CHERYL: THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND IS
JUST A FEW DAYS AWAY AND FOR
MANY IT’S A GREAT TIME TO SHOP
FOR DEALS.
HOLIDAY WEEKEND SALES CONSIDERED
TO BE THE BEST OF THE YEAR IN
TERMS OF DEAL VOLUME, DISCOUNT
DEBT AND SUMMER CLEARANCES.
SHOWING ME NOW THE SMART
SHOPPING EXPERT AT
TRUETRADE.COM.
TREY, EXCUSE ME.
TREY, WHAT ITEMS DO YOU THINK
PEOPLE SHOULD BE TALKING FOR
DURING LABOR DAY, IS IT
ELECTRONICS, IS IT CLOTHES, LAWN
FURNITURE.
>> THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION.
MOST OF THE LABOR DAY DEALS WILL
START ON FRIDAY BUT CONSUMERS
SHOULD LOOK FOR ANY EARLY DEALS
AS WELL MANY WHICH PERTAIN TO
BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING, HP IS
OFFERING UP TO $30 OFF THEIR
FAMILY-FRIENDLY PRINTERS AND
INSTANT INK WHICH IS A SMART INK
SUBSCRIPTION TO GET YOU ALL THE
INK SO YOU’RE NOT LEFT OUT WHEN
YOUR KIDS HAVE TO PRINT
SOMETHING THE NEXT DAY.
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD
LOOK IN THE SCHOOL CATEGORY AND
AS WE GET CLOSE TO LABOR DAY
WEEKEND, FRIDAY, MATTRESSES YOU
CAN SAVE UP TO $700, THAT’S THE
KIND OF SAVINGS THAT YOU CAN
LOOK FOR.
I WOULD ALSO LOOK FOR APPLIANCES
AND FURNITURE AND THEN AS YOU
SAY SUMMER CLEARANCE, PATIO,
FURNITURE, SUMMER CLOTHING AND
FOOTWEAR.
MARK: TREY, MARK TEPPER HERE.
I’M CURIOUS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT
WE MAYBE ABLE TO GLEAN ANY INTEL
INTO THE STATE OF THE CONSUMER
BY LOOKING AT THE BACK TO SCHOOL
SHOPPING SEASON.
FOR EXAMPLE, DID THE CONSUMERS
TIGHTEN THEIR BELT BUCKLE A
LITTLE BIT OR GOING TO TO OFF
PRICE RETAILERS AS OPPOSED TO
FULL-PRICE RETAILER, DO YOU
THINK THERE’S IN INTEL WE CAN
GLEAN FROM THE BACK TO SCHOOL
SHOPPING SEASON?
>> YEAH, I THINK THAT’S A GREAT
QUESTION, MARK, WHAT I AM SEEING
ACCORDING TO NATIONAL RETAIL
FEDERATION, THEY WERE PREDICTING
THAT SPENDING WOULD BE PRETTY
MUCH FLAT AND THAT’S A REAL
INDICATOR THAT CONSUMERS ARE
TIGHTENING THEIR BELTS.
WE HOPE THAT THINGS WILL LOOSEN
UP AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO THE
HOLIDAY SEASON.
RIGHT NOW I THINK CONSUMERS ARE
BEING VERY CAREFUL.
YOU TALKED ABOUT GENERICS AND
OFF-BRAND ITEMS AND THAT’S
BECOMING A TREND.
PEOPLE ARE SHOPPING FOR
GROCERIES AT THE DOLLAR STORE,
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY ARE USING MORE
GENERIC BRANDS AND SO WE ARE
SEEING JUST A GENERAL
OVERARCHING TIGHTENING TO HAVE
BELT RIGHT NOW, OF COURSE,
BECAUSE INFLATION IS SO HIGH.
CHERYL: TO YOUR POINT WAL-MART
RELEASED EARNINGS, GROCERY WAS A
BIG BOOST TO THEIR BOTTOM LINE,
SO YOU’RE VERY RIGHT ON THAT.
