What recession? Shoppers eat up Black Friday deals

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO

For one day at least, you could almost imagine the recession never happened. Millions of the nation's shoppers braved rain and cold to crowd stores while others grabbed online bargains on what could be the busiest Black Friday ever.

Early signs pointed to bigger crowds at many stores including Best Buy, Sears, Macy's and Toys R Us, some of which had earlier openings than past years or even round-the-clock hours. Minnesota's Mall of America and mall operators Taubman Centers Inc. and Macerich Co. also reported more customers than last year.

But the most encouraging sign for retailing and for the economy was what Americans were throwing in their carts. Shoppers still clutched lists and the buying frenzy was focused on the deals on TVs and toys, but many were treating themselves while they bought gifts for others, adding items like boots, sumptuous sweaters, jewelry and even dresses for special occasions.

Elayne Breton and her daughter Michelle got to Maryland's Mall in Columbia around 7 a.m. A few hours later, Michelle had picked out several presents for herself, including a pair of UGG boots, perfume and an iPod Touch. At Nordstrom, she scored a long-sleeved purple shirt that her mother let her wear out of the store.



Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20101126/D9JO39380.html

---

Shoppers walk in front of a tour bus with an Express clothing store ad on the side Friday, Nov. 26, 2010 in Chicago. Nationwide, early signs pointed to a solid turnout for the traditional start to the holiday shopping season. In an encouraging sign for retailers and for the economy, more shoppers appeared to be buying for themselves than last year, when such indulgences were limited. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

[DJ13]

1. Sometimes things arent as they seem

The stores lowered prices for Black Friday drastically, but in doing so they've likely just pulled in customers who normally wait until later in the buying season, which might mean fewer buyers near Christmas.

[bluerum]

6. Seconded. It's way too early for the happy dance.

[TalkingDog]

25. what you said

to the power of 10

[DallasNE]

26. Way Too Negative

Things have been pointing to a very solid holiday season; easily the best in at least 5 years. And the sales tax from this shopping spree will improve the health of State budgets nationwide. This is a win-win situation so let's enjoy it while we can. January 3rd will come all too quick.

[Name removed]

72. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Skittles]

2. no matter what the economy, you can always count on greed

[Imajika]

3. We get these stories each and every year...

It is way too early to know yet how good or bad this holiday shopping season will be.

[fasttense]

70. You are so correct.

Every single year a few days after black Friday, the corporate media comes out with just how wonderful the shopping has been. How everyone and their mothers were buying everything in sight. How the crowds were gigantic, larger than ever before.

Then about January the truth comes out. Since 2007, the numbers have been showing that the crowds were misleading, sales were down, debt was up, it was one of the worst seasons since last year.

But for now, be a good little consumer and buy, buy, buy to celebrate the birth of a poor, homeless, liberal, son of a Jewish carpenter.

[defendandprotect]

4. How much of this "stuff" NOT made in America ....

Why Americans even continue to play this holiday game confuses me --

The holiday is Winter Solstice -- the changing of the seasons -- the return to the LIGHT --

If anything a celebrtion of NATURE !!

And we're celebrating it by loading stores up with seasonal decorations made NOT in America --

And totally distracted from what else is going on in the world --

I don't get it!!

[virgogal]

5. Young Michelle shops the way my oldest grandaughter shops. Gives me a big,fat headache.

[Skink]

7. As a retailer I would say....

the people that come out to buy between thanksgiving and Christmas are the people that contain their the shopping to this small portion of the 4th quarter and they make the difference. These folks go to the library, these folks cut back all year long so they can shop now. As someone that works in retail I think they are normal shoppers.. I think I grew up in a normal houshold and it was this. For most of the year a small proportion of folks propel the nonfood and car retail industry. For this month all the folks that can afford to shop shop... and actually we should look at these numbers because if we want to gage the health of the country it is now.

[wordpix]

17. I am making pies for Xmas, I'm sick of the commercialization

I agree with defendandprotect who said it's really about the Winter Solstice and here comes the sun

[GaltFreeDiet]

8. The recession is WHY people are "gobbling" up the deals

Folks out there need to stretch every dollar and pinch every penny. (myself included)

[treestar]

16. Don't agree. People love sales, even in good times there are

Black Fridays. People love to think they are getting more for their buck.

