Retailers' Dreams for "Green" Xmas Come True

(CBS)  For retailers, five of the top sales days of the year happen in this week leading up to Christmas. After a strong "Super Saturday", Shopper Track is now forecasting holiday sales will jump 4 percent this season, reports CBS News business correspondent Anthony Mason.

"It's clearly a turn after two negative years in a row for the holiday season," says Shopper Trak's Bill Martin.

The winners and losers so far: electronics are up just .4 percent. Sales of 3D TVs have been disappointing. But jewelry is up 2.6 percent. Women's clothing is up 4.4 percent, while men's clothing 8.8 percent. And with shoppers spending more on gifts, retailers are spending more on advertising.

"Advertisers have got more confident about telling us to spend money," said Mike Chapman, editor of Adweek.

Chapman says companies are taking more risks, like Target with its shopaholic pitch lady. Love her or hate her, she's impossible to ignore.

"In many ways that's the secret sauce, to get attention any way you can," said Chapman. "Target have definitely delivered that with their shopping obsessed crazy woman."

Online spending is up 12 percent so far this holiday, and retailers are using the internet as a promotional weapon to spread word of mouth.

"It's a real fight to the finish," said analyst Chandi Neubauer.

Neubauer says sales at Abercrombie have rebounded after it started to offer promotional deals to its more than 3 million fans on Facebook.

"If I'm a fan of Abercrombie and Fitch on Facebook and I see this pop up on my newsfeed, I feel like they're speaking directly to me," said Neubauer.

"It keeps me up to date on the fashion and helps me save a little money around the holidays," said Abercrombie shopper Justin Wenner.

After "Black Friday" and the just past "Super Saturday", this coming Thursday is expected to be the third biggest shopping day of the year. Retailers call it "Father's Day" because of all the procrastinating dads who'll be looking out for last minute gifts.

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To My Democratic Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011 but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee..



To My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!