Ship-to-Store, In-Store Pickup, and Click-to-Brick Options Appeal to Shoppers

Holiday shopping sales figures on Super Saturday were predicted to rival those of Black Friday this year, as procrastinating bargain shoppers running out of time were expected to make desperation purchases. But Super Saturday is not so super for either retailers or 50 million shoppers who are in the path of a major winter storm.

Reportedly, Bon-Ton, Kohl's, American Eagle Outfitters, and Macy's are the major retailers with a large percentage of their stores in the direct path of Super Saturday's winter storms. Unfortunately, none of these chains have taken the time to integrate their stores with their websites and don't offer a ship-to-store option.

The plight of these retailers in an already difficult holiday shopping season seems like a low-blow from the Universe, but our sympathy for them is tempered a little bit by history. These same chains found themselves in the exact same predicament when the northeast was socked by a winter storm on Super Saturday, 2008. One year later, these same retail chains have done nothing to position themselves better in the event that a winter storm should blow through again. Sure enough, the event has blown through again.

While American Eagle and Macy's have been struggling to survive this recessionary year, Kohl's is one of the chains that has been cash-rich and expanding. Today, the Kohl's executives might be regretting that they focused all their resources in the brick-and-mortar world, and didn't give more focus to expanding their online shopping options.

So, homebound Kohl's shoppers might be searching online for suitable gift alternatives and find them on the JCPenney, Sears, and Wal-Mart websites, which they can pick up in those stores when the roads clear. American Eagle and Macy's shoppers might find the gifts they need on the Nordstrom or L.L. Bean websites, which will be safely tucked away until it's convenient for them to stop by the stores and pick them up.

In all, there are more than two dozen retail chains with free in-store pickup. For shoppers who have both time and budget constraints, these two dozen retailers may be their last and only holiday shopping options.

The retailers who are getting Super Saturday sucker punched once again can play the odds that this won't happen three years in a row, or they could just add one word to their 2010 New Year's resolutions. "Upgrade."

More About Online Shopping:

• Websites with Completely Free Shipping
• Last-minute E-Gift Cards and E-Gift Certificates
• Holiday Top 40 Online Retail Satisfaction Index