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www.alberta.ca www.cbc.ca/edmonton/eal
Feature Story March 2011 Feature Story Objectives
Retail sales in Alberta
CLB competency outcomes Listening: Reading: Speaking: Writing:
L: Identify factual details and some implied meanings in extended listening texts R: Express information contained in a graph as text S: Use explicit speech markers W: Take notes from an oral presentation W: Demonstrate good use of most complex structures, spelling, and punctuation
Language skills Vocabulary: Use word definitions and contextual cues to choose correct
vocabulary items
Grammar: Recognize and understand words that belong to multiple classes of words
Speaking: Recognize speech markers used to indicate the start of an utterance
Language Activities (in order of appearance in materials)
Answering comprehension questions and discussion questions about a short background text on the retail industry Completing pre‐listening activities to build vocabulary and prepare learners for audio Listening to audio to identify facts and details Listening to audio to develop listening transfer skills Creating a word web while listening to audio Identifying speech markers used to start a new utterance. Using context to recognize the different word classes of the word “like” Answering multiple choice and short answer questions about a graph Using a graph to fill in information in a chart Identifying and analyzing different types of sentences in writing
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Introduction Before you read, think about the following questions. Have you ever worked in the retail industry? What are the best kinds of retail jobs? Background Reading: The Retail Industry
Alberta’s retail industry includes establishments that sell products and related services directly to customers from stores or through other means, including e‐commerce, in‐home demonstrations, direct‐response advertising, vending machines and infomercials. More people are employed in Alberta’s retail industry than in any other industry. In 2005, 12 percent of all employed people worked in retail. The majority of workers in the industry are in sales or service jobs but other types of retail jobs, such business, finance and administrative positions account for about one quarter of the jobs in the industry. For many Albertans, their first experience in the labour market is the retail industry. Youth account for a large proportion of those employed in the industry: individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 account for approximately 34 per cent of the retail workforce compared to 18 per cent of the overall provincial workforce.
Background Reading: Questions Understanding the reading 1) What are some ways to sell products other than in a store?
2) What types of jobs are most common for people who work in retail?
3) What age group makes up a large percentage of the people employed in the retail
industry?
Food for thought 4) Do you think it is a good idea for teenagers to get part‐time jobs in retail while they are
still in school? Why or why not? (excerpts and information taken from http://www.employment.alberta.ca/documents/WIA/WIA‐BETW_retail_substrategy.pdf
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The Audio In this story, you will hear CBC journalist Adrienne Lamb and Presenter Rod Kurtz, discuss
latest statistics released that show unlike many other parts of Canada, shoppers in Alberta
are spending money on retail purchases. Adrienne interviews some shoppers, as well as an
expert in retail analysis. Rod and Adrienne also talk about the downside of too much retail
spending, when Albertans get into debt from too much spending.
In this Audio, you will hear:
Radio host – Rod Kurtz
Radio journalist‐ Adrienne Lamb
Shopper #1
Shopper #2
Shopper#3
Shopper #4
Shopper #5
Shopper #6
University professor Paul McElhone
Debt Counsellor Scott Hannah
Predicting
Adrienne is going to interview shoppers to ask them what they spend their money on. What do you think they will answer?
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Vocabulary Before you listen to the audio file, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening. The words and phrases below are from the Podcast. The definitions are next to the words. Read the definitions then do the activity below.
Word from the text Definition
1. bucking the trend (idiom) doing well in the economy when others are doing poorly 2. cut back (phrasal verb) spend less money 3. in someone’s
wheelhouse (idiom) something a person is especially good at or enjoys
4. edging down (phrasal verb)
decreasing slightly
5. break things down (phrasal verb)
describe something in more detail
6. racking it up (phrasal verb)
spending a lot of money, especially on a credit card
7. calls out to someone (idiom)
is really appealing or tempting to someone
8. distinguish (verb) to be able to tell the difference between two or more things
9. optimism (noun) a feeling that things will go well in the future 10. splurge (verb) spend extra money on something unnecessary 11. Savvy (adjective) having practical knowledge and being well informed
about something 12. enticing (verb) attracting 13. cashing in (phrasal verb) taking an opportunity to make money 14. playing into (phrasal
verb) helping to cause or make worse
15. consolidate (verb) combine something into one 16. contrary to (phrase) in contrast or opposition to 17. out of the woodwork
(idiom) to appear after being silent or unnoticed for a long time
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Use the vocabulary words on the previous page to complete the sentences. The first one is done for you.