[Duer 157099]

9. People making an effort to get the lowest possible price are indeed signs of a recession!

Only when people shop without regard to sales/price is it time to celebrate the end of a recession.

But when folks take advantage of deep deep discounts on this day, it only proves that the recession is still ongoing.

[htuttle]

10. MiniPlenty reports record yield, just like they do every year

Though I'd taken the day off, we skipped shopping and cleaned out an over-full closet. I found two pairs of boots, two pairs of comfortable shoes that I'd forgotten about ('like new'), and a whole bag of winter clothes.

Didn't cost a thing.

:shrug:

[LiberalFighter]

11. I bought for myself today. And saved over $300

A $100 on a GPS and the rest on 5 shirts, 2 pillows, 1 tool, 4gb flash memory, a labeler, and a blender.

With any luck my current tv will last long enough til next year and I will save at least $300 for a new one.

[impik]

12. This thread is hilarious: dozen comments, all trying to rain on good economic news

People here are addicted to misery.

[AtheistCrusader]

13. Actually, it's a dose of reality

in the face of fluff journalism. Let's see what the consumer confidence numbers are at the end of the christmas cycle.

One writer going 'gee that's a lot of shoppers' doesn't mean shit.

[GaltFreeDiet]

14. Or, maybe our cynicism is based on personal experience

...and a good number of us have a LOT of experience.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

29. I see your personal experience and raise you my own, which is that people were buying today.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

28. If you're not miserable like they are then you're not paying attention!

To them being miserable. :rofl:

I was out today at a shopping center and people were definitely doing some serious buying.

[TheWatcher]

30. Actually most people in this thread are facing reality. Maybe if you weren't addicted to Propaganda

and Perception Management, you could see that, instead of copy/pasting the same tired meme that's so embarrassingly laughable the meme itself is ashamed.

[ProudDad]

53. Buying crap to fill the empty hole in the soul

is NOT "good economic news"...

The addiction is the manufactured desires of the "consuming units" of the USAmerikan corporate state...

[bushisanidiot]

66. +1

Good is bad. Bad is good.

It's craziness what has happened here.

[knitter4democracy]

15. I did some shopping yesterday--no huge crowds at all.

Our local big grocery store (Meijers) had deals just for yesterday, and I'd found I was out of a couple of key ingredients for today's dinner (the ex had the kids yesterday, so our dinner was today). I thought it was going to be slammed because of some of the loss leaders they'd advertised, but it was usual-to-light on the lines and crowds. I did splurge on an $8 sweater that's normally $15 and some cashews that were half price, but that was it for the sale stuff. I don't have the money to spend this year.

[wordpix]

18. there were huge crowds at my neighborhood Best Buy - this in a fairly affluent part of DC

as judged by the number of cars in the garage, this was a good kickoff for Best Buy

[exboyfil]

27. It might be the Nook eReader being $40

less than what you can get at Barnes and Noble. This is obviously a giveaway price (they only had a few per store, and I am not going to stand in line four hours before opening to just get a shot at one). The question becomes what items were sold that actually went to the bottom line. I saw alot of people picking off the doorbuster specials or getting up to a coupon/cash back limit. As a matter of fact that is what I did. We had not bought any serious electronics in two years. I bought my youngest daughter a laptop yesterday which is better than the one I bought my oldest one two years ago and it was $40 less. I still have my five year old XP eMachine desktop, and I am happy with it. I got our first real digital camcorder on Thursday's doorbuster sale (my daughter has been using a $50 camcorder for two years to do video projects). I bought a two for one camera special (one really good camera in the bundle - our digital camera which we won was over six years old and is having problems - my daughter said it is inadequate for her 4-H projects) on Friday as well as a $79 GPS (our first GPS, and I bought it at my wife's insistance). I had a pretty good bonus this year and splurged.

I am not much for toys for myself, but the kids - laptops, video cameras, and cameras allow them to do projects and actually learn stuff. We don't have video games, and our television is probably 20 years old and a giveway from someone moving. If I had my way I would cancel our cable, but the wife won't let me.

