VOA常速英语--美国零售商大战即将打响（在线收听）

美国零售商大战即将打响

It's the most profitable time of the year for retailers, accounting for 20 to 30 percent of annual revenue.

对于零售商来说，最挣钱的时候到了，这一时期将占据年营业额的20-30%。

And this year, close to 150 million U.S. citizens will go shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, says Kathy Grannis Allen of the National Retail Federation.

美国零售联合会的凯茜·格兰尼斯·艾伦认为，今年的感恩节周末将迎来1.5亿美国人。

So this is our Super Bowl. And this is really the one time in the year that the gloves are off and the competition just heightens.

所以今年将会是胜利的一年。摘下手套，真正开始“较量”的时刻到了。

To compete, some stores will open early and stay open longer. Nearly all promise big savings to attract the maximum number of shoppers.

许多商店会因此而延长营业时间。为了最大限度吸引顾客，几乎所有商家都开始了疯狂打折活动。

But this year, some retailers, including Nordstrom, Costco and others will stay closed on Thanksgiving, while outerwear retailer REI will be closed on Black Friday as well. While their profits could take a hit. This is author Kevin Paul Scott tells us on Skype the message is about tradition and family values.

但今年，包括“Nordstrom”“Costco”在内的许多零售商将在感恩节关门，户外品牌零售商“REI”在“黑色星期五”就开始停业。损失将会是巨大的。作家凯文·保罗·斯考特在Skype上称，他们的目的是要宣传传统和家庭价值观。

And people will remember that. And beyond the holidays, when they're buying Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts next May and June, they will remember these retailers. they'll spend more money there and those retailers win in the long run.

人们会记住它们的。当他们在明年5-6月为母亲节，父亲节购买礼物时，他们会记住这些商店。人们会花更多的钱，从长远角度来说，这些零售商才是胜利者。

But more people are opting to avoid the crowds. This year, the NRF says more than half of all holiday purchases will be made online with one in five Americans using a tablet or smartphone. That's the highest since the NRF started asking the question in 2011.

但还有许多人不会选择上街购物。美国零售联合会表示称，今年会有超过一半商品进行网上销售，五分之一的美国民众会使用平板或智能手机购物。这是即2011年联合会发起后的最高值。

And we do think that digital is going to continue to drive the conversation in retail more and more every year.

我们相信网购将逐渐引领零售市场。

The most interesting part is not how much they spend, although that's important. but where they're spending it. And we're going to see online shopping really, I think, put a dent on a lot of traditional brick-and-mortar stores this year.

最有趣的部分不是他们花了多少钱，尽管这很重要。但最主要的是看他们把钱花在了哪。今年将会是网购，这会给实体店带来不少冲击。

Despite tepid sales last month, lower unemployment and rising wages could give Americans more disposable income this year, says economist Gus Faucher on Skype.

经济学家格斯·孚赫在Skpye上称，尽管上个月销售冷淡，但工资上涨，失业率降低都会增加民众的可支配收入。

They're benefiting from lower gasoline prices, as well. That gives them more money to spend on things, lower home-heating costs, so that's good news. We're adding a lot of jobs, seeing stronger wage gains. I think that people are going to be in the mood to spend.

汽油价格下降也会让他们受益。他们会有更多资金用来买东西，取暖费也降低了，这是个好消息。失业率降低，工资上涨。我想人们更愿意花钱了。

According to the NRF, the average American consumer will spend about $805 dollars on gifts. That's more than $630 billion between November and December, an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.

根据美国零售联合会报告，美国民众平均会在购买礼物上花费约805美元。这比去年11-12月份增加了6300亿美金，比去年增长了3.7%。