1. We spent far too much on our vacation and now we need to cut back so we can
pay our rent this month.
2. Property values are really high right now and a lot of people are
_________________ by selling their homes and moving back to Saskatchewan!
3. _______________________ what you think, I am not spending too much time on
the Internet!
4. I noticed the prices for flights have been __________________ this month so I
think I am going wait another week before I buy my ticket.
5. After I won the lottery, a lot of family members I hadn’t seen for years came
________________________ and started asking for money.
6. Lets ____________________ on an expensive dinner. It’s our anniversary!
7. I’m glad that our company is making more money, but can you
________________________ and explain exactly where the profit is coming
from?
8. My sister likes to write stories about fashion and make up because they are
____________________________.
9. I took away my daughter’s credit card because she has been
_____________________ at the mall. I got a $3000 bill!
10. It is hard to __________________ between the parts of the movie with real
people and the parts that were made on a computer.
11. I think his company will succeed because he is a very __________
businessperson.
12. I am thinking of quitting my job because another company is
__________________ me to leave with promises of a big pay increase.
13. Watching scary movies with the lights off is just ______________________ her
fear of the dark.
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14. I have been filled with _______________________ since my daughter was born.
We have a great future ahead of us!
15. The two publishing companies just ______________________ into one large
company.
16. Even though there is a recession right now, my new restaurant is
_____________________ and making a lot of money.
17. You should only buy new shoes if a pair _______________________ because you
don’t really need another pair.
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Now listen to the Audio – the introduction is here to help you get started…
Rod Coming up, we’re going shopping. Ah familiar sound in Alberta. The sound and smell of money. Turns out new retail number show that we’re bucking the trend. While most of the rest of the country was trying to cut back this past Christmas, we were out spending our money. CBC’s Adrienne lamb’s been looking at the numbers and joins me now. Good morning.
Adrienne Good morning.
Rod You have such a big smile on your face.
Adrienne I love stories about retail. I love ‘em.
Rod This is in her wheelhouse, let’s put it that way. Okay, these new numbers from Stats Canada, retail sales, out on Tuesday, I thought numbers are down in Canada?
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Listening Activities
Listen to the audio again
Listening for meaning
Use the information from the audio to answer the following questions
1. Which provinces are seeing increases in retail spending?
2. What types of products were Albertans buying?
3. What are some reasons that Adrienne gives for high levels of spending in
Alberta?
4. What are two new American stores that have come to Edmonton recently?
5. What services does the Credit Counselling Society of Canada offer?
6. By what percentage has the number of people contacting the Credit Counselling
Society of Canada gone up since Christmas?
7. How much credit card debt does the average person who visits the Credit
Counselling Society of Canada have?
8. Why does Scott Hannah think so many people are coming the Credit Counselling
Society of Canada now?
9. When does Scott Hannah think a person should get financial help?
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Building Listening Skills
Taking notes from a listening or lecture
Taking notes from a lecture or while listening can help you to identify and remember the
main points and ideas. It is impossible to write down everything you hear – you can only
record the main ideas. Sometimes when you review your notes you might find they are
just a jumble of words and points. Using a word web can help you to write down ideas as
they are connected and improve your understanding.
Another idea when taking notes is to develop a system of abbreviations:
Here are some suggestions:
Increase/ go up/rise
Money/dollars/profits $
decrease
And/as well as/also ✚
More than >
Less than <
Alberta AB
Canada CAN
Christmas Xmas
Days of the week drop day Tues
Months use first 3 letters Jan
Build up your own list of useful abbreviations for note‐taking
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Listen to the audio again
While you are listening, complete this word web.
Make extra circles/arrows on the web, if you need to.
Sample answer in the appendix
Retail spending
in Alberta!
Satistics Canada - national trends!
What are Albertans buying!
Causes of increased spending!
Financial difficulties!
Sales down in Can
Sales up in 3 provinces
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Building Speaking Skills
Speech Markers
In spoken English, it is common for people to use speech markers (also called discourse
markers) to start new sentences or phrases. These speech markers don’t change the
meaning of the sentences they are starting. They are there to make the speech sound
smoother and to give the speaker time to think.
