company is going to look right now in the mall for the missing customer which does compete with ann taylors is not my market specialty. let's be clear about that. but is chico's really a direct competitor to ann? chico's always seemed to be -- >> a little older than ann. >> i don't want to call it hippyish. less professional. more of a fun type -- i don't know what the hell i'm saying. >> white house black market is more like ann taylor. it is more wear to work. it does compete directly. i also think the negative i have on ann taylor, i also think the department stores are competing more directly with ann now. both penney's, macy's. >> in specialty format, absolutely ann taylor is just looking better. postrecession, a lot of these department stores walked away from the career business. it was lower margin goods at that point in time. ann taylor has maintained that dominance the entire time. we think they are the market share leader. >> we're obviously comparing chico's to ann. you think ann is better of the two. >> correct. >> where does it rank in terms of the overall retail and apparel s

ann taylor, banana republic returning things and shopping. >> over hereby, there's a jim boar ow store, that's 70% off all day long. so again ink credible deals again i got $25 i don't know what i can get for that, maybe a box of canningdy or something. >> next up a look at the holidays of two women in recovery. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight weeknights 9et / 6pt only on al jazeera america here is more.

ann taylor and victoria's secret, among others. this stock has been on a tremendous run. for 2013. up 254% over the last three years, talk about a stealth bull market. company's latest quarter was terrific. and even up here, still only trades 24 times next year's earnings. let's check in with ed heffernan, learn more about his company and its prospects. welcome to "mad money." >> thank you. >> have a seat. okay. i know two companies located in plano, and one is big and failing or at least looks failing, which is jc penney, and then there's another one, it's yours and i was embarrassed to know -- i'll admit, how little i really knew about how all of us have touched your company in one way or another without knowing. >> right. we're pretty much behind the scenes. we put our clients first, and then we're all the stuff making the watch work. >> explain to me how you could have 100 million customers as varied as merck, ford, fedex, dell, procter, jp morgan. are there commonalities of all of those that you do? >> sure. and this is one of the big macro trends that are going on,

you're talking about retailers such as pottery barn, ann taylor, victoria's secret, names like that dids bricks, whether it's online, whether it's through catalog. the multi-channel approach actually looked quite strong over the holiday. >> i think you have a better handle on it than the media. what do you think they say? they say why doesn't he split the stock? well, it's a great question. and i guess it's a little one of my pet peeves. we started, we went public in '01 at $12. and it's been a nice run at $250 or so. but from my perspective, splitting the stock doesn't add incremental value. it's basic old school and that's the way i am. >> but what does add incremental value is the slingshot. strong growth in business combined with share count takedown. >> right. yeah. we're looking at our model is such that if you look at where the dollars are going in this industry of big data, digital marketing, all that stuff out there, we're comfortable saying that we can grow organically our top line at approximately 3x gdp, and that combined with the fact our share count is shrinking 10% next y

ann taylor, banana republic returning things and shopping. >> over hereby, there's a jim boar ow store, that's 70% off all day long. so again ink credible deals again i got $25 i don't know what i can get for that, maybe a box of canningdy or something. >> next up a look at the holidays of two women in recovery. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight weeknights 9et / 6pt only on al jazeera america here is more. >> beneath the fluorescentsun in a former meat packing plant is the latest trim in farming. they call it "vertical farming." these fields grow on floors on at industrial park and farmer john adel and his staff agrees user. >> my shipping proceed did you say 1500, 2,000 miles to get are. >> the plant of the indoor -- as the indoor formers call it doesn't grow corn or soybeans but mustard, high end micro greens on the plates of white-napkin restaurants. these fish supply the vert liser that number issues the >> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask t

crew, ann taylor, and just returning things and shopping.o having a girls day. >> it is a good day to have a girls day i guess. leer are a couple of hard numbers. the christmas shopping season. some 2.3%, this is according to mastercard. last year that number was only about .7%. so a lot of people coming here shopping and of course, yes, indeed as our friend said, exchanges as well. this holiday season was touted to be the worst, but retailers beat expectations. which is up from a year ago, joining me to discuss the sales numbers, mark lieberman, senior economist of economics an hillics research thanks for being with us. i know it is a busy time. so these early predictions said sales were not going to do that well, they seem to have done well, why is there a disconnect? >> they have done well for mastercard. i am not familiar with all the elements but if they are just loo looking at mastercard that's only a piece of the survey. and i don't necessarily choose one or the other. >> but master car could be a bell weather. >> it could be. especia

