Black Friday has expanded into black Saturday. How long before it turns into Black November. I am sure that would happen if retailers could hold the consumers interest for that long.
We have noticed a continuing trend over the past 5 years where shoppers delay spending until the last minute possible (I thought I was the only procrastinator). So we are inclined to think that Cyber December is becoming a reality. Up until three years ago, we had more sales in November than December. That trend has completely reversed. People seem to give up on the stores and crowds to shop online during December. This is partially supported by the NRF survey that states “As of the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the average person has completed 38.7% of his or her shopping vs. 39.3% in 2008.”
PayPal supposedly reported a 25% increase in traffic on Black Friday which can hardly be a reflection of shopper spending. It may, however, portray a shift in shopping habits to Cyber December rather the Black November.
Another interesting statistic from NRF is that the average shopper spent $343.31 on Black Friday and Saturday. Interestingly, $103.80 of that was spent online. A whopping 30%!
With all of the advertising for Black Friday, only 52.1% actually shopped or planned to shop during the weekend according to the NRF. That surprised me. Did the other 48% shop online? The survey isn’t clear on the distinction of online shopping participation.
Happy Holidays Everyone,
Ken
12.13.09 Posted in General at 8:49 pm by Ken
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AARP has an interesting slide show on flops in the last 50 years from the Edsel, Sony Betamax to 10 cent beer night. You can also nominate your favorite flop. 50 Biggest Flops
12.04.09 Posted in General at 2:04 am by Ken
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t7z253sudy
08.05.09 Posted in General at 4:15 am by Ken
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Robin Spizman has the best gift shopping advice we have seen!
A quote from her Gifts and Tips web page, “Don’t just consider what you like to give…think about what they would like to receive…it’s their gift!”
Using what “I like” to decide on a gift for someone else has always been a pet peeve of mine. It is being downright lazy (or maybe uninformed). Is that why such a small percentage of shoppers buy personalized gifts?
Actually personalizing a gift is quite easy once you have decided what kind of gifts might fit you recipients desires. As an example, your husband needs a wallet. Think about how he will feel if it has his name or initials engraved on it! We all like to see our name in lights! How would you feel?
Every year we do a local golf on ice tournament for our friends and neighbors. We always give out a personalized gift of some kind to each participant. Two or three years later we find out that they haven’t used the golf balls yet. Why?
Gift giving is part science and part feelings. The science is determining what gift they might like. The feeling is going one more step to include their personalization on the gift.
Take the time to go the next step and your recipients will show you that it was worth it!
07.01.09 Posted in General, Personalized Gifts at 7:18 am by Ken
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Tags:, gift shopping tips, Personalized Gifts
There are several ways to engrave gifts made of glass that has a clear surface.
Some of the methods include:
- Rotary cutters
- Laser
- Sand blasting
- Acid Etching
- Chemical Etching
Methods used vary for low volume versus high volume engraving needs.
Rotary Cutters vary from Dremel tool attachments for do-it-yourself individual use to rotary engraving machines for high volume production.
Laser engraving is used for high volume engraving.
Sand blasting is commonly used for production engraving.
Acid Etching is not used very often these days due to limited applications and safety.
Chemical Etching is commonly used by hobbyists.
Preparation of the glassware for engraving varies depending on the method of engraving. Some applications assume drawing the design on the item and some assume a pattern is created on a stencil.
Provided by Wealthwood Personalized Gifts. Let us know if you want more information.
Posted in General, Personalized Gifts at 4:13 am by Ken
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After deciding to upgrade Wordpress to the 2.3 version, we downloaded the new files and got to the updating the database step and hit a brick wall with an error message saying you need MySQL version 4.0 or greater. Read the rest of this entry »
10.17.07 Posted in General at 7:10 am by Ken
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Tags:wordpress upgrade
If it has been awhile since you have experienced the “joys” of moving here are some tips for keeping up your life less hectic.
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06.12.07 Posted in General at 6:09 am by Ginger
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Afraid to use your Credit Card to order the items you want online because of Identity Theft?
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06.11.07 Posted in General at 6:09 am by Ginger
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When you place your order online with a credit card from Wealthwood Gifts, we follow the below procedures to protect you, the customer, from fraudulent use.
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04.20.07 Posted in Awards, Plaques & Trophies, General, Personalized Gifts, Promotional Gifts at 6:44 am by Mary
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Tags:credit card charges, Personalized Gifts
Mary and I are visiting friends in Naples Fl for a week. Read the rest of this entry »
03.04.07 Posted in General at 10:31 am by Ken
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This thread is where you can ask a question, make a comment, get clarification or obtain more information. We will either reply with an article or answer you question in this thread. It is your blog so we welcome your participation.
Ken, Mary and Ginger
01.25.07 Posted in General at 10:18 am by Ken
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In today’s world more and more people are doing the bulk of their shopping online. With options of having the merchandise delivered to your door, or picking up your items at your nearest outlet where all you have to do is pick up the items you have ordered online. With some websites you can also have items drop shipped to a different address, which is a great way to get your gifts delivered directly to the recipient. Read the rest of this entry »
01.19.07 Posted in General at 9:57 am by Ginger
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Tags:Personalized Gift Ideas, Personalized Gifts