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Posts with tag thanksgiving

How did retailers do on Black Friday?

by Josh Smith Dec 1st 2008 at 11:30AM

Filed under: Shopping, Black Friday

Black Friday has officially come to a close and numbers are already rolling in from various retail sources that show sales up as much as 7.2%. Retailers were correct in their assumption that many consumers would scale back holiday purchases, with many stores trending below last year's sales numbers. Despite the decline, many retailers did exceed their lowered expectations, several coming within a few hundred dollars of last year's sales.

Broken down by category; sales of electronics were down across the board, in fact 50% below last year at several large stores. Many other retail categories also came in lower than in previous years. Speaking anonymously, one manager voiced concerns that consumers did all of their holiday shopping on Black Friday, and that stores would see bleak December sales. Despite the lower sales overall, one area which did perform well according to our source was clothing; in fact, if clothing sales continue on their current trend, they will likely be higher than last year.

The movement away from electronics towards clothing may signal an early shift in the mindset of consumers as they do holiday shopping. A dress shirt given as a gift this year may be better received than a new mp3 player by many rational consumers. The shift towards clothing isn't new, retailers have already seen more consumers purchasing clothing on sale rather than purchasing a gift card in recent months.

With tow of the top three shopping days already behind us and many retailers still coming up short it may spell good news for consumers in the form of increased CyberMonday promotions on December 1. Still the overall lag in sales is troubling from an economic standpoint, as it may spell an end to many retail stores; costing jobs and tax revenue that many cities depend on.

Did you finish your holiday shopping on Black Friday?



Tags: Black Friday, clothing, economy, electronics, retailers, shopping days, Thanksgiving

Subway serves the turkeys that Bush didn't pardon

by Jason Cochran Dec 1st 2008 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Food

This year, economizing has reached shambolic levels: America is being served President Bush's Thanksgiving leftovers. We may not have an accurate death count of civilians killed as a result of the Iraq War, but at least the major news outlets can be counted on to cover at least one story from all angles. I'm referring to the ridiculous annual tradition in which politicians "pardon" a turkey just before the Thanksgiving holiday. Guess where there ones who don't get pardoned wind up? This week, on your plate.

Turkey Day Traditions

    In this image released by Disneyland, Pumpkin, the National Thanksgiving Day Turkey that was pardoned by President George W. Bush is shown Thursday, Nov. 27, 2007, at his new home at Santas Reindeer Ranch in the Frontierland section of Disneyland, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Disneyland, Paul Hiffmeyer)

    AP

    In this image released by Disneyland, Pumpkin, the National Thanksgiving Day Turkey that was pardoned by President George W. Bush is shown Thursday, Nov. 27, 2007, at his new home at Santas Reindeer Ranch in the Frontierland section of Disneyland, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Disneyland, Paul Hiffmeyer)

    AP

    "Pumpkin", the National Thanksgiving Turkey, is surrounded by hands moments after U.S. President George W. Bush pardoned him in the Rose Garden of the White House, November 26, 2008. Pumpkin will travel to Disneyland later today to participate in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in California. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

    Reuters

    **FILE** This file photo provided by Disney shows one of the turkeys pardoned by President Bush making his grand entrance Nov. 22, 2007, in the Walt Disney World Thanksgiving Day Parade in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. as the Grand Marshal of the parade. Last year's birds are currently living the good life at Disney World in Florida, where they were flown by a United Airlines flight that was renamed "Turkey One" for the occasion. (AP Photo/Disney, Gene Duncan, FILE) **NO SALES**

    AP

    **FILE** This Friday, Nov. 16, 2007 file photo provided by Disney shows Pilgrim Mickey Mouse at Ten Star Ranch in Dubois, Ind., unveiling the two turkeys that received presidential pardons from President Bush at the White House on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007, in the 60th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation. (AP Photo/Disney, Diana Zalucky, FILE) **NO SALES**

    AP

    **FILE** This file photo provided by Disney shows President Bush as he pardons one of two turkeys Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007, during the 60th annual Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation ceremony at the White House. Last year's birds are currently living the good life at Disney World in Florida, where they were flown by a United Airlines flight that was renamed "Turkey One" for the occasion. (AP Photo/Disney, Kent Phillips) **NO SALES**

