The Power of Retail

Even though the economy is still slow and jobs are tough to find, with the start of the holiday season, there has been a upswing in jobs retail from front end sales staff to merchandising staff. Retail jobs are where a lot of college students earn money for college, for books, for living etc, so it is an important change. And with the change in the economy, it’s good business for anyone else looking to make some money and if you have some previous experience then it will be an asset for sure.

Where do you go for all your media requirements such as DVD duplicators, computer accessories such as pen drives, discs, printer cartridges and toner? Well, where ever you have been buying these things from, Supermediastore has on offer better prices as well as better service. I stumbled upon this site by chance and found it to have a much wider selection of products than most others, especially the place where I bought my supplies from last time, and at really great prices as well. They currently have a DVD-R media sale going on right now, where you can pick them up at a really great price along with lots of other goodies as well. The site is neatly organized by type of product as well as by brand so its easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. All in all, this site is a great find.

While the general market for books is declining, books for children have seen increases in the recent past. Specialized children’s books and gifts are a great sector to be in and retailers that are enjoying a wave of popularity, thanks to products like the My Adventure Book range which are personalized stories with the child’s name, age and details about friends incorporated into the book. Some of the more popular titles include Disney’s Cars, Princess and Pirates etc. Besides books, there are lot of other products like rulers, pencils, labels, lunch boxes etc that can all be personalized.

Coupon sites are a huge trend in the retail industry these days. No one wants to pay regular prices and why not, consumers all know of the huge margins that most retailers have and want to make their money stretch as far as possible. RetailMeNot is one of the newer entrants to the coupon scene and has been around only for 6 months, but has over 1 million visitors every month who have contributed 35,000 coupons that can be used online. I was surprised to see so many target coupon code options for discounts ranging from 10% off to $5 off a $50 order at their site. A really cool feature of the site is a firefox extension that can be downloaded, so that it reminds you to enter a coupon code whenever you are buying something online. If you want alerts in your email, you can sign up with the Hot coupons newsletter, which can be selected for a single retailer or for all of them combined.

I’ve been reading the retail weekly news and I was surprised to see that sales for pet supplements has risen despite the slowing down of all sectors in retail. Other areas that have seen an increase in sales are fast food outlets and stores selling lower priced gifts. Even though there is a recession, people still spend on the little luxuries and pets are foremost on this list as they are treated as part of the family for most people. Trend watching has been going into overdrive lately, with a host of predictions as which sector is said to best weather the storm and which is likely come out of it first, but the latest quarterly results speak for themselves.

It’s time for holiday shopping and if you’re like most shoppers, you will be spending additional time searching for the right gift at the right price. Finding the right price is largely dependent on doing your research on the Internet and in the newspapers…so keep your eyes open. There are lots of special sites where one can find promotional bags, which are a good way to cut short on the time and effort spent on doing the search oneself. Considering the state of the economy, these are in big demand with a wide segment of consumers. It looks like that while people are cutting back on spending, they are not cutting it out entirely, but are instead looking for things at a better and more affordable price. Happy searching!

Retail really is the business to be in, or rather retail analysis, since there is always the market for this kind of work, in both up and down times. Whether you’re researching trends or monitoring sales for Hydroxycut hardcore, it’s always interesting. The current credit crisis has only livened things up for us, as there is a lot more analysis and work to be done than in placid times. The trick is to be aware of all that is going on, to read a lot, to monitor the websites, especially sites like Consumer Price Watch which is an effective gauge on the consumer mindset.

Black Friday is almost here but it really doesn’t have the excitement that it has had in the past few years. People are cutting back on spending, of course but they are spending on Christmas stuff, much to the relief of retailers worldwide. Usually by this time of the year, consumers are going crazy trying to find out what is on offer on Black Friday sales, but this time it’s been quite subdued. There have been lots of newspaper articles saying that sales are upbeat, but that’s mostly to keep the morale of the consumers and retailers up. It will be interesting to see how it will all pan out in a week’s time!

The retail scene in Dubai has always been quite vibrant and continues to be as such even today. Yesterday I visited the newly opened Dubai Mall, built by Emaar and billed to be the largest mall in the world. I was disappointed in many ways, but mostly because so many of the stores are yet to open and one can hear the sounds of construction everywhere. Outside the mall, towards the back where the fountain is to be eventually, its a maze of construction vehicles, pipes and so on.

As in all malls in Dubai, the main attraction is not its shops, but the extra stuff to pull the crowds. The older Mall of the Emirates has a ski slope, Ibn Batutta Mall has seven courts and is built along these themes, Wafi City is all about the glory of the Egyptian pyramids, an The Dubai Mall is vying to outdo all of them with its enormous aquarium, complete with sharks, sting rays and thousands of other fish, 33,000 other fish to be exact.

Nothing is small scale here, the aquarium window is the largest in the world and has already been included in the Guinness Book of World Records. There is also a 48mt long tunnel through the aquarium and a Discovery Center that covers three zones: Rainforest, Rocky shore and Living ocean. The Rainforest Cafe is located conveniently nearby, although it is yet to open.

If the aquarium doesn’t interest you, there is also an Olympic sized ice skating rink at the mall. Yes, yes this still is the desert, but who’s to know once you’re inside, right?

Of all the malls I have been to, this is definitely the most technology savvy. All of its internal maps of the malls are touch screen, so you can find the store you want to go to with ease. There are huge electronic boards that change color and move up and down to create an amazing look and feel. I don’t think I’ll be going to the mall much for shopping, but these extras are definitely interesting.

Border’s new concept store in Texas opened in Allen. The store is spread across two floors and has several interactive features on offer in the travel, wellness, cooking and other sections. There is a large mural on three walls in the children’s section done by Colin Thompson, which is a definite look at even if you don’t have your kids along. The store has a large section on Manga comics and has a large consumer electronics section, which was put in after the company conducted research on that their customers wanted. So now, consumers will be able to burn their own CDs, create audio books and learn the art of making picture books. There is also a self-publishing kiosk at the store.