Common speech markers used to start sentences include ah, well, okay, so, & you know.
Please look at the following excerpt from the podcast and pay attention to the speech
markers.
ROD Okay, so i know when you when they release the stats they do break things down. So what were Albertans buying?
1:00
Adrienne Ah, some furniture, things like big screen TVs, clothing, and things like shoes and accessories.
1:06
Rod Okay. 1:11
Adrienne And you know, I didn’t have to go far, Rod, to find some of those Edmonton shoppers who were racking it up. Have a listen.
1:13
All of the underlined words (except for “ah”) can be used in other contexts to convey
meaning. However, in this context, the words are being used simply to mark the start of
a sentence or phrase.
Look at the transcript of the podcast on page 28 and underline the speech markers that
are used to start a new sentences or phrases. Answers can be found in the appendix.
TIP: Next time you are speaking with someone in English, pay attention to the speech
markers they use to begin new sentences and phrases.
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Grammar Activity Words that belong to multiple classes of words Many words in English can seem confusing because the same word can work as a verb and noun, or, as a preposition and adverb. Often words used in multiple classes occur more frequently in speaking than writing. Like is one of the most frequently used words in English. We are used to seeing it function as a verb:
I like listening to the radio Or as a noun:
The students listed their likes as listening to their iPods, eating fast food and surfing the net.
In the radio story, like is used as a preposition. It might be a bit confusing though, because the preposition, like, has two different meanings in this conversation. Like as a preposition:
Ah, some furniture, things like big screen TVs, clothing, and things like shoes and accessories.
They’ll be in real trouble when it comes to things like the mortgage, that they could stand to lose everything.
1. What does like mean in these sentences? a. though b. such as c. with
In written form, it is more common to see such as in place of like for this meaning.
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Well, I think like most guys, my weakness is probably electronics.
2. What does like mean in these sentences? a. though b. such as c. the same as
In written form, it is more common to see the same as in place of like for this meaning. Other uses of like in speech: Look at the following sentences where like is used in conversation.
What word might replace like in these sentences in a written form?
Match the definition of like to the more formal word, which would have the same meaning in the sentence given.
(Answers can be found in the appendix) Spoken use of like Written/more formal replacement
She was like, ‘Meet me at 7 O’clock.’ approximately
It was like 3 months old. the same as
He is happy today, like she said he would
be.
said
I want to study the language so I am not
like a typical tourist.
as
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Reading Activities Before you read: Reading information from charts and graphs Charts and graphs present information and data in a visual form to make those facts
easier to understand. They are an essential kind of reading for working and living in
Alberta.
Reading and interpreting the information in charts and graphs can help you figure out
what facts mean.
Steps in reading charts and graphs:
1. Read the title and source of the facts
Ask yourself, “Does this make sense?”
For example if you look at a graph of the population if Canada that states the
population to be 33 – ask yourself does that make sense? This will attract your
attention to extra information on the graph such as
“All figures shown are in millions”
2. Read all of the labels on the chart or graph.
3. In this way you will find out what each line, mark, column, axis, section means.
4. Look for a key/legend to explain what different colours or shading on the graph
might mean.
5. Analyze what the relationships are between different lines or columns represent
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Reading Skills Activity
Proportion of Immigrants by Alberta Economic Regions, 2001 and 2006*
Data Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 and 2006 Census of Population
Categorizing: Complete the following table by reading the information in the chart: Economic region with highest proportion of immigrants in 2006
Economic region with the lowest proportion of immigrants in 2006
Economic region with the lowest proportion of immigrants in 2001
Economic region with the largest increase in proportion of immigrants from 2001‐ 2006
Economic region(s) that experienced a decrease in the proportion of immigrants from 2001‐2006
Economic region(s) that saw no change in the proportion of immigrants from 2001‐2006
*Retrieved from : https://osi.alberta.ca/osi-content/Pages/Factsheets/ProportionofImmigrantsbyAlbertaEconomicRegions.aspx March 07/2011
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Reading Activity Median Earnings of Full‐Time Alberta Workers (25‐64 Years) by Highest Level of Education and Sex, 2005*
Data Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population *Retrieved from : https://osi.alberta.ca/osi‐content/Pages/Factsheets/MedianEarningsofFull‐TimeAlbertaWorkers(25‐64years)byHighestLevelofEducationandSex.aspx March 07/2011 You can read more interesting statistics at the Office of Statistics and Information about the province at the Alberta Government website https://osi.alberta.ca
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Reading for meaning Please answer the following questions about the graph on the previous page. Circle the best answer
1. Who earns the most income overall? a. Both Sexes b. Males c. Females d. It isn’t possible to tell from this graph.
2. What is the highest salary a woman with a college education can possibly make?
a. $36, 834 b. $38, 140 c. $ 46, 064 d. It isn’t possible to tell from this graph.
