doodledee

From an article that loosely details the down-then-maybe-not-so-bad-after-all holiday season that Wal-Mart just had:

Among [the items to be marked-down] was a five-foot-tall Nutcracker, which Wal-Mart's buyers had guessed would be a big hit at $96. It wasn't. "We knew when the doors opened it wasn't selling," [some bigshot] said. "Seeing it would be a liability, we marked it down to $75."

The nutcrackers still did not move, and what is a store to do with a five-foot nutcracker when the season is over? Mark them down again. "In some stores, they got down to $25," [the same bigshot] said.

Ha. Some doof in purchasing at Wal-Mart decided that a 5-foot tall Nutcracker was The Next Must Have Holiday Decoration. That is classic. Leaving aside the fact that you'd have to wake up every day and stare down some crazy-eyed wooden solder in your living room, where are you supposed to store something like that in the offseason? Totes stupes.

You have to wonder if they focus group any of that stuff or if it's all just based on the buyer's gut feel for what's gonna sell. You also have to wonder if the buyer is still employed or if that's a one-strike-and-you're-out type of blunder.

Before Christmas, Wal-Mart Was Stirring [nyt]
5 foot tall Nutcracker - $250 [horchow] - Striped pants make them look even taller