    AP

    U.S. President George W. Bush (C) gathers with children and National Turkey Federation officials as he pardons "Pumpkin", the 2008 Thanksgiving turkey, during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington November 26, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES)

    Reuters

    "Pumpkin", the National Thanksgiving Turkey, is surrounded by students from Cloverly Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland, after U.S. President George W. Bush pardoned him in the Rose Garden of the White House, November 26, 2008. Pumpkin will travel to Disneyland later today to participate in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in California. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

    Reuters

    "Pumpkin", the National Thanksgiving Turkey, is surrounded by students from Cloverly Elementary School in Silver Springs, Maryland, after U.S. President George W. Bush pardoned him in the Rose Garden of the White House, November 26, 2008. Pumpkin will travel to Disneyland later today to participate in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in California. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

    Reuters

    US President George W. Bush and turkey farmer Nathan Hill(R) from Elsworth, Iowa, pet "Pumpkin", one of two turkeys pardoned by Bush at the annual turkey pardoning ceremony November 26, 2008, at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images





This year, the turkeys that didn't make the cut will be be made into slices in a sandwich at a Subway chain store near you. Yes, the farm that supplied this year's winners is one of the sub-franchise's main suppliers, and by the time the flightless birds were winging their way to Dubya, the rejects were already being processed into foot-longs.

What do you think of the tradition of the President pardoning a turkey?



Tags: Thanksgiving, Turkey

Continue reading Subway serves the turkeys that Bush didn't pardon

Five tips to make your Thanksgiving meal a little less costly

by Geoff Williams Nov 24th 2008 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Budgets, Food, Shopping

Let's get the first one right out of the way: You can save a lot of money by choosing NOT to celebrate Thanksgiving, or by letting somebody else feed you and yours.

But you're not going that route. You're cooking the bird, and you need tips. Here are five Turkey Day tips that will help you save money on your annual bread-breaking.

Think ahead to your meal on Thanksgiving Eve. As it turns out, Wednesday night happens to be the third best-selling night for pizzerias around the country. Nobody who is cooking Thanksgiving wants to be making an elaborate meal on the Wednesday night before the big day, and so going out and getting pizza or having it delivered is something of an accidental tradition in many families. That said, pizzerias are after your business. For instance, Papa John's Facebook is still doing its "buy one get one free offer" until Wednesday (if you become a "fan" of Papa John's Facebook profile, you get a code for a free medium cheese pizza with any pizza order). Anyway, I'm just saying, if you're considering ordering out for pizza this night, anyway, there are likely going to be some good deals out there.





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Tags: cooking, featured, saving, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner, ThanksgivingDinner, tips to save on Thanksgiving, TipsToSaveOnThanksgiving

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Palin unwittingly shows how turkeys die after pardoning 'Thanksgiving'

by Sarah Gilbert Nov 21st 2008 at 2:30PM

Filed under: Food

Americans may know that their Thanksgiving turkeys have to die before they can reach the family table. But most are loathe to watch it happen. Sarah Palin may have unwittingly opened many of our eyes to how our turkeys are harvested; ironically, minutes after "pardoning" another turkey named "Thanksgiving" at Triple D Farms in Wasilla, Alaska.

After having pardoned the turkey, Palin gives an interview in front of the slaughtering area (two cone-shaped contraptions into which turkeys are placed, upside down, so their heads can be severed and blood drained). A farm worker is inserting a turkey as the interview begins; he keeps looking over, and takes the turkey out at one point, evidently uncomfortable with chopping the bird's head off on-camera. But he's eager to get going and puts the bird back, holding its head at the bottom of the cone while it struggles and Palin says "certainly we'll probably invite criticism for even doing this too, but at least this is fun!"

As someone who's interested in "slow food" and sustainable farming practices, I wasn't horrified; I think it's probably a good thing for Americans to become more knowledgeable about what happens to animals before they're brought to the table. But this may be a rather harsh way of opening our eyes. The video interview is after the jump, complete with struggling bird and awkward farmer.


