Friday's (May 15) Seattle Times reported that hometown retailer Nordstrom has raised their outlook for the year.  Even Nordstrom has realized that Value is a prime factor these days; this has led them to actually drop prices on some staple items to be in the below $100 range.  I learned about the price reductions in December, when I purchased a nice cashmere scarf for $89(non-sale)  that had previously been priced above $100.  Along with the Seattle Times article, my personal observations were validated by a Bellevue Point of View saleswoman who confirmed their activity and sales were up.

While getting my hair cut at Bellevue's Gene Juarez salon this week, I noticed an increase in customers over recent visits.  My stylist told me that activity was definitely picking up and that his schedule has been full recently, a nice change over a slow prior 12 months.

So there you have it; the non-scientific Nordstron Gene Juarez index.  NGJ for short.

May 16, 2009