US retailers confident as holiday season kicks off
88 views · Published 28 November 2018 · 3:25 · Indexed 23 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(23 Nov 2018) US retailers aren't just ushering the official start of the holiday season with the usual expanded hours and fat discounts on jewellery, toys and the like. They're also offering new ways for shoppers to get deals, catering to their customers with both online and in the store deals, giving them the option to stay home or head into the mall for the shopping rush. JCPenney store manager Joe Cardamone says the company is ready to engage with customers, beefing up their retail team in the hopes to be able to offer them a fun retail experience. He says the JCPenney shopper is focused and looking for deals, and his team is ready to help with that by giving them options both in-store and online. "They have both avenues, if they don't want to come into the store. Then they can go online and get just as good pricing over online with free shipping and with the door busters - a lot of the customers still love to come into our store to see. And have fun shopping," he told the Associated Press Friday. With the jobless rate at a five-decade low of 3.7 percent and consumer confidence at a 18-year high, analysts project healthy sales increases for November and December. And while Black Friday isn't what it used to be, it's still expected to be the biggest shopping day of the year, according to ShopperTrak, a technology company. Analysts say Black Friday sales should be even bigger than a year ago. Sales are expected to hit $23 billion on Friday, up from $21 billion during the same year-ago period, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse, which tracks all forms of payment including cash. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/30f8ca67cfff3013be208da82a274033
