Sales of electronics and appliances are down 26.7. Women’s clothing has dropped 22.7 percent and men’s clothing sales are down 14.3 percent from last year.[1]

Sales of luxury goods are down. But even for shoppers who can afford to splurge, flaunting your moneybags is not so cool.[2]

Retailers are letting consumers create and market products. Finnish fabric and interior manufacturer Bon Bon Kakku’s new Website lets creative consumers design their own fabrics and offer them to the masses for voting, comments and purchase.[3]

Retailers’ desperation Friday was with good cause. The results from SpendingPulse were much worse than analysts had predicted.[4]

Retail stocks edged lower after the holiday sales report. Sales of luxury goods were hit the hardest with a decline of 35% from a year ago and apparel, electronics and furniture dropped more than 20%.[5]

Retailers report a healthy business in buying back gold from consumers. Expect the trend to escalate.[6]

Consumers who walked into luxury stores this holiday season may have seen rows of jumbled merchandise with overflowing bins and a smattering of inelegant, blaring sale signs. Have retailers forgotten what luxury means to the consumer?[7]

References
[1] http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=227647
[2]http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/15/pm_catalogs/
[3] http://www.prweb.com/releases/luxury_travel/lifestyle_trends/prweb1768524.htm
[4] http://www.indystar.com/article/20081227/business04/812270399
[5] http://www.123jump.com/market-update/cautious-u.s.-stocks,-light-trading/30808/
[6] http://www.jckonline.com/article/ca6625869.html
[7] http://www.usnews.com/blogs/luxe-life/2008/12/30/new-years-resolutions-for-the-luxury-market.html