Retailers Speak Up About Christmas Sales And Profits

Suddenly, everybody has realized that delivery of merchandise has been delayed at ports and further delayed because of backups in over-land transportation. Some companies like Costco, Walmart, Ikea, and Lululemon have chartered or rented their own container ships, while Home Depot is flying merchandise directly to the U.S. in order to get their goods here at a predictable time and, hopefully, before Christmas eve. Everybody is worried, and fears of empty shelves and late deliveries shocked stock market activity on consumer stocks last Thursday when Armageddon was being predicted for the holiday season. Retail stocks recovered somewhat on Friday, but still left an uneasy feeling for retailers, investors, suppliers, and everybody else connected with the retail industry. Read more at Forbes.