Rosalind Wells Quotes (16 Quotes)

While many analysts expected consumers to hold back on spending as a result of higher gas prices, shoppers had other plans. This is a good sign for retailers as they head into the holiday season.

Since the terrorist attacks are so fresh and our country's response is not yet known, it is premature to make definitive judgments about the economy. We can only speculate based upon what we think the administration will do and how consumers will respond.

Consumers shook off concerns about higher energy costs and responded well to the seasonal promotions. If November is any indication of what consumers are capable of, retailers can expect a very happy holiday season.

As interest rates go up, people are going to find it more loath to take out home-equity lines of credit. Consumers are not going to feel as anxious to tap into their home values.

After several strong months of retail sales growth, it seems clear that the economy is picking up momentum just in time for the holidays.

Although consumer spending has been inconsistent in recent months, we expect the holiday season to bring more stability to the industry.

A combination of many factors, including energy prices, the job market, disposable income and consumer confidence, will ultimately affect retailers' sales this holiday season.

This was clearly more than just a ho-hum holiday season as some have prematurely reported.

We expect consumers to become more conservative as the year goes on.

Everyone's increases will look a little more modest, but they will still outperform the average. We're looking at a slowing of consumer spending, nothing dire, not a recession.

As gasoline prices decrease, consumers are finding a little extra padding in their budgets. Nearly every retail category has seen strong sales growth in the past few months, indicating that retailers will see positive gains as consumers continue to spend this holiday season.

The strong retail sales we saw in the second half of 2005 will be replaced by more conservative spending in the new year.

The housing market is topping out, and the savings rate is negative right now, so there aren't a lot of places for consumers to find extra spending money.

Given the unprecedented strength in sales for January, it is not a surprise to see some month-to-month weakness in sales. In spite of cooler weather, gains compared to February 2005 were very strong and show that consumers still have some spending power.

As employment expands and wages and salaries firm, a broader spectrum of consumers will be in better financial shape, which should help lift sales more evenly across the board.

It's the middle-tier department stores that are having the most difficulty now.