bundle its operational business processes within a cross-group strategy.
Christmas tree growers do a hatchet job on those artificials
The Christmas tree growers are taking the gloves off.
Posted on the Web site of the National Christmas Tree Association (christmastree.org) is a chart contrasting real trees and artificial trees. It's titled "Making an Eco-Friendly Choice: The Environmental Debate Settled."
It's a more confrontational approach than the growers have taken in years past, and it comes at a time of repeated concern about the safety of consumer products manufactured overseas in China, the source of 85 percent of all artificial Christmas trees.
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Images: Two Slightly Injured After Van Crashes Into NW Side Store
The vehicle crashed into Annas Linens, located on Narragansett Avenue near Diversey in the Brickyard Shopping Center, according to Fire Media Affairs spokeswoman Eve Rodriguez. NBC5's Anthony Ponce reported that two store employees were transported to two area hospitals, but suffered only minor injuries. One was taken to Resurrection Medical Center and the other to Our Lady of Resurrection Medical Center, Rodriguez said. There were also customers in the store at the time. .
Passive smoke worsens cystic fibrosis
WASHINGTON: Exposure to secondhand smoking can worsen the condition of patients with cystic fibrosis, says a new study. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited chronic disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, leading to life-threatening lung infections and other digestion problems.
The study, led by Garry Cutting, MD, a professor of paediatrics and medicine and member of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, describes one gene variation that can weaken lung function as well as shorten the lifespan of those affected by cystic fibrosis and also are exposed to secondhand smoke.
"We're really surprised that such a small genetic change could double the negative effects of secondhand smoke on lung function in these patients.
Intimidating groups of teenagers adorn the landscape
When I go to the mall I spend a lot of time on the benches in the main concourse watching the crowds go by. I usually come away with new respect for mothers of small children. You can learn much about people and our own demographic by watching shoppers at the mall. I am reminded of how my grandparents, many years ago would angle park their car along the main street of my small town so they could observe the coming and going of Friday night shoppers. I guess I am continuing a family tradition by mall watching. Archie, Betty and Veronica of long ago are no longer on the scene, nor is the local soda joint. The last time we saw that was on "Happy Days" on television. The same sociology is at work today at the mall as was in those old comic books, except that it seems we have more of the Jughead characters than we had in the 40's and 50's.
ShopLocal Retail Index Up 43% in December; Continues Record Growth for ...
CHICAGO, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- ShopLocal(TM), the leader in multi-channel shopping and marketing services, today announced the ShopLocal Index was up 43 percent for the month of December compared with the same period last year. The Index ended the 2007 year with a 36 percent overall growth versus 2006, reflecting consumers' heightened awareness and use of the Internet to search for the best deals and promotions available in-store. As a point of comparison, e-commerce increased 19 percent in December versus last year, and total online retail spending grew 20% in 2007 (up from $102.1 billion to $122.7 billion) (1). In terms of retailer segments tracked by the ShopLocal Index, mass merchant and discount department stores showed the greatest growth, followed by consumer electronics and office stores.
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