We're Moving

The Oasis is on the move.Sorry for the inconvenience.Go back and read the November and early December posts and match them to today's business headlines until we get back on....February 6th.Until then.....Take care of yourself, take care of your family, take care of your community and don't forget to take care of your custome...

Sak's Reacts...

To Costco!The plot thickens, as the profit at a troubled retailer thins...

The Difference Between Coal and Diamonds is...

Pressure!In our case, let's call it "Downward Pressure."As a result of: being heavily inventoriedawful Holiday sales resultsshrinking access to creditLarge retailers, especially those of the high-end variety, have not been able to order goods in their usual quantities from vendor partners.This has created a boom in luxury goods at what I have coined as...

December's Echo

More shakeout from December retail business (click headline to read story):Saks To Cut 9% of WorkforceSaks, as previously noted, is one of the company's in BIG trouble. Along with cutting 1100 jobs (most of which I cannot imagine coming from New York, where the company is strongest), the company plans to reduce inventory by 20%, has decided to close it's Club Libby Lu chain entirely and suspended a number of benefits to employees.Let me...

Psychology in the Economic Marketplace, Part I

Ben Bernanke needs some help. This is my contribution:In 1969 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross described, with great specificity, the five stages human beings go through to cope with tragedy and grief, especially in regards to terminal illness. This led to ground-breaking research and new treatment models throughout the medical diaspora, and is now taught as an essential...

Slipping Into Darkness

I promised  today, Thursday, would be a hot day for the press, as retailers reported December figures.Here are a few stories to illustrate the point (Click Headline to read entire story):Deep  Discounts Fail to Help Retail SalesFamily Dollar Sees Boost This Year from Use of Food StampsThe Grinch Stole Christmas: Retail Sales Plunged 4% in DecemberMacy's...

Many Happy Returns

I was reading Ray A. Smith's article (U.S. Retailers to Report Grim Results)  on the Wall Street Journal website regarding the much anticipated December retail numbers due out Thursday and something sparked a memory of an unusual experience I had yesterday. Allow me to share and expand.I went to my neighborhood Costco (a retailer who's praises...

Headlines vs Reality

There seems to be a bit more chatter in the press about a "new economic outlook" for the country. Some economists are even talking about a "mid-year turnaround" (read THIS).Well I did a cursory search on the housing website hotpads.com for "foreclosed property" in my zipcode (60607, click through HERE), and WOW!!!!! I discovered something I could not have...

Best of Inbox 01.02.09

Here's the best nugget I found in my box today:I can't believe I am saying this, but NOW is the time to make your move. 95% off is less than free. Here is the math on my theory.If item a is $100 and tax is 10%, then your cost to take it out the door is $110.If that item is 95% off, the math is as follows:$100 - 95% = $5 and 10% tax of $0.50, so you are...

Required Reading

I implore you to read THIS article.It deals with a number of themes I have discussed over the last month regarding the mindset of the American consumer and, most interestingly,  our inability to alter our shopping habits.The title is the tease:"People Pulling Up to Pawnshops Today Are Driving Cadillacs and BMWs"And so it continues to begin...