3. Which education level has the greatest difference between male and female wages?
a. Post‐ Bachelor b. Trades and Apprenticeship c. Less than High School d. It isn’t possible to say from this graph.
4. Which statement is the most accurate, according to the graph?
a. Men always make more money than women. b. Men sometimes make more money than women. c. If men and women have the same education level, the men will make more
money on average than the women. d. If a man and woman have the same education the man will always have a higher
salary than the woman. e. None of these statements are accurate.
Write the answer 5. Which education level do women need to reach to have a higher median salary than
men with a high school education?
6. What is a better financial choice for men: trades and apprenticeship or a college education?
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Writing Activity
Using a variety of sentences in your writing will make your essays and letters more interesting for the reader. In English, we have three basic kinds of sentences:
• Simple sentences • Compound sentences • Complex sentences
Simple sentences This sentence has a subject and a verb and is a complete thought. It can be only two words ex: John left. or it can have a number of words ex: John quickly left the noisy party in his car. Compound sentences This sentence is created from joining two complete thoughts together. Words such as and, & but. Each of the thoughts is equally important. John left the noisy party and he called me on his way home. Complex sentences A complex sentence has more than one subject and verb but only one main subject and verb. The main subject and verb are called the independent clause; while the subject and verb that are not the main ones, are the dependent clause. The dependent clause is not as important as the independent clause.
John left the party because he was tired. Main idea: John left the party Supporting information: he was tired
John called me while he was driving home. Main idea: John called me Supporting idea: the call happened at the time he was driving
Each of the following sentences is adapted from the radio discussion about retail spending. Each sentence is complex.
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Look at each sentence. Identify the main idea and the supporting information. Remember the main idea may or may not be the first part of the sentence.
1. While most of the rest of the country was trying to cut back this past Christmas, we were out spending our money. Main idea: _____________________________________________________________ Supporting information: _____________________________________________________________
2. If you’re finding there’s too much month left at the end of your pay check, it may be time to get help with your debts. Main idea: _____________________________________________________________ Supporting information: _____________________________________________________________
3. They have offices here in Edmonton with counsellors who can help you consolidate your debt and learn to manage your money. Main idea: _____________________________________________________________ Supporting information: _____________________________________________________________
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Links to learning about language and your community Learn English – Sentences in English http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/sentencetext.htm#Complex Government of Alberta Office of Statistics and Information To view more statistics about Alberta, visit the Government of Alberta Office of Statistics and Information website at https://osi.alberta.ca/osi‐content/Pages/OfficialStatistics.aspx Government of Canada Statistics Canada To view statistics about Canada and the latest census data, visit the website of Statistics Canada at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start‐debut‐eng.html Albert Employment and Immigration retail industry publication
http://www.employment.alberta.ca/documents/WIA/WIA‐BETW_retail_substrategy.pdf
Government of Alberta, learning information services
For information about finding a job in Alberta and to find retail companies that often hire, please visit this website
http://alis.alberta.ca/js/job‐seeker.html
CBC News: Dealing with Debt
To learn more about dealing with personal debt and finances, please visit this website
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/personalfinance/dealingwithdebt.html
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Appendix Answer key Background Reading: Questions
Understanding the reading 5) What are some ways to sell products other than in a store? Other ways to sell products
include e‐commerce, in‐home demonstrations, direct‐response advertising, vending machines and infomercials.
6) What types of jobs are most common for people who work in retail? The most common types of jobs for people who work in retail are sales or service jobs.
7) What age group makes up a large percentage of people employed in the retail industry? Youth (ages 15‐24) make up a large percentage of the people employed in retail.
Food for thought 8) Do you think it is a good idea for teenagers to get part‐time jobs in retail while they are
in school? Why or why not? Answers will vary.