[PSPS]

19. They do these stories every year. Check with me after Christmas.

The media, here at least, devotes almost the entire "traffic report" to how full the mall parking lots are. Most of the "news" stories are about people lining up at midnight, "getting all the good deals," etc. Of course, this is tailor made to coincide with their advertisers.

But if this is like the last few years, we will find out (after Christmas) that the only things that sold in significant quantities were the loss leaders and everyone's sales were down from the previous year.

We'll just have to wait and see, since the M$M exists to please its advertisers and owners. We won't get past the propaganda intended to promote shopping until after Christmas.

[lunasun]

23. TOTAL propaganda - really hyped this year as 'news'

consumption trends , shopping as important news itself at new height.

..Please !! bring back subliminal advertising no matter how unscrupulous it was more subconscious programming ...and at least I was more unaware of the assault and it's intensity so flagrant today by product pushers.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. I was there to get the pants dad NEEDS

We got them, we left...

[SocialistLez]

21. Too bad most of the sh** bought today was made in China or some other Asian country.

Fucking greedy capitalist pigs offshoring jobs.

::sigh::

[jwirr]

22. One day at low-low prices will not make a great holiday season. nt

[deacon]

24. And next year, one year after the GOP has more input these numbers will drop like a rock. n/t

[AngryAmish]

31. 170 buck golf shoes for sixty

gave me a happy

[juajen]

32. I'm thinking the opposition was told to hold down spending so

that the economy would seem worse than it really is, all for the conservative cause, of course. It was imperative to take back the congress. I already read somewhere that this is the reason banks were holding onto money and wouldn't lend to small businesses, etc. All of this to depress the economy. Of course, if it gets better, Obama should be given the credit; though I'm sure they will find a way around giving him any credit for it. Charlatans!

[4lbs]

33. Online sales dramatically increased by a much larger amount.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40393660/ns/business-us_business/

<snip>
NEW YORK — Shoppers who skipped the crowds on Black Friday gave online merchants a 16 percent spike in revenue, according to data released Saturday. That's spurring optimism for spending the rest of season.

That increase came partly from shoppers who spent more per online purchase during the traditional opening day of the holiday shopping season, according to Web research company Coremetrics. The average order rose to $190.80. That's a 12 percent increase over $170.19 on the same day last year.

The solid increase adds to a 33 percent online spending spike on Thanksgiving day, and signs of bigger-than-expected crowds in stores.
<snip>

EDIT:

I manage a series of online web presences for a client who also has 3 brick-and-mortar stores. In the ~30 hours surrounding Black Friday, he offered 30% off everything with an online coupon for purchases made online. He got over 120 orders, each averaging $100. So, about $12,000 in orders, mainly from international customers, in that time period. I verified this because of all the PayPal payments sent in during late Nov 25 and all Nov 26.

[OlympicBrian]

34. U.S. Black Friday Shoppers Beat Last Year's Pace

Source: Bloomberg

"Black Friday sales were little changed, rising 0.3 percent, from last year, as U.S. retailers’ efforts to lure customers by opening early failed, ShopperTrak said."



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-27/u-s-black-friday-shoppers-beat-last-year-s-pace.html

---

Disappointing. Last year, "Black Friday spending rose 0.5 percent..."

Note: the title seemed to change on this story after I linked it.

[dkf]

35. Oh oh.

Not good

[OlympicBrian]

37. At least sales didn't drop...

But the growth at 0.3 percent dropped from last year's 0.5 percent.

[OlympicBrian]

57. Correction: sales shrank in the south

Regionally, the Northeast lead the way with a 1.7 percent retail sales rise over 2009, followed by the Midwest (+0.4 percent), West (flat) and South (-0.3 percent).

http://www.shoppertrak.com/black-friday-retail-sales-increase-slight-03-percent-compared-2009-traffic-rises-22-percent

[dkf]

58. Either Southerners are suffering more from their states austerity measures

Or maybe some are boycotting a decent economy because it will help Obama.

