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American Morning

Talk with a Sears Spokesperson

Aired December 26, 2001 - 09:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The holiday shopping season hasn't turned out the way retailers had hoped, and so they are turning to after-Christmas sales and markdowns to save the season, and their bottom lines. The big question is, will it work?

CNN's Jeff Flock is with the crowds at the mall in Schaumberg, Illinois. He's checking out -- Jeff, that kind of looked like muscle shirt. Was that for you?

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've been in the womens' section. Thanks you so very much.

O'BRIEN: I'm very sorry. It was for some lovely lady in your life. I apologize.

FLOCK: The secret is now out.

OK, well, you know, we're poking in people's bags this morning, and this young lady here is -- enabled me to get in her bag. You've got this skirt here. Now that was $39. I don't know if you can see. Was $39, reduced to $19.50, and then you got an additional 50 percent off.

Can I see your tag there, right there? Additional 50 percent off on top of that, so you got the skirt for half of that. So that's why you're out here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. That's why I'm out here shopping, to get a good sale and a better buy of everything that's really low today.

FLOCK: Well, I'm going to let you go back about it, and I've lost your receipt there.

This has got to good news for you, Sonya Jackson of Sears. That is what you're here for.

SONYA JACKSON, SEARS SPOKESWOMAN: Oh, absolutely, this is excellent news. We have some great values here at Sears today. Apparel, as you were just saying, 50 percent off, some of the already reduced apparel items. We have some wonderful items. People are doing a lot of home cocooning, buying things that, you know, allowing them to stay in, DVDs. A lot of the home types furnishing things are selling as well. O'BRIEN: This was tough year, no kidding around. You knew it was going to be a tough retail year. How did you do? Have you got a good sense for that yet?

JACKSON: Not yet. We are expecting we are right on track for the year. Looks like we are on track. We did our planning, our buying, our promotions, all of the inventory based on a recognition this would in fact be a challenging year, and so it does looks like we're ending up right on track.

O'BRIEN: Got you. Now the other headline today, and, Bruce, if you're able to see behind me, there's the returns. That's always the things that happens the day after Christmas.

JACKSON: That's right, but that return line is empty. That's a good sign. And a lot of people come to Sears day after Christmas. Our Sears gift card is a tremendous seller before Christmas, and a lot of people come in to redeem that gift card the day after Christmas, so that does quite well as well.

FLOCK: And these little red tags around here, these are all new since Christmas, correct?

JACKSON: That's right, those are additional values to pick up, and they're everywhere. They're pretty much on every stand here.

FLOCK: Everything is on sale, all right.

Sonya Jackson, Sears, appreciate it. There you go. That's the latest from the mall.

Miles, we will be moving over to Marshal Fields, and we'll go to the mens' shop if that's OK with you.

O'BRIEN: A men's shop. Oh that's right. I didn't want to start any terrible rumors here on national television.

Jeff, I am amazed, it's 8:17 Central Time, and there's actually people out and about. They're out. It's amazing, isn't it?

FLOCK: A lot of people say traditionally, they do this sort of thing, and of course it's colder than heck here in Chicago. It's about 10 degrees out there. So what else are you going to do? Come to the mall.

O'BRIEN: There you go. What else are you going to do?

All right, Jeff Flock, thank you very much. Check in with you in just a bit from Marshal Field.

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