Speaking of strategic focus, it looks like Gap is starting to get back on track:

The gains reflected a back-to-basics approach Gap adopted mid last year to lure back consumers alienated by a clothing selection that emphasized more eclectic fashions.

Gap was always about selling "the basics," i.e. clothing anyone could buy and be sure they didn't stand out too much. The flashier clothes are best left to the other store chains. Why confuse the customer?

Gap is also struggling with another common problem: conditioning your customers to only buy when there is a sale:

To prod sales this month, Gap has had to lower prices more than it expected, causing the company's profit margins to sag badly, managers cautioned.

''We are seeing some reluctance to buy at full price and that is what we are trying to understand,'' Pollitt said during a conference call with analysts.

The lower profit margins unsettled several analysts participating in the call. The trend is likely to raise worries that Gap is regressing after several successive months of rising profit margins.

I, for one, never buy anything on Gap until it's on sale.