Price Retreat in Market Basket

HTT Staff Report -- Home Textiles Today, 3/12/2007 12:00:00 AM

New York —

What a difference a year makes. In 2006, the Market Basket survey revealed aggressive trade-up strategies by the leading mass merchants and by the highly promotional department store operator Kohl's.

For 2007, Home Textiles Today's sixth annual review indicates that the discounters may have bumped against a price ceiling dictated by consumers' concerns about an uncertain economy, soaring energy costs, and the distinct "pop" of the housing bubble.

Discounters' top prices erode

The top price point market baskets at Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart all reversed field in the 2007 survey, with the extreme case being Target's falling from a 2006 upswing of 32.2% over 2005, to this year's plunge of 23.4%. That's a 55-point differential.

The top price point basket at Wal-Mart switched from a 2006 rise of 3.2% to this year's fall-off of 17.7%.

Kmart's top price point basket swung from a 2006 increase of 9.6% to a 2007 drop of 6.8%.

The top price basket at struggling Linens 'n Things fell 13.6% last year, and then dropped another 13.5% in 2007.

Out of the nine retailers surveyed, only Kohl's, Marshalls, and Bed Bath & Beyond raised their top price point baskets in the 2007 survey. Kohl's and Marshalls' top price baskets each rose by nearly 20%. The top price register rang up 12.0% at Bed Bath & Beyond — and that was against last year's deepest cut in top price baskets, down 24.4% at BB&B.

What do these three trade-ups in top price baskets say about these merchandisers?

Overall, Kohl's recent year-end financial report showed a "career year" for the well-disciplined operator, and it is worth noting that the $15.5 billion mid-tier retailer is accelerating its shift toward exclusive brands. Marshalls and BB&B also drive their assortments with popular, mid-range brands — a strategy that is much tougher for the "Big Three" discounters to execute.

The top price point basket at JCPenney was essentially flat for the second year, evidence that the company has identified its sweet spots. The slight change was a rise of 2.6% in 2006, followed by a 2007 drop of 1.1%.

Macy's is the newcomer to the Market Basket survey, as its consolidation has pushed its volume ahead of Sears, which consequently dropped off the survey. As a new subject of research, there is no year-to-year comparison available for Macy's.

China drops the floor

The opening price point market baskets in this year's Market Basket were impacted by strong signs of price deflation. Each of the four opening price baskets that fell in 2007 did so more steeply than any of the opening basket decreases in 2006.

Indeed, there was no opening price basket that lost value by double-digits last year.

This year, three did: the value of the opening price baskets at Target fell 22.0%, the mirror of its top price point fall of 23.4%; Kohl's opening price basket dropped 13.1%, and Wal-Mart's slipped 10.1%.

The opening price basket at Bed Bath & Beyond edged down 8.4%. Even that fourth-rate drop was steeper than last year's steepest: the 2006 fall of 7.8% by Sears.

The only "outlier" result was the stunning run-up in the opening price basket at Marshalls. This was the most extreme value in the entire survey, a 48.3% increase. Of course, it is important to note that Marshalls consistently scores at or near the lowest in both opening price and top price baskets. A major trade-up in its opening price basket may have been overdue.

The other risers in opening price baskets in 2007 were Kmart and LNT, each with a bit more than a 4% uptick, and JCPenney, with a healthy 10.8% rise.

Last year, the major gainers in opening price baskets made far larger strides: BB&B up 13.2%, Target up 21.3%, Kohl's up 22.8%, and Wal-Mart up 24.2%.

Nothing like that exists in this year's survey results. The price trend is headed the other way — down.

Pricing depends upon sourcing. "H-hour" has arrived for China. "H" as in "half." The big Chinese exporting engine built up over the past decade has now penetrated the U.S. home textiles market to the point where 49% of all products in the 2007 survey were sourced from suppliers in China.

The amazing thing here is the acceleration. Just four years ago, about half of all products in the survey sported "Made in USA" labels. In 2003, the survey showed China as the originator of less than 30% of all items.