SO HERE IS THE BIG QUESTION.
IS IT BETTER TO SHOP ONLINE OR
IN STORE BECAUSE MOST OF OUR
VIEWERS ARE GOING TO SAY, OF
COURSE, I SHOP ONLINE.
>> YEAH, SO THAT’S A GREAT
QUESTION AS WELL.
SO I TYPICALLY PREFER TO SHOP
ONLINE BECAUSE I FIND IT A
LITTLE BIT EASIER TO DO MY
RESEARCHING.
I CAN USE SAVING SITES AND
THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW YOU
PREFER TO SHOP BUT A COUPLE OF
THINGS HERE.
SO IF YOU ARE, FOR INSTANCE,
BUYING A MATTRESS OR APPLIANCE
OR PIECE OF FURNITURE, YOU
SHOULD EXPERIENCE THAT ITEM IN
PERSON.
THE PRICES WILL BE COMPARABLE IN
GOOD PLACES BUT IT’S EASIER TO
SAVE ONLINE.
WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO, CHECK
IT OUT IN PERSON AND THEN GO
ONLINE AND PLACE YOUR ORDER.
JOE: IT’S JOE CONCHA, SOMEONE
WHO PURCHASED A SHIRT FOR LABOR
DAY PARTY AND I ORDERED A LARGE
AND TURNED OUT THAT LARGE
DOESN’T REALLY FIT ME.
SO THAT WAS INTERESTING.
CHERYL: YOU’RE NOT A LARGE.
JOE: I KNOW.
YOU’RE RIGHT.
YOU CAN’T REALLY TRUST BUYING
ONLINE.
BUT OVERALL IN GENERAL ARE YOU
SURPRISED THAT AMAZON REALLY
HASN’T HAD A TRUE COMPETITOR POP
UP JUST WITH THE SAME BUSINESS
MODEL WHERE I CAN BUY BASICALLY
ANYTHING AND GET IT THE NEXT
DAY.
SEEMS LIKE THAT ISN’T HAPPENING
FOR SOME REASON.
>> SO, YEAH, I THINK WITH
AMAZON, THEY REALLY DO LEAD THE
PACK IN THAT REGARD.
WAL-MART IS KIND OF, YOU KNOW,
CLICKING INTO IT A LITTLE BIT
WITH THEIR WAL-MART PLUS
SUBSCRIPTION SO WE ARE SEEING
SOME BRANDS ENCROACHING ON
AMAZON A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW,
AROUND AMAZON PRIME DAY AND YOU
SAW RETAILERS JUMPING INTO THE
FRAY AND OFFERING SALES AS WELL.
AMAZON IS REALLY THE LEADER IN
TERMS OF THE BROAD SELECTION OF
THEIR ITEMS, BUT, YOU KNOW, ON
AMAZON IT’S HARD TO SAVE MORE
THAN WHAT AMAZON IS ALREADY
OFFERING.
THEY HAVE THEIR COUPONS ON SITE
BUT A LOT, FOR INSTANCE, THE
COUPON SITES DON’T WORK ON
AMAZON AND SO WHAT I ALWAYS
SUGGEST WHEN YOU’RE SHOPPING
COMPARE PRICES ACROSS MULTIPLE
RETAILERS, WAL-MART, TARGET,
MACY’S WHAT HAVE YOU AND LOOK AT
A DEAL SITE WHERE YOU CAN SAVE
EVEN MORE SOMEPLACE ELSE.
SLICKDEALS.NET, YOU CAN SET AN
ALERT FOR A SPECIFIC ITEM AND
THEY WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THE
ITEM GOES ON SALE AND WHEN TO
BUY IT AND THAT’S A WAY TO
ENSURE THAT YOU’RE GETTING THE
BEST PRICE.
DON’T ALWAYS ASSUME THAT IT’S ON
AMAZON.
CHERYL: WE DEFAULT TO AMAZON