Crash Survival Zone

Judgment day is at hand for American retailers.

On Thursday, many chains reported the worst holiday shopping season in decades, and the stores are entering the new year so weakened that some might not survive. A wave of corporate failures that has already taken out stores like Sharper Image and Linens ’n Things is expected to [...]

At a dealership on the outskirts of Miami, people who agree to buy one Dodge Ram truck can get a second truck or car — free. In 415 supermarkets across the East, customers who bring in a prescription can walk out with free antibiotics. And one clothing chain,not to be outdone, has started offering three [...]

Shoppers won’t be picking up ornate lamps from the Bombay Co. in the coming year. Or investing with Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns. No flying to Hawaii on Aloha Airlines or buying ultra-cheap tickets on Skybus, either.
All those names vanished
this past year, victims of the economy, the financial meltdown or other factors. Experts say 2009 [...]

Experts say disastrous holiday sales will force many more merchants into bankruptcy - and ultimately into liquidation.

The ugly sales year that was 2008 will haunt U.S. retailers in 2009, with industry experts warning that disastrous holiday sales will spark a domino effect of store closures and bankruptcy filings.

And, with thousands of fewer stores, the “shop-’til-you-drop” [...]

‘The downturn has been catastrophic,’ according to one retail analyst
The fallout from the horrific holiday season for retailers has begun, with the operator of an online toy seller filing for bankruptcy protection and more stores are expected to do the same — meaning more empty storefronts and fewer brands on store shelves.
A rash of store [...]

British retailer Tesco entered the U.S. market only last year but already it has managed to put Wal-Mart (WMT), the world’s No. 1 retailer, on the defensive. Tesco (TSCO.L) fired the first salvo, in a battle that retailing analysts expect will intensify, by launching Fresh & Easy, a chain of 10,000-square-foot convenience stores, in cities [...]

Mark down Dec. 26 as the second Black Friday of this wacky shopping season.

Except desperate retailers are making the deals even bigger.

Day-after-Christmas sales will rival those of the real Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that kicks off the shopping season and can put retailers into money-making territory for the year.

This year, whopping pre-Christmas sales [...]