The audio
Predicting Listening Vocabulary
1. cut back 2. cashing in 3. contrary 4. edging down 5. out of the woodwork 6. splurge 7. break things down 8. in her wheel house 9. racking it up 10. distinguish 11. savvy 12. enticing 13. playing into 14. optimism
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15. consolidated 16. bucking the trend 17. calls out to you
Listening for audio Listen to the audio again
1. The Yukon, Quebec, and Alberta are seeing increases in retail spending. 2. They are buying items such as furniture, big screen TVs, clothing, shoes, and accessories 3. The reasons include the following: people feeling a sense of optimism coming out of the
recession, people wanting to splurge on Christmas, savvy retailers making it difficult for people to resist their products, new stores from the States opening, and a tradition of spending more than other provinces.
4. Victoria’s Secret and Restoration Hardware have both come to Edmonton recently. 5. They can help you consolidate your debt and learn to manage your money. 6. It has gone up by 84% 7. The average person who visits the centre has 30,000 dollars of debt. 8. People are visiting the centre because the are scared that they’re terrified that if interest
rates go up they’ll have trouble paying their mortgages and could lose everything. 9. He thinks a person should get financial help if they run out of money before they get
paid each month or if they are often in overdraft .
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Listening skills
Possible answers
Retail spending
in Alberta!
Satistics Canada - national trends!
What are Albertans buying!
Causes of increased spending!
Financial difficulties!
Debt> $30,000
Recession is over
#ABns going to counselor 84%
Big screen TVs
clothing Kids items
electronics
purses shoes
optimism
Xmas = Credit card debt
7 provinces down
Personal items
Furniture
US retailers
Victoria Secret
Restoration Hardware
Crate & Barrel
ON flat
Spending
Yukon
Quebec
AB
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SPEAKER TITLE: SPEND SPEND SPEND TIME
Rod Coming up, we’re going shopping. Ah familiar sound in Alberta. The sound and smell of money. Turns out new retail numbers show that we’re bucking the trend. While most of the rest of the country was trying to cut back this past Christmas, we were out spending our money. CBC’s Adrienne Lamb’s been looking at the numbers and joins me now. Good morning.
0:00
Adrienne Good morning. 0:24 Rod You have such a big smile on your face. 0:25 Adrienne I love stories about retail. I love ‘em. 0:25 Rod This is in her wheelhouse, let’s put it that way. Okay, these new numbers from
Stats Canada, retail sales, out on Tuesday, I thought numbers are down in Canada?
0:31
Adrienne Well they were. In fact, for the entire country, down. But you take a closer look, and sales were down in seven provinces around Christmas time. Flat in Ontario. So retails sales edging down overall to about 37 billion dollars. The only provinces, the only, bucking that trend, seeing increases, the Yukon, Quebec, and here in Alberta.
0:40
Rod Okay, so I know when you when they release the stats they do break things down. So what were Albertans buying?
1:00
Adrienne Ah, some furniture, things like big screen TVs, clothing, and things like shoes and accessories.
1:06
Rod Okay. 1:11 Adrienne And you know, I didn’t have to go far, Rod, to find some of those Edmonton
shoppers who were racking it up. Have a listen. 1:13
Shopper 1 I always shop, always check prices. 1:19 Adrienne Talk to me about what calls out to you. 1:21 Shopper 2 Shoes. 1:24 Shopper 3 Well, I think like most guys, my weakness is probably electronics. But, it’s
whether the need is there, or its more of a want. So, if you can distinguish between the two, you’ll do okay.
1:25
Shopper 4 Uh. Mostly kids, kids items, clothing, and just things for kids. That’s about it. 1:35 Shopper 5 Just mostly the, the purses. 1:42 Shopper 6 I’m a shoe addict. So lot’s of shoes. 1:45
Rod So, what’s driving this? 1:49
Adrienne Probably a few things. People coming out of the recession having held back, perhaps feeling now a sense of optimism, wanting to spend. A sense really of optimism that really gripped Alberta ahead of the rest of the country, right? And just wanting to splurge on Christmas. There’s some people who just, that’s where
1:52
25
they want to spend the money. And Paul McElhone thinks it’s also savvy retailers making it harder and harder for us to resist. McElhone is the executive director of the School of Retail over at the UofA, and, he says new stores, many that have come from down South, from the States, are enticing shoppers and cashing in.
