Business Channel 2006-11-29&12-01

We call this Black Friday because the huge sales historically have helped push retailers 2 into the black. And, while today is much publicized for shopping, the busiest shopping day of the year isn't actually today. It's now the Saturday before Christmas, make sense. Even so, earlier report showed the stores are brimming with buyers as your Pipe(应该说的是CNN Pipeline) showed. And the cashiers are ringing as shoppers search for those big bargains. According to the National Retail 1 Federation 3, the average consumer will spend about 800 dollars on gifts for other people this holiday season, and only about, yeah, 99 bucks 4 on themselves.

Oh, you know, I don't know if that's true. I think it's sometimes the other way around for some folks, huh.

Can be? Can be? (Yeah) You are not speaking from personal experience, I know.

I'm not, I'm not gonna, yeah, never, no. What are some of the, the good gifts out there? What are popular right now?

You know, things haven't really changed all that much. Little girls still go for Barbie. And for boys, actually though, it's the new TMX Elmo, which tops their wish list. Um, and for bigger boys, flat panel TVs are the most wanted item.

Oh yeah.

And a new...yeah, hey! Would I want one, for bigger boys and bigger girls?

Yeah! Ha...

The new PlayStation 3 is also on that list. But that's already pretty much sold out in most stores. Clothing, of course, is still popular, with about 70% of shoppers planning to buy clothes as a gift. But a lot of people want to avoid that mad crush in the stores. I'm one of them. So more and more shoppers are actually choosing to buy from home, going online. And online retailers are trying to make it easier for you. USA Today reports that over 80% of online shopping sites are offering free shipping 5. Of course, most of those offers come with a minimum amount you have to spend. Many of the websites also have even better deals than in the store. Amazon.com remains 6 the leading retail website.

And did you ever think you could get better service online than in person? Sites like Home Depot 7 and Staples 8.com offer home-improving tips and have experts available to suggest even pretty good gift ideas.

Oh, that's really cool. Er, now, er, you know, we, we've been talking about online shopping for a long time, right? Felicia, ever since (Absolutely) I guess, Amazon in 2000, 1999, it was really big. But are they really making money right now er… online?

Not really. You would have thought the numbers were bigger. Overall Internet sales only make up about 5% of total profit for stores with physical locations. But that is increasing every year. And stores with catalogs often make up to 50% of their sales online. By the way, a trade group says the typical person can expect to get 13 catalogs in the mail this season, I think I got 13 yesterday.

Wow, all right, I guess it's um, big bricks not so big clicks right now. Er, and there is a survey out there right now, er, on employees?

Yes, exactly. You and I might have to work today, but about 70% of companies are actually closed. Only 15% of the 100 companies surveyed by Challenger, Gray & Christmas actually plan to stay open for business today. The other 15% are operating with skeleton crews. I don't know about you, but there is not too many people here today. (That's right) Among those most likely to crawl into work on this day after Thanksgiving with full tummies are essential workers. Police, hospital employees, and today, at least, retail quali, retail workers qualified 9 as essential. Companies say that the extra day off is a good way to build morale 10 and since it's traditionally slow anyway, it just seems to make sense.


the other way around
the opposite of what you have just mentioned