Unsure of which retail stocks to buy or sell? Do what legendary investor Peter Lynch used to do -- walk around the malls, observe what people are buying, and find out which products are flying off the shelves. Last week, TradeKing community member Damas did exactly that, after which he wrote a detailed post on his experiences shopping at the Tysons Corner Mall during the post-Thanksgiving, pre-holiday shopping rush. Of the hundreds of stores at Tysons Corner, three retail heavyweights especially caught his attention -- Apple (ticker: AAPL), Victoria's Secret (ticker: LTD), and American Eagle Outfitters (ticker: AEO):

"American Eagle is a beast. The place was so packed with 13 - 18 year olds. I don't know what they put in the kool-aid but the kids like it. I could not believe the crowds....

Victoria's Secret [was] the most fun of all the stores... I cannot believe how long the lines were. That said I also cannot believe people were willing to wait that long to be waited on... "

I cannot even put into words the mass confusion and scene that I saw [at the Apple store]. I have no idea if they made any money because even the line to check out was confusing. The popularity with there products is such that I would imagine anyone could do well running that company..."

Anyway, the post also hints that reports of low consumer confidence may be greatly exaggerated - Damas reports that he spent 45 minutes hunting for a parking space and then spent the whole day "getting close and personal with all of our neighbors." Great post, Damas!


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