BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ), a leading warehouse club operator in the United States, recently reported sales for the four-week period ended Nov 28, 2009. Sales for the month spiked 6.4% to $833.6 million from $783.2 million reported in the same month last year.
 
Comparable club sales inched 1.0% for the month of November versus an increase of 4.1% in the same month last year. Gasoline sales did not affect the sales during the reported month. However, it did influence the prior-year November month sales negatively by 2.1%.
 
Excluding gasoline sales, traffic rose by nearly 3% year-over-year in the month, whereas the average transaction amount dropped by approximately 2%.
 
Heavy job losses and the economic slowdown have metamorphosed the way consumers used to shop. Cash-strapped consumers are now prioritizing their purchases. BJ’s Wholesale Club experienced a 2% rise in sales of food, whereas sales of general merchandise dropped nearly 1%.
 
By categories, breakfast needs, computer equipment, frozen goods, household chemicals, houseware, paper products, produce and residential furniture, etc. reported robust sales. On the contrary, apparel, dairy, fresh meat, sporting goods, trash bags, televisions and video games reported sluggish sales.
 
BJ’s Wholesale Club currently operates 186 clubs in 15 states. Year-to-date sales fell marginally by 0.4% to $8,049.7 million compared to $8,083.4 million in the same period last year, but comparable club sales dipped 3.6%.
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