[OlympicBrian]

59. Or maybe they just don't have the jobs and money down there?

I have a feeling Florida plays a big part in this, being populous (4th in population, 2009 census), having high unemployment, and a high foreclosure rate (2nd in nation.)

Note also Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina with the relatively highest unemployment rates--according to the most most recent statistics.

http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm
http://www.cnbc.com/id/40112566

[OlympicBrian]

36. Here's the vexing thing...

The SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) stock index just hit an all-time high, apparently the financial markets were expecting a lot.

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=XRT+Interactive#chart1:symbol=xrt;range=5y;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined

[earthside]

38. I didn't shop yesterday ...

... because I think the whole 'Black Friday' buying orgy is disgusting.

But today, when I ventured into stores, I was surprised at how uncrowded they were.

Despite the propaganda that the 'Great Recession' ended last June, well, I got news for ya ... the recession goes on for most working class Americans.

[dkf]

41. When we left the mall at 6:00 pm yesterday there were a bunch of empty parking stalls.

That can't be good

[NewJeffCT]

45. That's the same every Black Friday

the rush is in the morning until the early afternoon - after that, things die down fast. I remember 3-4 years back, pulling up to the local mall and I got the closest non-handicapped space possible. And, even back when I worked in a chain restaurant near a busy mall 10-11 years back, it was the same - crazy until early afternoon, and then it dies... and, that was back when the economy was good under Clinton.

[SkyDaddy7]

42. Something else that is at play...

Many more people including myself do not like going into the madness when there really are not that many so "Great Deals" when you can get better deals on-line!

[lunatica]

39. Black Friday is not a gauge for holiday shopping

I don't see why people think it is. It's the crazies day and never shows anything about the season, other than turkey hangover may be detrimental to you brain.

[OlympicBrian]

40. This story is still up on the news from before the results were released

What recession? Shoppers eat up Black Friday deals
Seems like old times: Voracious shoppers meet eager retailers on especially busy Black Friday

"Thanksgiving weekend is huge for retailers. In recent years, Black Friday -- called that because the surge of shoppers could take retailers into profitability, or 'the black,' for the year -- has been the busiest shopping day of the year, according to data from ShopperTrak."
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/What-recession-Shoppers-eat-apf-3019348230.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=8&asset=&ccode=

[lunatica]

49. I've heard that every year. It's how they prime the pump

Put out your most positive spin possible in the hopes that it starts a stampede of shoppers for the rest of the season. I know because I used to work in retail. Where I worked, which was a trendy store everything was 'on sale' or 'special' from the beginning. That means the customer would think they were getting a lower price because when they looked at the price tag the price was higher. It was all pure make believe. And it worked because people are easily manipulated.

[LiberalFighter]

43. Local media pushed that it was a good day for businesses yesterday.

[daleo]

44. There was a special on Victory Gin. n/t

[Twinguard]

46. I went out early yesterday morning.

I left home at 4am. Was I interested in shopping? Hitting the best sale? Scoring that TV for $ 29.99?

Nope.

I enjoy the spectacle, and I enjoy standing in line and striking up random conversations with the people who are also waiting in line. I know, I know... it's crazy to be up that early in the freezing cold and snow. Who cares? I thought it was fun finding random people to talk to. Some of the conversations I had were about home furnishings, juvenile delinquents and their rehab programs (actually this was a really interesting conversation with an adult councilor) , and home audio electronics and computers (waiting in line at Best Buy... go figure). Plus, some places had free cups of coffee for all of the eager shoppers (and me).

All in all it was a blast. I spent about $20 on cheap DVD and Blu-Ray movies, but it's not like I went hunting for any of the best deals, I just happened to see some good movies for cheap as I walked by the displays. My wife and mother in law went to the mall and participated in the feeding frenzy, but I took a more chill approach and just went for the fun.

Plus it got me out of the house before my kids got up, so my dad (visiting for thxgiving) got to spend some good quality breakfast and morning routine time with the kiddos. All in all, everyone got what they wanted on black friday. Chalk this year up as a success.