Changing dynamic

For the annual Market Basket reports, HTT assembles a list of basic bed and bath items, then visits one store from each of nine of the top 10 home textiles retailers to find the lowest priced item and the highest priced item for each product on the shopping list. The No. 10 retailer on HTT's Top 50 Retailers ranking — Pottery Barn — was not included in the survey because its in-store assortment of bedding and bath products is too slight to make valid comparisons.

With the addition this year of Macy's, the highest-priced totals skyrocketed to $1,133.96 in the opening price basket and to $2,401.47 in the top price basket. Now that Federated Department Stores is taking every step to turn Macy's into a truly national retail nameplate with volume among the top 10 merchandisers of home textiles, it will be interesting to see how the Market Basket dynamic is affected year to year.

As in previous years, the Market Basket contains only items marked at everyday prices; sale and clearance goods are not added to the cart, in order to establish a base line for EDLP.

While, as "snapshots" the survey results do not represent each chain's "average market basket," they do represent what a customer who shopped these stores in these markets — during the period between February 24 and March 5 — would have found if she were looking for either the least expensive goods or the presumed top-of-the-line products.

Bed Bath & Beyond

* Two individually packed shams at $14.99 each.
Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$29.99	Niki Intl.	Cotton	China
Queen bedding set	59.99	CHF & Morgan Group	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Pair of standard shams*	29.98	Springs & Levinsohn	Cotton/Poly	China
Dust ruffle	29.99	Levinsohn & BBB	Cotton/Poly	China
Queen quilt	79.99	Pem America	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	29.99	Berkshire Blankets	Poly	China
Throw	9.99	Ellery	Rayon/Acrylic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$269.92	- 6.9% from $289.93 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$14.99	Kaufman	Cotton	India
Bath towel	4.99	Revere Mills	Cotton	Pakistan
Hand towel	1.99	Shel-Nor Mills	Cotton	Pakistan
Wash cloth	0.99	Shel-Nor Mills	Cotton	Pakistan
Shower curtain	12.99	Splash Home	Vinyl	China
Bath rug	9.99	Trade Am	Cotton	India
Soap dish	3.99	Umbra	Plastic	NA
Lotion pump	6.99	NA	Plastic	China
Tissue box	9.99	NA	Plastic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$66.91	- 14.1% from $77.91 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$336.83	- 8.4% from $367.84 in 2006
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$199.99	Springs Global	Pima Cotton	Bahrain
Queen comforter set	249.99	Various	Various	Various
Pair of standard shams	100.00	Frette	Cotton	Italy
Dust ruffle	44.99	Levinsohn Textile Co.	Cotton	China
Queen quilt	149.99	Croscill	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	149.99	Sunbeam	Cotton	USA
Throw	69.99	Bedford Cottage	Acrylic/Wool	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$964.94	+ 17.1% from $823.93 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$79.99	Anur Luxury	Cotton	India
Bath towel	39.99	Anur Luxury	Cotton	India
Hand towel	19.99	Anur Luxury	Cotton	India
Wash cloth	12.99	Anur Luxury	Cotton	India
Shower curtain	69.99	Revman International	Various	China
Bath rug	69.99	Caesara Creations	Egyptian Cotton	Israel
Soap dish	19.99	Waterstone	Onyx	NA
Lotion pump	29.99	Waterstone	Onyx	NA
Tissue box	34.99	Waterstone	Onyx	NA
TOTAL RETAIL	$377.91	+ 0.8% from $374.91 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$1,342.85	+ 12.0% from $1,198.84 in 2006

