How about the reason for lower sales being that we are buying items from the internet. Its cheaper, no sales taxes, you don’t have to fight the crowds and its delivered right to your front door?
Thats what I’m doing this Christmas.
Or ... blame it on Bush! /s
My family is cutting back on shopping this year. Not so much because of money. We seem to have everything we need and most everything we want. We have decided to only get gifts if we see something special for someone. No sweaters or Hickory farms because we feel obligated. A card or a nice letter is better than a fancy soap, and it lasts longer. We’ll see how it goes.