Sears Starts Black Friday Early, On Wrong Day

This Saturday, on Halloween, Sears is launching a campaign called “Black Friday Now,” with “doorbuster” deals on Christmas trees, work boots, diamond-stud earrings and other select items. The deals will take place every Saturday until Christmas.

The retailer is saying that the move is a response to customers wanting deep-discount deals before the traditional Black Friday, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving. But we’re thinking it’s more of a move to combat Sears’ dismal sales results.

Toys’R'Us In Crazy Holiday Push

Toys”R”Us is pulling out all the stops this holiday season in efforts to compete with the likes of Walmart and others that have encroached on its territory for a while. The chain’s solution? A pop-up and store-within-a-store strategy.

Not satisfied that shoppers will gravitate toward the 586 stores across the US that it operates, Toys is opening about 350 pop-up locations in high-profile malls over the holidays.

You Can Save a Penny at Giant

Consumerist has this photo from a Giant grocery store. Would you go out of your way to save a penny?

Dunkin’ Donuts Getting Bank Branches?

Pretty soon you might be able to apply for a loan before buying a coffee and doughnuts — under the same roof. Citizens Bank just opened a pretty-full-service branch in a Dunkin’ Donuts store in Bellingham, MA.

The unit has three teller windows, an ATM and is open seven days a week. According to a Dunkin’ spokesperson, this store is only a test and no more are planned in the near future.

Brinker, Casual Dining Still Taking a Hit

Though some fast-food chains are faring well in the recession, casual dining still continues to suffer. Take the results of Brinker International, which saw its Chili’s and Maggiano’s chains post a combined 6% same-store sales drop in the first quarter, while profits slid 34%

Meanwhile, things aren’t looking a whole lot better over at P.F. Chang’s, where same-store sales fell 8.5% in its most recent quarter. And Texas-based chain Luby’s is closing 25 units.

Are Holiday Sales Really Looking Up?

Most industry watchers out there predict that this year’s holiday season won’t be as gloomy as last year’s. A recent Bloomberg article puts sales growth at 1.5% during the period.

Part of the good news is that TJX Cos. raised its sales expectations for the fourth quarter. But since TJX is one of the rare over performers in the recession, is that really anything to be surprised about?

Disney Stores Go the Expansion Route

Walt Disney Co. isn’t letting the economy scare it out of an ambitious plan to revamp an expand its 340 stores, according to The New York Times. The Disney chain will rebrand its stores Imagination Park, making them more of an “experience” than just a shopping trip.

“The world does not need another place to sell Disney merchandise — this only works if it’s an experience,” Jim Fielding, president of Disney Stores Worldwide, told the Times. The chain is also looking to expand into high-profile locations and has signed a lease in Times Square.

Burger King Goes Upscale?

Burger King looks like it’s trying to do the Starbucks thing. The burger chain is remodeling all 12,000 of its restaurants with a look that “includes rotating red flame chandeliers, brilliant TV-screen menus and industrial-inspired corrugated metal and brick walls,” according to an Associated Press article.

The company is trying to set itself apart from McDonald’s and compete with all of the regional chains offering a higher-quality product, the article says. One analyst isn’t convinced that the move will attract new customers, though, saying that perceptions about the Burger King brand are pretty well entrenched.

Prepare For a Flat Holiday

Most predictions we are seeing out there call for flat or slight negative drop in this year’s holiday sales. The National Retail Federation just came out with its prediction, a 1% decrease.

The drop might not be as bad as last year, but we still think it’s extreme, considering the industry will still suffer a decline over the major 3.4% fall the NRF calculated after 2008’s numbers came in.

Report: Less Retailers Getting Rent Breaks

We’ve heard both sides of this story. Many retailers, such as Rite Aid, are pursuing, and say they’re successful, in getting rent reductions from landlords. But some property owners, like Weingarten, are also saying they refuse to budge on concessions.

Now according to one report, landlords are budging less. Said Kenneth Frieze of Gordon Brothers Group in a recent Reuters article: “We’re seeing now that landlords have pulled back some from negotiating.”