This is the year the consumer has been given a holiday gift beyond belief. You can get anything, anywhere, at any price. What’s happening is the retailer is almost saying, ‘Please just come in…We’ll pay you to shop.’

—Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for NPD Group

Retailers Report a Sales Collapse
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
Published: November 7, 2008
Most of the nation’s retailers reported double-digit declines in October sales, underscoring how the financial turmoil has touched all consumers.