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Whiner Is Sorry, So Are Retailers

Posted November 14, 2008

As The Whiner’s many fans and followers are well aware, we led the media pack with our recent revelation that “retailers” was just a nice way of saying “zombies.” (In the interests of full disclosure, we should mention that we were partially motivated to break this particular story by our fondness for a zombie photo taken by a guy named Scott Beale. We try not to miss a chance to cover the living dead, as long as it gives us a chance to re-use this photograph.)

But we’re the first to admit we do occasionally blunder. (But not about Scott.) In this particular case, The Whiner pushed the envelope just a little too far when it came to the retail sector. Retailers aren’t dead yet. Okay, some of them are. (R.I.P., Linens ‘n Things and Circuit City.) But others are just flailing around, suffering one near-death blow after another, while waiting for a miracle, possibly in the form of a group discount on interventions by Jack “Dr. Death” Kevorkian.

Their latest problem? Merchandise returns, which are projected to reach a record $219 billion this year, according to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation. That adds up to about 8.7% of total sales, compared to 7.3% last year.

“Consumers are trading down massively; they are out of money, and that’s where returns come in,” Howard Davidowitz, chairman of consulting firm Davidowitz & Associates, told The New York Times.

Good point, Howard. The Whiner would certainly return anything we could get our hands on, if only we’d been able to afford a shopping trip during the past few months.

The Whiner wants to know: What about you? Are you returning anything (or everything) you haven’t taken out of the box yet?

Reader Comments

  1. Larry

    I’m not returning anything. It’s time to butch up and buy, buy, buy. Returning is un-American. Tip your maids well and you’ll live to spend another day.

  2. Jack Jr.

    I like your attitude, Larry. How do I get on your holiday list? (Naturally, I’ll return whatever you send me….)

  3. CMP

    I haven’t returned anything lately, but I sure have been delaying purchases, since it seems like the price of everything is coming down. Soo maybe there’s hope for the patient among us.

  4. PoorMe

    I’m not spending either, which I think is the right move. But I do feel guilty when I read articles about deflation and the way that prices coming down, down, down can create a whole new set of problems. But what can you do if you just don’t have any money?

  5. Larry

    Oh please. You have a computer and are paying for a monthly internet hookup. How bad can things be for you. Boo hoo.