JCPenney

Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	29.99	Royale Textiles	Cotton Percale	USA
Queen bed-in-a-bag	159.99	Dan River	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Pair of Std Shams	50.00	JCPenney	Cotton	China
Dust ruffle	50.00	JCPenney	Poly or Cotton/Poly	China
Queen quilt	79.99	Pem America	Cotton/Poly	China
Queen blanket	34.99	JCPenney	Woven Acrylic	USA
Throw	19.99	JCPenney	Polyester	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$424.95	+ 3.2% from $411.92 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath Sheet	19.99	JCPenney	100% Brazil Cotton	USA
Bath towel	7.99	Springs Global	Upland Cotton	Brazil
Hand Towel	5.99	Springs Global	Upland Cotton	Brazil
Wash Cloth	4.99	Springs Global	Upland Cotton	Brazil
Shower Curtain	19.99	JCPenney	Vinyl	NA
Bath Rug	21.99	JCPenney	Nylon	USA
Soap Dish	7.99	JCPenney	Acrylic	Taiwan
Lotion pump	10.99	JCPenney	Acrylic	Taiwan
Tissue Box	39.99	Croscill; India Ink	Multi; Marble/Stone	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$139.91	+ 42.9% from $97.92 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$564.86	+10.8% from $509.84 in 2006
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	140.00	CWO/Made in Heaven; JCP	Cotton	India; China
Queen bed-in-a-bag	350.00	JCPenney	Cotton; Poly/Cotton	China
Pair of Std Shams	100.00	JCPenney	Cotton/Polyester	China
Dust ruffle	50.00	JCPenney	Poly or Poly/Cotton	China
Queen quilt	130.00	Nostalgia; Pem America	Cotton; Cotton/Poly	China
Queen blanket	79.99	JCPenney	Polyester Microfiber	China
Throw	50.00	JCPenney	Polyester Microchenille	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$899.99	- 2.2% from $919.98 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath Sheet	19.99	JCPenney	100% Brazil Cotton	USA
Bath towel	20.00	JCPenney	Ringspun Cotton	India
Hand Towel	16.00	JCPenney	Ringspun Cotton	India
Wash Cloth	12.00	JCPenney	Ringspun Cotton	India
Shower Curtain	59.99	Croscill	Rayon/Polyester	China
Bath Rug	62.00	JCPenney	100% Egyptian Cotton	USA
Soap Dish	19.99	Croscill	Acrylic	China
Lotion pump	24.99	Croscill; India Ink	Multi; Oil-rubbed Bronze	China
Tissue Box	40.00	JCPenney	Resin	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$274.96	+ 2.6% from $267.96 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$1,174.95	- 1.1% from $1,187.94 in 2006

Kmart

*Two individually priced shams at $17.99 each; $22.99 each. **No queen quilts in stock.
Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$25.99	NA	Cotton/Poly	Brazil
Queen bed-in-a-bag	$57.49	Dan River	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Pair of standard shams*	$35.98	Dan River	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Dust ruffle	$22.99	WestPoint Home	Cotton/Poly	USA
Twin/full quilt**	$59.99	Franco Mfg.	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	$11.49	Owen Mfg.	Poly	USA
Throw	$14.99	Northwest	Poly	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$228.92	- 2.8% from $235.42 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$11.49	Springs Global	Cotton	Brazil
Bath towel	$5.99	WestPoint Home	Cotton	Turkey
Hand towel	$4.59	Springs Global	Cotton	Brazil
Wash cloth	$3.99	WestPoint Home	Cotton	Turkey
Shower curtain	$11.49	Town & Country	Vinyl	China
Bath rug	$14.99	Springs Global	Nylon	USA
Soap dish	$5.79	Allure	Plastic	Taiwan
Lotion pump	$9.49	Allure	Plastic	Taiwan
Tissue box	$14.99	Allure	Metal	India
TOTAL RETAIL	$82.81	+ 29.8% from $63.81 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$311.73	+ 4.2% from $299.23 in 2006
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$57.99	Springs Global	Pima Cotton	China
Queen bed-in-a-bag	$114.99	Springs Global	Cotton/Poly	China
Pair of standard shams*	$45.98	Springs Global	Cotton	China
Dust ruffle	$34.99	Springs Global	Cotton	China
Twin/full quilt**	$59.99	Franco Mfg.	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	$51.99	WestPoint Home	Vellux Nylon	USA
Throw	$19.99	Northwest	Poly	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$385.92	- 7.4% from $416.92 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$11.99	WestPoint Home	Cotton	Turkey
Bath towel	$11.49	WestPoint Home	Pima Cotton	NA
Hand towel	$9.49	WestPoint Home	Cotton	USA
Wash cloth	$6.99	WestPoint Home	Cotton	USA
Shower curtain	$29.99	NA	Polyester	China
Bath rug	$18.99	Town & Country	Cotton	India
Soap dish	$14.99	Allure	Glass	China
Lotion pump	$17.99	Allure	Glass/Metal	NA
Tissue box	$14.99	Allure	Metal	India
TOTAL RETAIL	$136.91	- 5.1% from $144.21 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$522.83	- 6.8% from $561.30 in 2006

