Scott Krugman Quotations

There are two factors over last year: Gift cards are playing more of a role in the holiday season and the fact that we have such a late Hanukkah this year.

The only people who are going to have problems, real problems, with return policies are people who are trying to defraud a retailer.

From what we've been hearing Saturday was a huge day for sales and a huge day for traffic,

My standard feel is it's too early to tell. It looks like things are starting to stabilize a little bit. They're not getting worse.

It is an easier last-minute gift. For people that are trying to avoid the long lines or as the apparel selection starts to thin out, I think you will see more people turning to gift cards today.

Retailers must always be focused on knowing their customers. But in desperate times like these that message gets hammered home because the competition is so fierce for a limited amount of dollars.

Outlets need to be innovative. They need to make sure they are attractive and that they are speaking to the demographic. But by no means are they past their prime or suffering a stigma of being low-end shopping.

I think it remains to be seen how things go over the next month, ... The forecast is always open to revision depending on a set of circumstances we might not have seen. That could mean the effects from the lockout, or it could mean what happens if we got to war with Iraq.

Earlier, we were considered optimistic, but it's difficult to compare all the numbers.

While the price of gas didn't have an impact on the holiday season, mostly since prices at the pump came down, this is not to say higher heating costs won't affect post-holiday spending.

Saddam's capture could provide a psychological boost to consumers who have been distracted by geopolitical uncertainly. However, in the short term it will have a negligible impact on spending trends,

It's tracking very strong. We feel very optimistic about this season.

The consumer has proved more resilient than many thought. We're still in the middle of a very busy week that can account for 10 to 15 percent of holiday sales, especially with all the unredeemed gift cards. It's not over yet.

It's way too early to actually tell its impact. Such a small fraction of consumers have gotten them. People will use them to supplement back-to-school shopping budgets and home improvement projects people have been putting off.

I know from experience. It all kind of creates the retail perfect storm.

By the time it comes back to them, it's on markdown.

The retailers want to make a big push for fall apparel this year, ... That's definitely a fact. There's a very strategic message here. This is well planned out in advance. The question isn't so much the timing of the markdowns as it is the amount of inventory.

The retailers want to make a big push for fall apparel this year. That's definitely a fact. There's a very strategic message here. This is well planned out in advance. The question isn't so much the timing of the markdowns as it is the amount of inventory.

A good holiday season means great things for the economy since consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the gross domestic product, It could create something of a slowdown in the beginning of next year if consumers are really splurging right now.

It's not a niche holiday by any stretch. It's the first big event after the (winter) holiday season. January is a bit of a lull month for the industry. Not counting back-to-school, Valentine's Day is the second biggest season for spending.

It's enough to turn a good holiday season into a great one.

We might skirt near a recession, and this could change tomorrow ... but layoffs aside for a second, there are some positives. The government is being very active by putting liquidity back into the economy, and recent tax rebates and cuts in the tax rate have helped consumer confidence.

This is the most promotional Black Friday we have seen.