Tags: palin, sarah palin, SarahPalin, slaughter, thanksgiving, turkey, turkeys, video

Continue reading Palin unwittingly shows how turkeys die after pardoning 'Thanksgiving'

Stock up on turkeys now before prices go up after holidays

by Aaron Crowe Nov 14th 2008 at 4:30PM

Filed under: Bargains, Budgets, Food, Shopping

If you're looking for a way to save money at the grocery store, shopping for a Thanksgiving meal is a good way to find deals that you normally won't find the rest of the year.

Turkeys are historically less expensive in November and December than in other months, so now is the time to clean out your freezer to make room for as many turkeys as you can. And as a high-protein, low-fat food, it's a healthy meal.

And some Thanksgiving side dishes, such as cranberries, are cheaper now than they are the rest of the year.



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Tags: featured, groceries, grocery, grocery shopping, grocery stores, GroceryShopping, grocerystore, GroceryStores, thanksgiving, thanksgiving dinner, thanksgiving food, thanksgiving leftovers, ThanksgivingDinner, ThanksgivingFood, ThanksgivingLeftovers, turkey, turkey leftovers, TurkeyLeftovers, turkeys

Continue reading Stock up on turkeys now before prices go up after holidays

The little-known secrets of cheap holiday travel--without airplanes

by Jason Cochran Nov 7th 2008 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Bargains, Budgets, Extracurriculars, Simplification, Technology, Transportation, Travel, Recession

hammockAirlines are the squeaky wheel of the travel industry, and they get a lot of grease in the media, so by now we all know how to navigate ticket buying. But baggage fees are on the rise and airfares are an uncertain game of roulette, so many of us are choosing to go to Grandmother's house by land instead. Going over the river and through the woods isn't such a bad way to do it, either, because there are some sterling savings opportunities if you go by wheel instead of wing, as MainStreet.com points out in an article today.

Here's my take on some of Lyneka Little's suggestions:

ONLINE DISCOUNTS: Some suggestions are obvious to those of us who have been using a computer for more than a few months. Those include always checking the websites of your chosen carrier (Amtrak, Greyhound, and so on) to see if its online prices beat the ticket office. Don't stampede straight to the reservations search boxes, either, because most sites have a marked page of specials that shouldn't be ignored.

MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES: Make sure you milk every discount you can. I know plenty of people in their early 50s who squirm at their AARP eligibility, but when they realize that they can use that status to save some bucks, suddenly the card is waved with pride. Even young whippersnappers might have AAA membership, and that can bring some surprising deals (although it's a motoring organization, Amtrak will cut rates for it). Check your local AAA branch for a list of discount opportunities. Often, these price cuts will work even during the holiday rush, including at hotels.

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Tags: aaa, aarp, airfares, amtrak, bolt bus, BoltBus, chinatown bus, chinatown shuttles, ChinatownBus, ChinatownShuttles, christmas, discounts, featured, fung wah, FungWah, go to bus, gotobus, greyhound, holiday travel, holidays, HolidayTravel, megabus, new years, new years eve, NewYears, NewYearsEve, thanksgiving, travel, washington deluxe, WashingtonDeluxe

Continue reading The little-known secrets of cheap holiday travel--without airplanes

Thanksgiving travel: Make your air reservations now

by Amey Stone Aug 28th 2008 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Transportation, Travel

Even though summer isn't over yet, for those of you who travel over Thanksgiving, it is already time to start thinking about booking your flights.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest flying times of the year and this year there are going to be a lot fewer flights available. In an effort to save on costs and in hopes of being able to raise prices, airlines are cutting back on the number of flights they offer. American airlines is shrinking its flight capacity in its main US markets by up to 12% in the Fall and United by up to 16.5%. (Southwest just announced it would cut 200 flights, or about 6%, but not till January, 2009).

Travelers in certain markets will find the cuts much more severe than those percentages imply. If you are used to taking a direct flight, from, let's say, Albany to Chicago on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, you will have half the amount of flights to choose from -- four this year, down from eight last year, according to a report from USA Today. From Boston to Chicago there are three fewer flights, from San Diego there are two fewer flights, and from Pittsburgh there are six fewer direct flights on that route that day.

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Tags: airlines, airport, american airlines, AmericanAirlines, holidash, southwest, thanksgiving, travel, united

Continue reading Thanksgiving travel: Make your air reservations now

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