The Best Way to Play Holiday Retail

The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which Motley Fool financial editors Brendan Byrnes and Austin Smith discuss their favorite stocks.

In today's edition, Brendan and Austin talk about the best way to play holiday retail this season. Major shippers are adding temporary workers, bricks-and-mortar retailers are fighting with e-commerce -- or embracing it, depending on the company -- and consumer spending is still weak, so it pays to think critically about which companies stand to benefit the most. Holiday spending is still up from last year, but many are reporting that consumers have simply front-loaded shopping they would have otherwise performed, and therefore, the figures must be considered with a grain of salt.

We've discussed one way to play retail during this holiday season, but what about for the long term? The good news is The Motley Fool has compiled a special FREE report titled: "The Death of Wal-Mart: The Real Cash Kings Changing the Face of Retail." In it, our analysts lay out how retail will change as consumers currently know it. But most importantly, they'll cover how you can profit from it. You can access it for free today by clicking here. Thousands have already requested access.

At the time thisarticle was published Neither Austin Smith nor Brendan Byrnes own shares of the companies mentioned in this video.The Motley Fool owns shares of United Parcel Service, Apple, FedEx, and Wal-Mart Stores. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Staples, Wal-Mart Stores, Dell, Apple, Amazon.com, and FedEx; creating a bull call spread position in Apple; and creating a diagonal call position in Wal-Mart Stores. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2011 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.