other big winners are those companies like gap, and ann taylor and macy's which combined online and brick mortar operations to better manage inventory, whether shopping online or in stores. having a harder time in these malls are those teen retailers, american eagle, and abercrombie & fitch. they've been offering deep discounts but the shoppers are less interested in the big brands em blazened across t-shirts another hot topic in the mall is target. everyone is wondering how much it will suffer after its massive credit card breach. the shoppers were talked to were a mixed bag. loyal shoppers were staying as far as possibility from the store and others are not worried and taking advantage of the discounts that target is offering. they are working hard to will he rerekrut shopper and rivals like walmart will benefit. >> here to talk about what 2013 shopping means for the economy in 2014, rick newman, latest piece entitled "why obama will have a better year in 2014." i like the sound of that. people are shopping less this year. are you seeing that? >> it's going to be a blaze shopping year.

ann taylor, loft, abercrombie and fitch, american eagle outfitters, all offering half off.t three also offering free shipping with no minimum. let's bring in lindsay turrentine. good morning. >> good morning. >> so $2 billion in sales. i know you've been looking at stuff. what's caught your eye so far? >> there are a lot of good deals still to be had today. really steep deals on the amazon tablets. amazon can discount its own products. so $50 off the two big amazon hd tablets today. that's a good one. we're seeing the moto x for $350. that's a high-end smartphone and that's a great deal if you want to give a smartphone to somebody and you don't know what kind of plan they have. we're also looking at the $300 aces transformer, which is a net book that also turns into a tablet. it's sold outonline so you have to go to the store for that one. >> it's a little overwhelming at times, so what can you say to shoppers looking to find the best deals. >> well, know what you want and make sure that you do research online. it seems like that's what everybody is doing. people have got a

web bush securities analyst is bullish on ann taylor, gap and macy's, succeeding both in store and on-lineheir omni channel focused retailers which means they can better manage inventory by fulfilling on-line orders from in store. so you're it not seeing blts up of inventory in the stores you would see at other retailers. >> now she is critical of those teen retailers american eagle, air row postal and abercrombie & fitch which have been offering deep discounts as teens move away from that merchandise. the big question, how much of a loser target will be. after its massive credit card breach. america's research group says target has not been dramatically affected but retail consultantsy growth partners said transactions slipped 3% to 4% last year the same weekend and target's brand perception has dropped more dramatically than others. so in the meantime target is offering discounts to rerecruit its core shoppers, we will see other retailers like walmart benefit from this down time. back over to you guys. >> thank you so much. still ahead we're going to bring you last-minute holiday stockin

when we think about that, ann taylor was a winner.lor and loft stores had the right product for their customer. a lot of planned promotions going on that resinated for them. >> thanks so much for coming in. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> happy holidays. happy new year. >>> coming up, executive changes in 2014. who is going to be running microsoft? could it be alan mullaly. tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 there are trading opportunities tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 just waiting to be found. tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 at schwab, we're here to help tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 bring what inspires you tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 out there... in here. tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 out there, tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 there are stocks on the move. tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 in here, streetsmart edge has tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 chart pattern recognition tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 which shows you which ones are bullish or bearish. tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 now, earn 300 commission-free online trades. tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 call 1-888-648-6021 tdd#: 1-888-648-6021 or go to schwab.com/trading to learn how. t

next, mid-range. 100 bucks at ann taylor. and rounding it out with a budget option, uni qlo.mere has propensity to pill. you can see the weave on this one is a tight weave. i would say it's a little plusher. >> reporter: is cashmere finally a budget buy that feels like a luxury? well, the only way to really find out is -- it's a feel test. we have a little game show. let's see. lara, you have $101. >> should we start with the medium? >> let's do the expensive one. robin, you're the expensive one. $154. >> don't -- >> this is the cheaper one. >> okay. all right. robin was right. that one is $154. but the $59 one is right here. >> really? >> and -- >> yeah. >> and the mid-range, you can't tell. >> we all feel this one. >> oh, yeah. >> that's like butter. >> just when you thought you could afford cashmere -- >> it's $364, marked down from $550. >> wow. >> if it's mid-range, it's not a big deal. but when you get into the -- then. >> i love when you do that. we asked our viewers to weigh in, as well, about the debate with this. we heard from a few. caroline says, if it looks it, i

