shoppers
LA State Sales Tax Holiday Aug 5 & 6
LA’s state sales tax holiday began at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, August 05, 2011 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, August 6. LA’s 4 percent state sales tax is exempt on purchases, with some items excepted. All other sales taxes, such as municipal and parish sales taxes, still apply. The tax-free weekend is for all purchases up to $2,500, except on items such as food, drinks, rent and vehicles. Full article.
Wal-Mart to Price Match Competitors’ Black Friday Ads
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said it will match the price of competitors’ ads on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Weekend savings will begin with Thanksgiving Day online specials on Nov. 25 and will run through Saturday. Customers with ads from competitors, such as Target Corp. and Sears Holding Corp., will be able to obtain those promotional prices at any Wal-Mart store. Full article.
Google vies for shoppers
Google Inc. is upgrading its shopping site as it steps up efforts to compete in Web comparison shopping. Google is adding features to its separate service for shoppers, Google Product Search, that helps shoppers look for goods based on color and other physical attributes. Full article.
Stores push Black Friday into October
Attention bargain shoppers! It is October — and Black Friday specials are here! The year’s most popular discount shopping event, referring to the Friday after Thanksgiving, is arriving ahead of Halloween this year, with some promotions beginning the week of Halloween and others throughout November. Recession-trained customers are pushing stores to offer big deals now or risk losing out to competitors, though there is some skepticism about how significant some of the early discounts are. Full article.
Understand shoppers' attitudes
Making a sale often requires that you and your staff change shoppers’ negative attitudes into positive ones. According to research from University of Michigan, a shopper is usually asking themselves one or more of three types of questions when their attitudes influence their purchases. Full Article.
The retailer's clever little helper
The battle between online and brick-and-mortar retailers used to be a lopsided fight. Internet stores enjoy the paradigm-busting advantages of the Web, and offline retailers, by contrast, may never know anything about a shopper. Now, however, smartphone-centered services such as Foursquare, Gowalla, Booyah, etc. are designed to give businesses the chance to tailor deals to patrons and forge enduring relationships with the otherwise unidentified folks who may be their best customers. Full Article.
LA’s back to school sales tax holiday set for Aug. 6-7
Louisiana’s annual sales tax holiday is scheduled for Aug. 6-7. Retail purchases allowed during the sales tax weekend include purchase of non-business items costing up to $2,500. Sales tax is applicable to any single item over $2,500. Visit sales tax holiday website.
Major Retailers Latch on to 'Hauler' Viral Videos
Thanks to the Internet, girls are doing more than bragging about their fashion finds. A growing phenomenon called "haul videos" allows shoppers to show off their purchases to the whole world on sites like YouTube. Major retailers are giving the haul video makers a commercial makeover, and it could mean big business. Full Article.
Signs of Rebound
At malls from New Jersey to California, shoppers are buying electronics and furniture. Tractor-trailers and railroad cars haul goods through transportation corridors. In factories, production is expanding. All across the US, signs of recovery are mounting. Full Article. http://nyti.ms/aZR6ma
