PBS高端访谈:天然气的价格变动将会影响假日消费?

 　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Ever since oil prices started plunging¹, we've heard experts predict that consumers would use the money they're saving on gas to spend more on Christmas gifts. Did it turn out that way?

　　For more about the Christmas shopping season, we are joined now via Skype from Albany, New York by Sara Germano of the Wall Street Journal.

　　So considering we have a couple of days left in the calendar year, but really the retail² season starts around Thanksgiving, how did we do so far?

　　SARA GERMANO: So far, so good. We'll really start to see the results into January and once the government reports its spending data and some of the largest retailers³ report their quarterly earnings⁴.

　　But early indications show that so far, Christmas shoppers and holiday shoppers were coming out in force this season and spending a little bit more than they have in seasons past.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: So how much of this is related to kind of an increased consumer confidence combined with that decrease in gas prices that we talked about?

　　SARA GERMANO: Yes. Everyone loves to talk about the gas prices. They've been down.

　　They're now down below $2 in some states. And that's putting about $450 million a day into American's pockets.

　　You know, consumers we've spoken with have said that having that extra bit to spend is going a long way.

　　Although some consumers are also saying they're being a little bit more careful with that extra money, and some of it is going to savings⁵.

　　So we're really starting to try to look for how much of that extra cash earned by falling gas prices is going to be put back into the economy or saved for some other red-letter day.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: OK. What about that kind of standard question we ask: Are the online retailers taking bigger and bigger chunks⁶ out of the brick-and-mortar players, or is it a kind of healthy balance now?

　　SARA GERMANO: Well, the biggest issue in retail right now is actually figuring out, you know, who is going to win online sales growth.

　　And it's a game the brick-and-mortar retailers, especially the big-box stores like Wal-Mart and Target are trying to compete more effectively with the web-based retailers like Amazon and eBay.

　　So, the last few years you have seen definite strides in that direction from the brick-and-mortar retailers.

　　Just this year, Wal-Mart said that it would do online price matching to better compete in that area.

　　The next phase of this now that Christmas is over, the next phase of this competition we'll see is the returns. Like all those ugly Christmas sweaters that you didn't like or didn't fit.

　　Those online sales are going to be shipped back. And a lot of the shipping⁷ companies like FedEx and UPS and maybe even the U.S. Postal⁸ Service are bracing⁹ themselves for what they expect to be a pretty heavy return system, particularly for online sales.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Right. And what about the shift that we're seeing in retailers heading towards mobile?

　　Even small businesses are putting out apps now. I mean, is it making a big difference? Are people buying or shopping on their cell phones?

　　SARA GERMANO: Yes, and that's something that is part of that, you know, shift to online sales that even the brick-and-mortar retailers are trying to get better at.

　　A lot of efforts have gone into building better mobile apps for shopping. You're seeing a lot of web rooming and showrooming, sort of the buzzwords we have been hearing over the past few months and years.

　　People trying to be savvier shoppers, knowing the prices of whatever it is they want to buy, knowing where they can get it online or in stores.

　　And you're also seeing a bit of a decrease in impulse spending, too.

　　Consumers are — because of all these efforts and the retailers trying to get better at offering the best prices, the best education, the best apps, you know, customers are going to be smarter.

　　And they're not as likely to buy off the cuff¹⁰ because they're equipped with so much more information.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: All right. Sara Germano of the Wall Street Journal, thanks so much.

　　SARA GERMANO: Thank you.

1 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

3 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

4 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

5 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

6 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

7 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

8 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

9 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

10 cuff   

n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口

参考例句：

• She hoped they wouldn't cuff her hands behind her back.她希望他们不要把她反铐起来。
• Would you please draw together the snag in my cuff?请你把我袖口上的裂口缝上好吗？