Kurt Barnard Buy Quotations

There is an exceptional dearth of hot, must-have items. So what people are turning out for is the hope that they'll stumble upon something they can buy and give.

Are consumers buying more? I don't know. I think what Wal-Mart said about people spending less of the rebate money this year in stores is significant. It shows people prefer to save any extra money than spend it.

Pet food is something that a lot of people need. Clearly, you are exposed to a lot of other things that are in the store. Let's put it this way: the lady might come into the store to buy pet food and might end up buying pet food and some lipstick.

We were dealing with a very cautious, very careful consumer who was not really inspired to buy anything because there wasn't anything worth buying.

You know, Americans have jobs. Americans are earning money. They feel good about themselves. They feel secure in their ability to hold onto the job, and even if they lose the job they know they don't have to go too far to find another one, ... So they feel a sense of security, of freedom to go out and spend and buy and do things for themselves, and that is why we are absolutely convinced that consumer spending will remain strong certainly throughout the balance of this year, and ... maybe into next year.

It seems to be that a lot of these large chains are gravitating toward the advantages inherent in joint buying and obtaining lower prices and saving a lot of money in the process, ... ...It is very likely to be a powerful weapon in the retailer's arsenal to reduce the cost of buying and operating. And given the world of the Internet, which makes possible these alliances, it has to be recognized that consumers will find it so much easier these days to compare prices because all they have to do is click away.

I think that Jupiter's conclusions are, absent documented evidence of this development, somewhat optimistic, ... They (consumers) do their research on the computer, then they buy in the store, but they're not going to buy more than they had planned to buy. They might buy different things from what they had planned to buy, but there are only so many dollars to go around.

July was surprisingly strong -- consumers are on a buying spree, ... Remember the old saying 'Shop till they drop'? Now it has become 'Shop till they shop some more.'

This loss will be easily made up, ... If I want to buy some jewelry for my wife, do you think I'm going to let one snow storm stop me? No, I won't. Consumers will get their shopping done this week and in the days leading up to Christmas.

If you stash money away in a savings account, then there's less available to buy things in a store, from candy to cars. This is not quite the conventional retrenchment we've known from past recessions, but it may represent a kind of wishy-washy stagnation.

They were tepid. They give clear indication that Americans are far from ready to go on buying binges,

Sharper Image products also evoke the desire in customers to buy them. Granted that a $1,800 massage chair may not appeal to someone who just lost their job, but one reason that these kinds of high-end gadgets are in demand is exactly because some people want to pamper themselves and take their mind away from that kind of reality.

The outlook is for a muted third quarter, and also fourth quarter. It's not getting any worse in our opinion. We believe that consumer spending has essentially bottomed out. That does not mean consumers are ready to go on a spending spree or a buying binge. Things are likely to remain at their current level.

As consumers become more comfortable with buying from the computer, ... and this new generation that has grown up with the computer comes of age, what we will see is huge dollar amounts of retail sales being transacted on the Web and we will see a lot of stores become increasingly Web stores.

Its formula is essentially one that appeals to just about everybody, and that takes advantage of a fundamental need -- pay less than you have to elsewhere, ... It is a totally irresistible formula that, so long as there is such a thing as buying and selling, will not fail.

Consumer spending is going to be more restrained than it had been early last year. They will be buying things they need. They will not buy on impulse and will not buy frivolously. They will buy what they need and look for bargains.

Consumers in October continued on a buying spree, propelled by a very robust economy, ... Many came through with better figures than last year, even though last year the numbers were also very good.

Consumers have turned cautious. They have stopped buying things frivolously. Consumers do spend money today, but they will buy only what they need, will insist on good quality and fashion. But they will buy cautiously, and not buy extravagantly.

People are buying things they believe are essentially investments. They are buying homes and cars instead of buying jeans, shoes and toasters.

People are not going to go on buying binges. People are deep in debt and deep in hock,

Americans are being bombarded with announcements of layoffs. Anytime you listen to the radio it's always 3,000 laid off here, 500 there, ... That means a lot of people who have decent jobs and good income hear that little voice in the back of their head asking the question 'could my number be up next?' They're buying what they need, but they don't buy frivolously.

Generally speaking, consumers like the opportunity of being put face to face with newness. They know they don't have to buy now.

They are taking big bites of market share out of the sneakers. The sneaker business is a mature business that represents primarily a replacement mode. People mainly buy sneakers when the old ones wear out.

It's going to be a very, very strong day. No question about it. But the weather has me a little worried. The temperature has been way above normal and who wants to buy a heavy sweater when the temperature is 65 degrees?