My first impulse was to say no when Fox Business News called yesterday and asked if I wanted to come on this morning and discuss retailers’ September sales results and prospects for the upcoming holiday season. The show (“Money for Breakfast”) is done live. What if I clammed up and flubbed things? What if I suddenly went blank? What if my bus was late? After all, I commute into the city from New Jersey and with the traffic being what it is there was no guarantee I would make it to the Fox studio the time they wanted me there (7:15 a.m.), even if I left my house at 6. No problem there, the perky young Fox rep said, we’ll send a car to your house to pick you up. She assured me I would have plenty of time go into hair and makeup before my appearance. Hair and makeup? My own private car? It was beginning to sound better all the time, and it didn’t take long before my desire to become one of those talking heads that dominate the airwaves these days got the better of me.
Looking back, I’m glad it did. It was a fun experience. I was a bit nervous when I walked onto the set (this was live TV after all). There were monitors all around turned on to stock tickers and I worried the moderator would throw something out of left field based on the latest results—results I hadn’t seen yet. But the sliding fortunes of retailers worked to my advantage in that there were no surprises in the results this morning—only more bad news. The segment went by in a blur. I surprised myself by remembering two different predictions for holiday sales, and getting them both right.
After it was over, I worried that I talked too much—and that my hair looked flat. Why did I gesture with my hands so much? And was I seeing things, or did I catch a glimpse of lipstick on my teeth?
To see the clip, please visit the Chain Store Age home page at www.chainstoreage.com.
- Marianne Wilson
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