. >> ann taylor loft?it's superpretty. and she just looks beautiful in it. >> and the price? >> the price is -- i think it's $80. really affordable. >> that's beautiful. $98. >> $98. this is jcpenney. it's a tailored fit and flare. anna looks amazing. this dress is on sale for under $40 right now. >> the next look you might want to consider is lace. i just got a little frock in this look. tell me about these. this trend on the whole. >> well, kate middleton is the inspiration for this. she really did rock that lace dress. she loves this look. it's about the blue tones. and a dress with a sleeve. it's chic. it's elegant. you feel really pretty. and, yes, you can look like a princess for just under $25. the first dress on lauren is from target. it's just an amazing buy. she looks great. and it's really comfortable. >> is that at target right now? because i love that. >> at target right now. >> and the second dress, the price is -- >> that is $78, on sale. it's at wonder stores this minute. >> and this is a t

ann taylor, loft, limited, we move down to 40% off gap, banana republic, h&m and express.ch across the board. although not for items already on sale. >> these are online as well as in the stores too. >> some of them -- they're definitely all online. some in the stores. >> also big discounts at big box retailers as well on specific items. macy's, toys "r" us, kohl's, and walmarts. tell us about those. >> at macy's, comforter sets 20 to 24-piece comforter sets marked down to $99. kohl's we found a kitchen aid mixer $450 for $254, that after a sales price and kohl's coupon and rebate. we have toys "r" us, buy one get one pillow pets for people in the market for those for their kids and at walmart, wonderful canon power shot camera marked from 169 down to $79. >> these are huge savings. >> do your research and look for coupons. >> you have to look for coupons because sometimes you have to type in a coupon code to get that deal. so retail me not and coupons.com can help. you want to know what the regular price of the item is because some people mark them up just to mark them do

ann taylor is offering half off today which is amazing. >> ladies love these cross body bags. >> the going to get good deals. >> i feel like i bought stuff last week and it's all on sale today and i'm like, gosh, i need to go back and say i want one. >> well, nec year. >> these are great. i got one of these for christmas. >> incredible. >> atwal mart, this is the high end machine right now. it's 50% off. it's $119 plus you get a $25 walmart gift card and you can use that to buy other gifts. >> this is the gift my kids want right here. >> toys "r" us is having tons of deals. 20% off certain lego sets. they now come for girls. they have the friends which are really fun. it's not just for little boys. >> the xbox is so hard to get. this is a thing always running out. >> xbox one, right? >> they're having new inventory and you can pick up a tv for $179. >> come on. >> we're trying to upload that to get ready to play games. >> while that's updating let's move over here. >> drugstores. >> you feel like you still need to go out and get stocking stuffers. >> if you realize there's a random c

hosted by trace adkins and danica patrick and featured performance by lee ann rimes who paid tribute to patsy cline. ♪ >> taylor from olivia newton-john. >>> and this just in, time magazine announcing pope francis as their pick for 2013's person of the year. the pontiff winning hearts with his common touch and rejection of luxury. he beat out kathleen sebelius, president obama, and the president of syria and also the president of iran. good for them. those are your headlines. >> and edward snowden was a runner up. >> that was a good choice. who is going to argue with that? >> straight ahead on this wednesday. >> coming up, the craziest video you will see all morning. a robber grabs a woman. what did he want? stay tuned. >>> then iran now calling the shots on our nuclear deal? >> wow, look is here. >> should we even be negotiating with them in the first place? colonel allen west coming up next. >> in the flesh. >> first, more from the american country music awards and lady antebellum. ♪ ♪ >>> secretary of state john kerry here defending that nuclear deal with iran. >> the national security of the united states i

this year's henry and anne paulucci book award to be added to a list of award recipients that in the last five years alone includes polly mayor, philip hamburger and charles taylor is humbling to say the least. i'm grateful to the intercollegiate studies institute for selecting my book from among many others that i'm sure were also worth and i would like to express my particular gratitude to mark henry for his standout hospitality. i will speak for probably about 30 minutes or so and be happy afterward to answer any questions that anyone might have needless to say a brief presentation like this one cannot hope to convey the fullness of the book that is nearly 600 pages long but i do hope it will give some of you who have not yet had a chance to read the book some sense of its principle aims in arguments and i should just say that the actual size of the book is somewhat smaller than the representation that you see so you need not worry about how you will carry it home with you should you decide to buy a copy. "the uninteded reformation" is a work of historical analysis that takes its presence as a point of departure. it does not aspire to be comprehensive but the