Paul The new players that have done incredibly well have been certainly Victoria’s Secret, and we have Restoration Hardware, did incredibly well in Edmonton at Christmas time. And I think with Crate and Barrel have just signed, a lease to come to Edmonton in the fall. And so this is an indication that we’re seeing some real big players that we would normally have only found in the States, are now looking to develop their market in Canada and expand here.
2:25
Rod So, there’s optimism, uh, American chains obviously seeing a new market. What other reasons might be playing into this increase in retail sales?
2:54
Adrienne Well, traditionally, we just spend more. We spend a lot more than in other provinces.
3:01
Rod How many people are in financial trouble? 3:05
Adrienne Well, a lot of people, according to Scott Hannah. Now he’s the president of the Credit Counselling Society of Canada. They have offices here in Edmonton with counsellors who can help you consolidate your debt and learn to manage your money. And he says the number of Albertans contacting them for help since Christmas time, has gone up 84%.
3:07
Scott So a significant increase. And it tells us that you know, contrary to what we’re hearing from various economists that Canada’s economy, and certainly in Western Canada’s getting better. For the economy that counts for most of us, their own personal economy, it’s not getting better. And so we see people are living up to their pay checks and then some. The average consumer coming to us in Alberta with a debt load in excess of 30,000 dollars, and typically, that’s just credit card debt. That doesn’t include mortgages.
3:24
Adrienne Scott Hannah with Credit Counselling Society of Canada. And he says for some people, Rod, Christmas equals credit card debt. Hannah also thinks people are coming out of the woodwork now because they’re really terrified that if interest rates go up, and we have had some signals that may be the case come, you know, from the summer time, that, you know, they’ll be in real trouble when it comes to things like the mortgage, that they could stand to lose everything. And he says if you’re finding there’s too much month left at the end of your pay check or you’re in your overdraft more than you’re staying out of it, it may be time to get help. But for some Albertans, now feeing optimistic about the economy and their personal financial situation overall, it’s good times and a good place. I think retail analyst Paul McElhone summed it up. He told me if you’re a retailer or a shopper, there is no better place in Canada than in Alberta.
3:52
Rod Nothing more dangerous than an Albertan with a pocketful of cash. That is gonna happen. They will spend it. Adrienne, thanks.
4:38
Adrienne You’re welcome. 4:45
26
Grammar activity – Answer key Spoken use of like Written/more formal replacement
She was like, ‘Meet me at 7 O’clock.’ Said
It was like 3 months old. Approximately
He is happy today, like she said he would
be.
As
I want to study the language so I am not
like a typical tourist.
The same as
Writing Activity – Answer key
1. Main idea: we were out spending our money Supporting information: While most of the rest of the country was trying to cut back this past Christmas, 2. Main idea: it may be time to get help with your debts Supporting information: If you’re finding there’s too much month left at the end of your pay check, 3. Main idea: They have offices here in Edmonton with counsellors Supporting information: who can help you consolidate your debt and learn to manage your money.
READING ACTIVITY
Categorizing
Economic region with highest proportion of immigrants in 2006
Calgary
Economic region with the lowest proportion of immigrants in 2006
Camrose/Drumheller
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Economic region with the lowest proportion of immigrants in 2001
Camrose/Drumheller
Economic region with the largest increase in proportion of immigrants from 2001‐ 2006
Calgary
Economic region(s) that experienced a decrease in the proportion of immigrants from 2001‐2006
Banff/Jasper/Rocky Mountain House & Athabasca/Grande Prairie/Peace River
Economic region(s) that saw no change in the proportion of immigrants from 2001‐2006
Red Deer
Reading for meaning
1) b 2) d 3) b 4) c 5) Women need to have bachelor degrees to have a higher median salary than men with a
high school education. 6) Trades and apprenticeship is a better financial choice for men.
28
Transcript of the audio
SPEAKER TITLE: SPEND SPEND SPEND TIME
Rod Coming up, we’re going shopping. Ah familiar sound in Alberta. The sound and smell of money. Turns out new retail number show that we’re bucking the trend. While most of the rest of the country was trying to cut back this past Christmas, we were out spending our money. CBC’s Adrienne Lamb’s been looking at the numbers and joins me now. Good morning.
0:00
Adrienne Good morning. 0:24 Rod You have such a big smile on your face. 0:25 Adrienne I love stories about retail. I love ‘em. 0:25 Rod This is in her wheelhouse, let’s put it that way. Okay, these new numbers
from Stats Canada, retail sales, out on Tuesday, I thought numbers are down in Canada?