[4lbs]

47. This could be while the stores only rose ~0.5 percent: Online sales increased dramatically.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40393660/ns/business-us_business/

<snip>
NEW YORK — Shoppers who skipped the crowds on Black Friday gave online merchants a 16 percent spike in revenue, according to data released Saturday. That's spurring optimism for spending the rest of season.

That increase came partly from shoppers who spent more per online purchase during the traditional opening day of the holiday shopping season, according to Web research company Coremetrics. The average order rose to $190.80. That's a 12 percent increase over $170.19 on the same day last year.

The solid increase adds to a 33 percent online spending spike on Thanksgiving day, and signs of bigger-than-expected crowds in stores.
<snip>

[OlympicBrian]

48. Let's do some best-case math here--2010 sales could be short by a mile

"More dollars have shifted to online shopping over the years, but it's still a relatively small share of all holiday spending, between 8 and 10 percent."

Let's assume the best case--that online sales are 10 percent of total and maintain a 16 percent rise over last year throughout the buying season. Then plug in the other 90 percent rising at .3 percent over last year:

so (.10 * .16 = .016) + (.9 * .003 = .0027)

This only comes out to 1.87 percent growth over last year.
But Shoppertrak is predicting 3.2 percent. A miss of 1.33 percent sales growth.
And NRF forecasts a holiday sales increase of 2.3 Percent. A miss of .43 percent sales growth.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40393660/ns/business-us_business
http://www.shoppertrak.com/black-friday-retail-sales-increase-slight-03-percent-compared-2009-traffic-rises-22-percent
http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=1010

Now, I'm inclined to think the online sales won't sustain an average 16 percent rise. And I'm inclined to stick with the .3 percent Black Friday growth as being a good indicator of things to come. Last year Black Friday sales were up .5 percent--more than this year--and holiday sales ended up being up .4 percent total. So there seems to be a high correlation between Black Friday sales and holiday sales, they were only different by .1 percent!

NRF also says:
“Retailers are expected to compensate for this fundamental shift in shopper mentality by offering significant promotions throughout the holiday season and emphasizing value throughout their marketing efforts.”

This means profit margins will be thin (except at high-end like Nordstrom's and Tiffany & Co.)

[4lbs]

54. Where did you get the 10% of total figure from?

For me personally, about 1 out of every 4 purchases I make (25%) is online. I shop locally, and check to see if there's a significantly lower price online, factoring in shipping costs (if any), and sales tax savings.

By the way, I am in favor of charging sales tax, or an online VAT, for such purchases, based upon the rate of the state of the shipping address.

[OlympicBrian]

55. The 10 percent is the upper-end estimate of online sales

I got it from the one article:

"More dollars have shifted to online shopping over the years, but it's still a relatively small share of all holiday spending, between 8 and 10 percent."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40393660/ns/business-us_business

[4lbs]

62. Yeah, that's of holiday spending. I'm interested in the percentage for the entire year.

I think it's more than 10% if you take into account a person's purchases for the entire year.

[OlympicBrian]

64. Unlikely, but that's not part of the holiday math anyway

Do people buy cars, houses, medical care, and local services online? Nah.

Online spending spikes during the holidays.

[OlympicBrian]

56. A little more worried

I went back over the past few years and the Black Friday sales increases were indeed higher then the holiday sales increases turned out to be. I don't have a large data set to look it.

So if we only have 0.3 percent to start out with for Black Friday, things could be very bad, the total sales number could turn out lower once again this year.

[No Elephants]

50. Yeah, bc buying stuff you have to buy anyway when it's really marked down is a sure sign people are

feeling really flush.

Maybe people ARE feeling really flush, but buying stuff on sale is not proof of that. If sales for the entire year are up considerably over last year, that is more relevant, IMO.

[and-justice-for-all]

51. The $250.00 Medicare reimburstments made it out before friday

too, thanks President Obama.

[revolution breeze]

61. Daughter works in our mall and said yesterday and today

busier than Black Friday. Almost twice the shoppers of a "normal" weekend and store will extend their hours next weekend (anchor store with outside entrance). Poor dear has earned tomorrow off.

[Honeycombe8]

63. Yes, a lot of people avoid Black Friday because of the crowds. nt

[OlympicBrian]

65. All the official reports...

All the official reports showed higher foot traffic, but only 0.3 spending growth on Black Friday.

