From the link provided by the sock-puppet: "More than half of Australian retailers reported trading this Christmas was ahead of or in line with their 2009 figures - but 45 per cent were behind. "

and "Almost 42 per cent were trading above and more than 12 per cent the same as last year, the ARA reported."

So in reality, 42% have increased their sales, about 12% are flat and the rest are doing less well.
Doesn't sound like: "inaccurate rot!" to say this has been a bad year to me...

Thanks for letting me clear that up for you, old chap.

So over 50% of retailers had NO decrease in business this Christmas. It's NOT the "worst retail sales for 20 years" as claimed, which of course is inaccurate rot as I showed. If one makes a "worst retail sales for 20 years" claim, one needs to be able to actually back it up.

Proves my point. Now that's cleared up, let's move on.

If only 45 per cent of retailers were behind in their sales, doesn't that mean that more than half were ahead of, or in line with the 2009 figures, as the previous poster tells us? Sorry Antiseptic, I don't understand the point you're trying to make here.

I'm sure that quite a few retailers are complaining, but the way
I read the tea leaves, its because the nature of retailing is
changing and the internet is playing a larger and larger role
in all that.

Much of Australian bricks and mortar retail has relied on high
costs, ie rents, wages etc, then very high margins. Just paying
the rent in some of those shopping centre malls, takes a bit of
doing.

People these days are becoming more selective with their shopping.
They won't just pay whatever price, becoming more price concious
is part of the new trend. Thus the rush on Boxing Day etc.

IMHO, we have seen leaps and bounds of improvement in Australian
online retailing. Online marketers are becoming better, with better
websites, more competitive pricing, better overall marketing systems
really, without many of the high costs associated with bricks
and mortar stores.

Today its pretty easy to do an online search for a better price,
so people aren't stuck with paying the price at the nearest
store, they have options and are acting on them.

Yes, some stuff is being brought in from overseas too, that helps
to keep local retailers honest and for consumers its a good thing.

So retailers with high margins and high costs would be complaining,
those adjusting to the new changing market, would be doing ok.

Lexi, I suspect, although I haven't looked for the evidence yet, that this is the first year in a long time that retail has been down at Xmas year-on-year. I'm happy to be corrected.

Yabby, retail provides a large amount of female employment, as well as flexible work for students and some significant career paths for those so motivated. It is a major economic driver and if it is significantly impacted by imports, then the country will have a large problem.

Construction will be slow for the next 2-3 years at least thanks to interest rates and price bubbles, Retail going the same way is not a trivial matter.

Just a note about retail trading figures. For a few years now the lottery lotto and TAB sales go into that number and given that, the numbers are not representative of consumables sales. The only retail traders that I have heard crowing about better sales this year was the Woolies and West Farmers spokes people. Of course they did better. they buy the opposition up or under cut them till they die away.

Yabby:>> People these days are becoming more selective with their shopping. They won't just pay whatever price, becoming more price concious is part of the new trend.<<

New trend, who are you writing for Yabby? Cosmopolitan. The "new trend" is the people of this nation and their government is broke and living off credit.

Yabby spot on regarding online if we are talking overseas sellers, but local retailers tell me they benefit from their online operations rather than it propping up flagging shop sales , and when a downturn in sales happens such as directly after the October rate rise both sides of the business flag.