Kohl's

*Offered as 2 bath sheets for $24.99. **Offered as 12 wash cloths for $9.99.
Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$39.99	Kohl's	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Queen comf.-in-a-bag	139.99	Kohl's	Cotton/Poly	China
Pair of standard shams	24.99	Kohl's	Cotton	Thailand
Dust ruffle	NA	NA	NA	NA
Queen quilt	149.99	Pem America	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	49.99	Kohl's	Vellux	USA
Throw	19.99	Kohl's	Polyester	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$424.94	- 10.1% from $472.94 in 2006.
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet*	$12.50	Kohl's	Cotton	Pakistan
Bath towel	7.99	Kohl's	Cotton	India
Hand towel	5.99	Kohl's	Cotton	India
Wash cloth**	0.83	Kohl's	Cotton	India
Shower curtain	19.99	Allure Home Creation	Polyester	China
Bath rug	14.99	Kohl's	Nylon	USA
Soap dish	4.99	Linde Products Mfg. Co.	Ceramic	China
Lotion pump	7.99	Linde Products Mfg. Co.	Ceramic	China
Tissue box	19.99	NA	Ceramic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$95.26	- 24.3% from $125.91 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$520.20	- 13.1% from $598.85 in 2006
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$199.99	Kohl's	Cotton	China
Queen comforter-in-a-bag	419.99	Revman International	Cotton/Poly	China
Pair of standard shams	69.99	Kohl's	Cotton	China
Dust ruffle	NA	NA	NA	NA
Queen quilt	159.99	Pem America	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	99.99	WestPoint Home	Microfine Polyester	China
Throw	49.99	Kohl's	Poly/Cotton	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$999.94	+ 26.6% from $789.92 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$45.00	The Millwork Trading Co.	Cotton Supima	Turkey
Bath towel	18.00	The Millwork Trading Co.	Cotton Supima	Turkey
Hand towel	14.00	The Millwork Trading Co.	Cotton Supima	Turkey
Wash cloth	10.00	The Millwork Trading Co.	Cotton Supima	Turkey
Shower curtain	59.99	Croscill	Cotton	China
Bath rug	54.99	Bacova Guild	Comforel Nylon	USA
Soap dish	19.99	NA	Ceramic	China
Lotion pump	21.99	NA	Ceramic	China
Tissue box	39.99	NA	Ceramic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$283.95	+ 0.01% from $281.92 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$1,283.89	+ 19.8% from $1,071.84 in 2006

Linens 'n Things

Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$29.99	Linens 'n Things	Cotton	China
Queen bed-in-a-bag	99.99	Linens 'n Things	Poly/Cotton	China
Pair of standard shams	12.99	Springs Global	Cotton/Poly	Thailand
Dust ruffle	29.99	Springs Global	Cotton/Poly	China
Queen quilt	99.99	Sunham	Cotton/Poly	China
Queen blanket	49.99	Nate Burkus	Cotton	India
Throw	9.99	Linens 'n Things	Rayon	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$282.94	+ 8.9% from $259.92 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$14.99	Linens 'n Things	Cotton	Brazil
Bath towel	4.99	Oxford	Cotton	Canada
Hand towel	3.99	Oxford	Cotton	Canada
Wash cloth	2.99	Oxford	Cotton	Canada
Shower curtain	12.99	Ex-Cell	Poly	Taiwan
Bath rug	9.99	Pegasus	Cotton	India
Soap dish	4.99	NA	Ceramic	China
Lotion pump	6.99	NA	Ceramic	China
Tissue box	8.99	NA	Ceramic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$70.91	- 10.1% from $78.9 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$353.85	+ 4.4% from $338.83 in 2006
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$129.99	American Pacific Ents.	Cotton	China
Queen bed-in-a-bag	149.99	Linens 'n Things	Cotton/Poly	China
Pair of standard shams	49.99	American Pacific Ents.	Cotton	China
Dust ruffle	59.99	American Pacific Ents.	Cotton	China
Queen quilt	139.99	Nautica	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	49.99	Linens 'n Things	Cotton	India
Throw	79.99	Linens 'n Things	Wool	India
TOTAL RETAIL	$659.93	- 10.8% from $739.92 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$ 24.99	WestPoint Home	Cotton	US
Bath towel	17.99	Avanti	Cotton	Canada
Hand towel	13.99	Avanti	Cotton	Canada
Wash cloth	8.99	Avanti	Cotton	Canada
Shower curtain	39.99	Croscill	Cotton/Poly	China
Bath rug	24.99	Park B. Smith	Cotton/Rayon	India
Soap dish	15.99	India Ink	Ceramic	China
Lotion pump	17.99	India Ink	Ceramic	China
Tissue box	29.99	India Ink	Ceramic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$194.91	- 21.4% from $247.91 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$854.84	- 13.5% from $987.83 in 2006