[ProudDad]

52. Going deeper into debt to buy more plastic crap...

It's the USAmerican psychosis...

Goodbye, pretty blue planet...

[OlympicBrian]

60. This story mostly whitewashed the picture, doesn't even mention 0.3 percent

Holiday sales encouraging, but are shoppers done?
Weekend brings encouraging holiday sales, but some wonder how much more shoppers will spend

"Analysts are also closely watching stores' inventory levels. Earlier this fall, many retailers worried they'd ordered too much holiday merchandise in the spring when the economic recovery had looked like it was gaining steam.

There was scattered evidence those worries continue. Gap, for example, offered 50 percent discounts throughout the entire store until 10 a.m. Friday, rather than just discounting specific items to draw shoppers."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Holiday-sales-encouraging-but-apf-2983333291.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=1&asset=&ccode=

[OlympicBrian]

67. Well, the retail stocks seemed to all drop today nt

[AnneD]

68. I think it depends on what part of the country you are in.....

Some areas did better because things are better. We had full malls in the affluent areas not so great elsewhere.

Me...I got my caravan worked on. No crowding in the repair shops after Thanksgiving. Got everything done.

Hubby and I are into the bras,under ware, and sock mode at Christmas, we have more than we need. I'll send something nice to my daughter, her boyfriend, and my niece. Will give something to Mom, and a gift card to Brother and SIL.

I like to tip the folks extra at the nail salon (though I haven't been there in months) and the waitress' where I eat. Church will get a donation as well as 2 food banks and I will give to the needy at our school. The food banks and church make up the bulk of our Christmas gifts. Every one is strapped for cash and there is a real need this year.

I like to bless people in need when I can and as anonymously as possible. Makes me have a Merry Christmas.

[Bragi]

69. China salutes America's shoppers!

On behalf of China's workers, I want to thank American shoppers for taking on additional debt this holiday season to buy more crap made by us that they don't need.

We were worried for a while, but thanks for digging down deep, and coming through for us.

[OlympicBrian]

71. Will chain store sales numbers be awful on Thursday? Stocks tanked after-hours today

Thursday morning, we'll get some holiday season shopping numbers, so far. Remember, we got the smallest Black Friday increase in sales in years--coming in at a 0.3 percent increase.

"Chain Store Sales
Definition..
-Monthly sales volumes from individual department, chain, discount, and apparel stores are usually reported on the first Thursday of each month. Chain store sales correspond with roughly 10 percent of retail sales. Chain store sales are an indicator of retail sales and consumer spending trends.-"
http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/economic-calendar

Now, after the markets closed today we got a preview--two retailers reported their earnings and outlook for the holiday season, and they were not good, so the stocks tanked. One company even had an executive departure.

Jo-Ann Stores quarterly profit rises to $29.1 mln
(4:28 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Jo-Ann Stores (JAS 45.75, -2.43, -5.04%) late Wednesday reported third-quarter net income of $29.1 million, or $1.09 a share, up from $24.1 million, or 90 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter. Revenue rose 5.1% to $535.3 million. Analysts surveyed by FactSet were looking for earnings of $1.08 a share. The fabric and craft retailer also raised its 2011 earnings outlook to a range of $3.35 to $3.45 a share compared with the previous forecast of $3.20 to $3.35 a share.

Aeropostale's quarterly profit falls to $58.5 mln
(4:22 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Aeropostale Inc. (ARO 24.50, -2.30, -8.58%) said late Wednesday its third-quarter profit fell to $58.5 million from $62.6 million in the same quarter last year. On a per-share basis, earnings rose to 63 cents from 61 cents in the year-ago period. Revenue for the New York-based company rose 6% to $602.8 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected the company to earn 66 cents a share on revenue of $605 million. The retail company also said Thomas Johnson will be the company's sole CEO, with the departure of co-CEO Mindy Meads. Aeropostale shares were down 5.9% in after-hours trade.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/updates-advisories-and-surprises-2010-12-01

Anyone want to comment or guess on the news tommorrow?