0:31
Adrienne Well they were. In fact, for the entire country, down. But you take a closer look, and sales were down in seven provinces around Christmas time. Flat in Ontario. So retails sales edging down overall to about 37 billion dollars. The only provinces, the only, bucking that trend, seeing increases, the Yukon, Quebec, and here in Alberta.
0:40
Rod Okay, so I know when you when they release the stats they do break things down. So what were Albertans buying?
1:00
Adrienne Ah, some furniture, things like big screen TVs, clothing, and things like shoes and accessories.
1:06
Rod Okay. 1:11 Adrienne And you know, I didn’t have to go far, Rod, to find some of those
Edmonton shoppers who were racking it up. Have a listen. 1:13
Shopper 1 I always shop, always check prices. 1:19 Adrienne Talk to me about what calls out to you. 1:21 Shopper 2 Shoes. 1:24 Shopper 3 Well, I think like most guys, my weakness is probably electronics. But, it’s
whether the need is there, or its more of a want. So, if you can distinguish between the two, you’ll do okay.
1:25
Shopper 4 Uh. Mostly kids, kids items, clothing, and just things for kids. That’s about it.
1:35
Shopper 5 Just mostly the, the purses. 1:42 Shopper 6 I’m a shoe addict. So lot’s of shoes. 1:45
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Rod So, what’s driving this? 1:49 Adrienne Probably a few things. People coming out of the recession having held
back, perhaps feeling now a sense of optimism, wanting to spend. A sense really of optimism that really gripped Alberta ahead of the rest of the country, right? And just wanting to splurge on Christmas. There’s some people who just, that’s where they want to spend the money. And Paul McElhone thinks it’s also savvy retailers making it harder and harder for us to resist. McElhone is the executive director of the School of Retail over at the UofA, and, he says new stores, many that have come from down South, from the States, are enticing shoppers and cashing in.
1:52
Paul The new players that have done incredibly well have been certainly Victoria’s Secret, and we have Restoration Hardware, did incredibly well in Edmonton at Christmas time. And I think with Crate and Barrel have just signed, a lease to come to Edmonton in the fall. And so this is an indication that we’re seeing some real big players that we would normally have only found in the States, are now looking to develop their market in Canada and expand here.
2:25
Rod So, there’s optimism, uh, American chains obviously seeing a new market. What other reasons might be playing in to this increase in retail sales?
2:54
Adrienne Well, traditionally, we just spend more. We spend a lot more than in other provinces.
3:01
Rod How many people are in financial trouble? 3:05 Adrienne Well, a lot of people, according to Scott Hannah. Now he’s the president
of the Credit Counselling Society of Canada. They have offices here in Edmonton with counsellors who can help you consolidate your debt and learn to manage your money. And he says the number of Albertans contacting them for help since Christmas time, has gone up 84%.
3:07
Scott So a significant increase. And it tells us that you know, contrary to what we’re hearing from various economists that Canada’s economy, and certainly in Western Canada’s getting better. For the economy that counts for most of us, their own personal economy, it’s not getting better. And so we see people are living up to their pay checks and then some. The average consumer coming to us in Alberta with a debt load in excess of 30,000 dollars, and typically, that’s just credit card debt. That doesn’t include mortgages.
3:24
Adrienne Scott Hannah with Credit Counselling Society of Canada. And he says for some people, Rod, Christmas equals credit card debt. Hannah also thinks people are coming out of the woodwork now because they’re really terrified that if interest rates go up, and we have had some signals that may be the case come, you know, from the summer time, that, you know,
3:52
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they’ll be in real trouble when it comes to things like the mortgage, that they could stand to lose everything. And he says if you’re finding there’s too much month left at the end of your pay check or you’re in your overdraft more than you’re staying out of it, it may be time to get help. But for some Albertans, now feeing optimistic about the economy and their personal financial situation overall, it’s good times and a good place. I think retail analyst Paul McElhone summed it up. He told me if you’re a retailer or a shopper, there is no better place in Canada than in Alberta.
Rod Nothing more dangerous than an Albertan with a pocketful of cash. That is gonna happen. They will spend it. Adrienne, thanks.
4:38
Adrienne You’re welcome. 4:45