Macy's

* Two individually-packaged shams at $35.00 each
Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$25.00	Sander Sales Ent.	Poly-Cotton	China
Queen bed-in-a-bag	160.00	Sunham	Jacquard/Poly/Cotton	China
Pair of standard shams*	70.00	Macy's	Poly/Cotton	Taiwan
Dust ruffle	85.00	Macy's	Poly/Cotton	Taiwan
Queen quilt	240.00	Sunham	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	194.00	Springs Global	Cotton	USA
Throw	240.00	Ralph Lauren	Linen/Rayon/Silk/Cotton	India
TOTAL RETAIL	$1,014.00
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$28.00	Macy's	Cotton	India
Bath towel	10.00	Baltic Linen Co.	Cotton	Pakistan
Hand towel	7.00	Baltic Linen Co.	Cotton	Pakistan
Wash cloth	5.00	Baltic Linen Co.	Cotton	Pakistan
Shower curtain	19.99	Macy's	Vinyl	Taiwan
Bath rug	24.00	Macy's	Nylon	USA
Soap dish	6.99	Croscill	Glass	China
Lotion pump	6.99	Croscill	Glass	China
Tissue box	11.99	Croscill	Glass	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$119.96	TOTAL MARKET BASKET = $1.133.96
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$200.00	High Country Linens	Cotton	China
Queen bed-in-a-bag	300.00	Baltic Linen Co.	Jacquard/Cotton	China
Pair of standard shams	250.00	Yves Delorme	Cotton	France
Dust ruffle	140.00	Donna Karan Home	Cotton	India
Queen quilt	625.00	Yves Delorme	Cotton	France
Queen blanket	194.00	Springs Global	Cotton	USA
Throw	315.00	Donna Karan Home	Linen/Silk	India
TOTAL RETAIL	$2,024.00
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$75.00	DWI Holdings	Cotton	Turkey
Bath towel	40.00	DWI Holdings	Cotton	Turkey
Hand towel	25.00	DWI Holdings	Cotton	Turkey
Wash cloth	12.50	DWI Holdings	Cotton	Turkey
Shower curtain	80.00	Croscill	Polyester	China
Bath rug	70.00	Macy's	Egyptian Cotton	Israel
Soap dish	19.99	Croscill	Marble	China
Lotion pump	24.99	Croscill	Marble	China
Tissue box	29.99	Croscill	Marble	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$377.47	TOTAL MARKET BASKET = $2,401.47

