Posted on 08/18/2015 6:40:15 PM PDT by Lorianne
The government issued their monthly retail sales this past week and four of the biggest department store chains in the country announced their quarterly results. The year over year retail sales increase of 2.4% is pitifully low in an economy that is supposedly in its sixth year of economic growth with a reported unemployment rate of only 5.3%. If all of these jobs have been created, why aren’t retail sales booming?
The year to date numbers are even worse than the year over year numbers. With consumer spending accounting for 70% of our GDP and real inflation running north of 5%, it’s pretty clear most Americans are experiencing a recession, despite the propaganda data circulated by the government and Fed. The only people not experiencing a recession are corporate executives enriching themselves through stock buybacks, Wall Street bankers using free Fed Bucks while rigging the the markets in their favor, politicians and government bureaucrats reaping their bribes from billionaire oligarchs, and the media toadies who dispense the Deep State approved propaganda to keep the ignorant masses dazed, confused, and endlessly distracted by Cecil the Lion, Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, Ferguson, and blood coming out of whatever.
You won’t hear CNBC, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal or any corporate mainstream media outlet reference the fact retail sales growth is at the exact same levels as when recession hit in 2008 and 2001. Their job is to regurgitate the message of economic recovery and confidence in the future, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
(Excerpt) Read more at theburningplatform.com ...
Year over year growth of 2.4% is nothing to write home about.... but “imploding”? Sensational headline alert.
What is the growth of department stores and on-line purchases together?
Does a store that has both bricks and mortar and on-line sales separate each division?
Everyone I’ve talked to, after years of no rent increases, is on their second round of increases in the last 12 months. My monthly gasoline bill has nearly doubled (and that is with cutting back dramatically on my driving), and the grocery segment of the monthly budget has grown about 25% despite paying special focus to bargains and deals.
The overall cost of living has dramatically increased.
People are buying on craigslist. Look for good deals.
I quote:
“The part of the retail report flashing red is the sales of General Merchandise stores, and particularly department stores. This category includes the likes of Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Sears, Macy’s, Kohls, and JC Penney. General merchandise sales fell 0.5% in July, with Department store sales dropping by 0.8%. Sales at these behemoth retailers have barely budged in the last year, with overall sales up a dreadful 0.3%. The dying department stores have seen their sales plummet by 2.7%. The talk of a retail revival is dead on arrival. Wal-Mart and Target muddle on with lackluster results, while JC Penney and Sears continue their Bataan Death March towards the retail graveyard.”
Gee, how many of these stores are involved in promoting queers, demoting the natural sexes, enabled by government to watch and snitch on shoppers?
Yes. Meat hasnt recovered since pig kill offs and the drought affecting cattle a couple,years ago.
Just this past weekend, I ordered a replacement blade for my lawn mower, some accessories for my grill and tweezers from Amazon. These are items I would have gone to Sears or the local hardware store for just a few years ago. Now I just search for what I want and click the order button and it shows up at my house a couple days later.
Goodwill, Salvation Army and thrift/salvage/surplus stores are doing a booming business.
Yes.
Hubby is that you? Lol. UPS is usually at our house up to 3 times a week.
> The only people not experiencing a recession are corporate executives enriching themselves through stock buybacks, Wall Street bankers using free Fed Bucks while rigging the the markets in their favor, politicians and government bureaucrats reaping their bribes from billionaire oligarchs, and the media toadies who dispense the Deep State approved propaganda to keep the ignorant masses dazed, confused, and endlessly distracted by Cecil the Lion, Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, Ferguson, and blood coming out of whatever.
But he is dead on ^
I’ve been looking a lot at the types of jobs available; part-time, subcontractors, low wage paying jobs, etc...all of which provide little income; certainly not enough to take of even hour own bills let alone a family. You’d pretty much have to be living with someone and not paying rent and definitely not a mortgage. The only decent paying jobs are the specialized fields like the medical profession, government jobs that require a higher education and substantial job experience, and very specialized technical skills. Those jobs don’t stay open long and there are obviously a whole lot of applicants. The economy isn’t affecting the high and mighty very much. Been there before myself. They don’t feel the same pain at all. I have been at both spectrums in my life so I think I do have an inkling of where their head is at...
At least he doesn’t (probably) have a UPS store box like I’ve kept for years.
Amazon is just tough to beat on a lot of things.
Fedex will deliver there as well even though I’ve had more than one driver call me about being confused about the address when it was at a previous location a block from where it is now. Signage wasn’t that great.
Fedex is the other reason I keep it. Fedex runs generally in the morning when no one is here. The spouse has never had a problem with stuff on the doorstep. Me, however, keeps track of how things are going to hell and gets a cheap bit of security. It’s the address I put on most everything.
Today when I got home there were several city and county police cars buzzing the area. I went up to the mailbox and one pulls up and asks if I’ve seen two younger guys. I hadn’t seen a soul.
I get inside and my wife tells me that there were some broad daylight robberies in the neighborhood today.
No other news since.
Where on earth do you live? The average price of gas in the US is almost $.90/gallon less than a year ago.
Lots of cheap Chinese goods don’t help the sales.
It’s more than just that, people are staying home for multible reasons.
Yes, the price of everything has increased across the board therefore the price of gasoline, basic necessities , rent, mortgage, even toilet paper is not cheap anymore.
People can’t afford to go out on town like we did in the 60s, 70s, 80s.
People are hanging into items like cars, washing machines and are fixing them.
People are just buying basic necessities.
Also our culture has gotten so bad that people are afraid to go out because of crime.
Can we talk taxes?
Hubby and I make big bucks on paper .... But they take about a third of it now.... After we pay bills and put away in the 401k’s, there’s very little to play with ....
I still don’t buy magazine subscriptions ... Don’t buy anything frivolous ... It’s all about keeping our head above water, affording the medical bills, the food bill, and just trying to save up for retirement now. There’s no fun money anymore.... I scrimp where I can and that means scrimping on anything that comes from the mall.
How has your monthly gasoline bill doubled with prices at the pump declining?
Maybe the Trump boycott is affecting some.
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