Most of the traditional January or Boxing Day sales now start online before Christmas, even before you've had a chance to pull a cracker.
Retailers are not obliged to give you a refund or an exchange if you simply decide you don??t want something that you have bought in a store ?C that includes if it's an item of clothing that doesn??t fit. Some reduce the period in which you can return an item ?C the usual 28 days might be cut to 14 or even seven, others say that you can only have an exchange or credit note, or refuse any returns on sale items.
Shares in chocolates group Thorntons crashed by a third as it became the first British retailer to issue a pre-Christmas profit warning, due to lower orders from supermarket customers and problems at its new warehouse. They also placed their orders later than expected in the runup to Christmas. This means sales from its supermarket customers will be down in the firm??s second quarter.
John Lewis reported a drop in sales last week, after November??s Black Friday sucked demand forward from December and shoppers left their Christmas purchases to the last minute in the hope of bigger bargains. John Lewis, seen as a barometer of the high street, said customers were delaying their Christmas shopping.