Marshall's

*Two individually packaged shams at $9.99 each; $12.99 each.
Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$39.99	Indigo Home	Cotton	China
Queen bed-in-a-bag	79.99	Revman International	Cotton/Poly	China
Pair of standard shams*	19.98	C&F Enterprises	Cotton	China
Dust ruffle	NA	NA	NA	NA
Queen quilt	39.99	C&F Enterprises	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	19.99	Berkshire Blanket	Polyester	China
Throw	14.99	Sun-Yin USA	Acrylic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$214.93	+ 69.3% from $126.94 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	NA	NA	NA	NA
Bath towel	5.99	American Pacific Ent.	Cotton	India
Hand towel	3.99	Rodeo Home	Cotton/Polyester	China
Wash cloth	2.99	Newton Buying Corp.	Cotton	Turkey
Shower curtain	3.99	American Pacific Ent.	Polyester	China
Bath rug	7.99	Maples Industries	Nylon or Olefin	USA
Soap dish	3.99	Bill Blass	Glass	China
Lotion pump	6.99	Maggi Carlos of Calif.	Ceramic/Chrome	China
Tissue box	9.99	CHF Industries	Resin	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$45.92	- 6.1% from $48.92 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$260.85	+ 48.3% from $175.86 in 2006
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$49.99	Westport Linens	Cotton	India
Queen bed-in-a-bag	79.99	Revman International	Cotton/Polyester	China
Pair of standard shams*	25.98	Pem America	Cotton	China
Dust ruffle	NA	NA	NA	NA
Queen quilt	39.99	C&F Enterprises	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	29.99	E&E Co.	Polyester	China
Throw	19.99	Fashion Industries	Cotton	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$245.93	+ 36.1% from $180.86 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	NA	NA	NA	NA
Bath towel	9.99	Croscill	Cotton	NA
Hand towel	5.99	Earl & Wilson	Cotton	Brazil
Wash cloth	2.99	Newton Buying Corp.	Cotton	Turkey
Shower curtain	19.99	Croscill	Polyester	China
Bath rug	19.99	Hermit Home	Cotton	India
Soap dish	6.99	NA	Metal	India
Lotion pump	9.99	Bath Innovations	Metal	China
Tissue box	12.99	Veratex	Ceramic/Leather	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$88.92	- 10.1% from $98.92 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$334.85	+ 19.7% from $279.78 in 2006

Target

*Two individually packaged shams at $34.99 each; $21.50 each.
Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$19.99	Target	Cotton	Pakistan
Queen bed-in-a-bag	44.99	Target	Cotton/Poly	China
Pair of standard shams*	19.98	Target	Cotton/Poly	Bahrain
Dust ruffle	15.99	Target	Cotton/Poly	Bahrain
Queen quilt	39.99	Target	Cotton/Poly	China
Queen blanket	24.99	Target	Polyester	China
Throw	NA	NA	NA	NA
TOTAL RETAIL	$165.93	- 26.5% from $225.92 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	1.99	Target	Cotton	Vietnam
Bath towel	1.58	Target	Cotton	Vietnam
Hand towel	.79	Target	Cotton	Vietnam
Wash cloth	.33	Target	Cotton	Pakistan
Shower curtain	9.99	Target	Vinyl	China
Bath rug	7.99	Target	Cotton	USA
Soap dish	7.99	Target	Metal	India
Lotion pump	4.98	Target	Ceramic	China
Tissue box	14.99	Target	Ceramic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$50.63	- 1.8% from $51.69 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$216.56	- 22.0% from $277.61 in 2006
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$69.99	Target	Cotton	Pakistan
Queen bed-in-a-bag	129.99	Target	Cotton/Poly	China
Pair of standard shams*	43.98	Target	Cotton	Portugal
Dust ruffle	54.98	Target	Cotton	China
Queen quilt	79.99	Woolrich	Cotton	China
Queen blanket	39.99	Thomas O'Brien	Cotton/Rayon	China
Throw	NA	NA	NA	NA
TOTAL RETAIL	$418.92	- 23.8% from $549.92 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	9.99	Target	Cotton	India
Bath towel	11.99	Target	Cotton	Portugal
Hand towel	8.99	Target	Cotton	Portugal
Wash cloth	6.99	Target	Cotton	Portugal
Shower curtain	29.99	Target	Cotton	China
Bath rug	22.99	Target	Cotton	USA
Soap dish	12.99	Target	Metal	India
Lotion pump	14.99	Target	Metal	India
Tissue box	24.99	Target	Glass	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$143.91	- 22.1% from $184.91 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$562.83	- 23.4% from $734.83 in 2006

