Hi everyone. My job here at The Inquirer is to write about the retail business - that includes the way you shop, and the companies that try to sell you the things you want or need.   In today's paper I have a story about how dramatically things have changed over the past year, both for retail companies and for consumers.   New-car buying is at a stunning low; luxury department stores and specialty retailers are struggling to keep shoppers interested in their bling; and all of you shoppers out there are on what seem like constant bargain-hunting binges.   Let's talk.    Are you still finding bargains?   Are shelves full at the stores you frequent?   Clearance racks empty or full?   Ever wonder what any of that means?   I'm here to take your questions.

That a very relevant question.   Malls in particular are struggling right now because their landlords depend on the stores inside to do well enough to cover the rent.   And with so many retail chains declaring bankrptcy or shutting down stores to deal with a lack of customers   the recession, malls are losing tenants and accepting lower rents to keep the ones who remain.   We've already seen one gigantic mall company declare bankruptcy this year -- General Growth Properties.   Others, including locally headquartered Pennsylvan Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns Cherry Hill, Plymouth Meeting, Springfield and many other area malls, is working hard to deal with cost pressures, too.

Lifestyle centers, which is the new term for the huge fancy shopping centers that cropped up in the far suburbs over the past decade, are not being spared, either.   Nor are main streets or older shopping centers.   Take a look around at all the recent vacancies for proof.  

Time will tell how all of this plays out.  

Jen - I'm not sure that owing thousands on credit cards is cause for celebration, but if you're looking for bargains I suppose that's a good thing?  

Regarding your question, though, it's a tricky one to answer.   You probably remember last fall and all through the holidays that stores had loads and loads of merchandise on sale -and good sales, for the most part.   Well, that was a product of the economic collapse that happened with the stock market, and consumers just stopped shopping entirely.   That left companies with stockpiles of goods they had already forked over big cash to buy for their stores - and the only way they could move it out and make back some of what they spend was to sell it for a steal.

Retail analysts believe those days are coming to an end.   Companies have taken measures to control how much merchandise they buy.   So if you see a shirt you like, and it's being sold at full price, chances are you should buy it.   Because if you wait a few weeks, it may be gone, and the store won't be ordering more.   Clearance racks are getting thinner everywhere.  

I'm not here to tell you what to buy or when.   Ultimately, that depends on what you need, what you want and what your budget will allow.   I think Ben Franklin once said something (don't quote me) about how it's always best to buy something when you DON'T need it, rather then when you DO need it.

That said, let me tell you about the car market.   I've been writing for months about the auto industry and how things are playing out on the ground at dealerships in our area.   The fact is, now is a really good time to buy a new car - if you're willing to part with your cash or take on a loan for one.   Of course, only people with pretty decent credit are qualifying for decent retail financing, so that's a consideration too.   But dealerships are wheeling and dealing.   And the last time there was such a steep   recession in the country, car manufacturers pulled back production to control their inventory - just like clothing retailers are now.   And when it ended, it was hard to buy a new car for a steal.

Chris - I'm not an expert on advertising strategy.   It seems that such a decision would rest on how well a business is doing to begin with, and how much liquidity (available cash) there is to spend on such marketing initiatives.  If, however, a business is having trouble making payroll or meeting its debt obligations, it's understandable that the company will look to trim.   We've seen a bunch of companies across the retail sector hack away at advertising.  

Lou - you're right.   The retail food chain is taking a hit all across the aboard, from consumers not showing up at stores, all the way to the factories that sew the shirts we once thought we "HAD" to own.  

One of the things I've heard that's happening is that this is actually giving retail companies who order this merchandise some breaks in pricing.   Factories are now willing to sell sweaters to companies for much less than, say, a year ago.   That means retail companies are able to bring in merchandise for less and, they hope, make a decent profit while also selling them at low enough prices for value-conscious consumers to buy them.

If crude oil prices become much more elevated, however, things could change.   A lot of synthetic garments are produced with crude products.   And the cost of shipping overseas will go way up.   Textile factories, in particular, have all but disappeared in this country, so you can see how this could create a price squeeze all over again.

Betty - your question is an interesting one.   And I think it contains a complicated answer.   Fun, right?

So many textile mills have disappeared, and so much production is now in Southeast/South Asia and Latin America, that even if retail companies wanted to try to buy merchandise or fabrics from within our borders it is a difficult proposition, from what executives have told me.   You don't just flick a switch at an old factory and have it start churning out cotton dresses.   Remember how, in the auto bailout debate, people were saying how devastating it would be if the Big Three factories were to go out?   How important it is to keep manufacturing up and running?   Well, in the apparel industry, it seems that we have real evidence of what happens when you lose that base.