Also a factor: Our government is promising to raise massive taxes during a deep recession.
Let’s watch how Obama “cooks the books” on retail sales
I was in Wal-Mart around noon on black friday, and it was nearly empty ;-)
I’m AMAZED it was as good as it was. Considering that we have 10%-17% unemployment (dending upon who you listen to), we are in a Recession that is the worst in the past 26 yrs, and the future is uncertain at best ... I expected Christmas sales to be down at least 25-50%.
They money we are spending this year at Christmas time is the least we have ever spent. Most people are feeling the crunch this year.
Maybe Bammy should hold a “summit”?
November sales items and sale prices disappoint IYAS9YAS. Nothing really to go for. What I wanted to buy wasn’t on sale (bang sticks and the little thingies you put in them that make the noise).
November sales disappoint retailers:
Not if you are a gun and ammo retailer.
I drove by one of the local malls last night and no lie counted a total of 15 cars parked outside JC Pennys and the food court. I am assuming those cars had to at least belong to employees.
Is “disappointed” going to replace “unexpected”.
DEPRESSION.
LLS
They have to convince us the recession is over so they can massively jack the taxes.
“Retailers said that unseasonably warm weather dampened sales at the beginning of the month.”
Is it just me or does this sentence not make any sense at all? Warm weather dampens sales? So if it were cold and snowy more people would have shopped?
I watched a parade of LARGE FLAT SCREEN TV sets walking out of a few stores. Thinking that most TV is rotten, why the large expenditures on this terrific TV SETS?
I am afraid that this means that discretionary spending is going toward STAYING AT HOME. There is going to be a drop in restaraunt and hotel business as people hunker down in front of the new TV. A mere half dozen nice evenings “OUT” will pay for multi year enjoyment of that new TV.
I have overheard people looking over these sets, discuss with other people that this year, ALL the gift money is going to this for the entire family to enjoy..AT HOME.
Oh Oh
It's time for business to stop worrying about profit and start worrying about helping people!
/sarc
They believe that if we all loosened up, and just went out spending, then there would be a bottom-up recovery.
Just like that.
What they will never, ever understand that confiscatory taxes, burdensome employment rules, haphazard (and truly sophomoric) government meddling in the market, government takeovers of financial and production sectors, threats of government control of health-care, and (at least the appearance of) the largest-scale, most active and far-reaching corruption by an administration do not leave one with the means for non-essential purchases.
Also (and it's a big ALSO). We are not at all ...
...confident.
We have no confidence in Marxist Obama and we worry about our economic future, and we are totally unsure about what his actual (but perhaps unstated) ultimate little "plans" for us might be.
Me, I'm saving like crazy in case I need to go abroad for a medical vacation in the next decade or so.
.
At least those on welfare haven’t been affected by the recession. You can’t lose a job when you don’t work! ;)
“unseasonably warm weather dampened sales”
AGW!!
On top of the obvious problems with the economy, I just have to say - the choices in the women’s clothing department are atrocious.
Tacky - cheesy - dowdy- plain ‘ole UGLY clothes for sale.
Racks and racks and racks of ugly clothes.
Congress and President Obama are proposing a government program the would ‘rescue’ the retail industry.
1)A retail Czar would mandate that consumers spend 25% of their income on black Friday.
2)The Czar would determine which store a consumer could spend.
3) There would be a penalty for NOT spending because X-mas shopping is a moral right.
4) Those that could not afford to shop would be given government vouchers.
sarc//
Maybe we need to have a Red Friday going out of business holiday.
Can anybody comment on the mandatory sales like eye doctors.
You cannot get glasses or more contacts if you haven’t paid for an eye doctor exam within the year. Even if you have NO problems seeing, the laws MANDATE you pay the eye doctor before you can purchase any eye wear.
How many households don’t have the $110+ to pay on each member, every year, when one or both adult is out of work?