Wal-Mart

*Designated "Oversized Bath Towel."
Opening Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$19.76	Wal-Mart	Cotton/Poly	Brazil
Queen bed-in-a-bag	44.96	E&E Co.	Cotton/Poly	China
Pair of standard shams	9.96	Wal-Mart	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Dust ruffle	15.96	Wal-Mart	Cotton/Poly	USA
Queen quilt	34.69	Wal-Mart	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Queen blanket	14.84	Wal-Mart	Polyester	China
Throw	12.54	Wal-Mart	Polyester	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$152.71	- 12.4% from $174.28 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet*	$ 5.00	Wal-Mart	Cotton	Pakistan
Bath towel	2.88	Wal-Mart	Cotton	Pakistan
Hand towel	1.38	Wal-Mart	Cotton	Pakistan
Wash cloth	.98	Wal-Mart	Cotton	Pakistan
Shower curtain	15.96	Wal-Mart	Polyester	China
Bath rug	6.88	Wal-Mart	Nylon	USA
Soap dish	1.88	Wal-Mart	Ceramic	China
Lotion pump	1.88	Wal-Mart	Ceramic	China
Tissue box	9.96	Wal-Mart	Ceramic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$46.80	+ 0.0% from $46.64 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$198.51	- 10.1% from $220.92 in 2006
Top Price Point
Bedding	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Queen sheet set	$33.44	Wal-Mart	Cotton/Poly	China
Queen bed-in-a-bag	89.96	Wal-Mart	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Pair of standard shams	17.92	Springs Global	Cotton/Poly	China
Dust ruffle	15.96	Wal-Mart	Cotton/Poly	USA
Queen quilt	34.69	Wal-Mart	Cotton/Poly	Pakistan
Queen blanket	18.88	Owen Mfg.	Cotton	USA
Throw	12.54	Wal-Mart	Polyester	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$223.39	- 25.9% from $302.24 in 2006
Bath	Price	Manufacturer	Construction	Country
Bath sheet	$7.84	Wal-Mart	Cotton	USA
Bath towel	9.84	Springs Global	Cotton	Brazil
Hand towel	6.84	Springs Global	Cotton	Brazil
Wash cloth	5.84	Springs Global	Cotton	Brazil
Shower curtain	19.96	Springs Global	Polyester	China
Bath rug	12.96	Springs Global	Nylon	USA
Soap dish	8.83	Springs Global	Ceramic	China
Lotion pump	8.83	Springs Global	Ceramic	China
Tissue box	14.96	Springs Global	Ceramic	China
TOTAL RETAIL	$95.90	+ 12.1% from $85.56 in 2006
TOTAL MARKET BASKET	$319.29	- 17.7% from $387.80 in 2006

Shifting Low
Year-to-year change, opening-price basket

Target	- 22.0%
Kohl's	- 13.1%
Wal-Mart	- 10.1%
Bed Bath & Beyond	- 8.4%
Kmart	+ 4.2%
Linens 'n Things	+ 4.4%
JCPenney	+ 10.8%
Marshalls	+ 48.3%

Shifting High
Year-to-year change, top-price basket

Kohl's	+ 19.8%
Marshalls	+ 19.7%
Bed Bath & Beyond	+ 12.0%
JCPenney	- 1.1%
Kmart	- 6.8%
Linens 'n Things	- 13.5%
Wal-Mart	- 17.7%
Target	- 23.4%

High Fliers ...
Highest priced item in top-tier basket

Marshalls	queen bed-in-a-bag	$79.99
Wal-Mart	queen bed-in-a-bag	$89.96
Kmart	queen bed-in-a-bag	$114.99
Target	queen bed-in-a-bag	$129.99
Linens 'n Things	queen bed-in-a-bag	$149.99
Bed Bath & Beyond	queen comforter set	$249.99
JCPenney	queen bed-in-a-bag	$350.00
Kohl's	queen comforter-in-a-bag	$419.99
Macy's	queen quilt	$625.00

... and Low Riders
Least expensive item – the wash cloth

Target	$0.33
Kohl's	$0.83
Wal-Mart	$0.98
Bed Bath & Beyond	$0.99
Linens 'n Things	$2.99
Marshalls	$2.99
Kmart	$3.99
JCPenney	$4.99
Macy's	$5.00

The High/Low
$ difference between the highest and the lowest priced items in the baskets

Marshalls	$77.00
Wal-Mart	$88.98
Kmart	$111.00
Target	$129.66
Linens 'n Things	$147.00
Bed Bath & Beyond	$249.00
JCPenney	$345.01
Kohl's	$419.16
Macy's	$620.00