Worst retail holiday Sales in 30 years...

[Jeff]

Nope.  Materialism is alive and well. (Just take a look at the $30,000 automobiles beside you on the highway.) Fear is the motivator this year.  I think many don't see the economy recovering and have that external motivator is driving the lack of holidays season sales.  I'm no economist, but the threat of a sagging economy is a self-fulfilling prophecy.  People are worried so they don't spend money, which means the retailers and manufacturers suffer, which means they lay people, etc. and it becomes self-perpetuating.

[Bon Voyage]

There are many other avenues of buying things now without leaving your home.  I wonder how much sales internet businesses did this year?

[spurly]

I saw on the internet the other day where this holiday season had the worst sales figures in over 30 years.  I started thinking about the past 30 years (all of which I have seen, though I don't remember all of them) and I realized that many times have been much worse than this year.  

So what made the difference this year?  Maybe, just maybe, America is turning away, at least a little, from all the materialism associated with this season.

What do you think?

Kevin

[janine]

The economy is great here.  The only people not working are like me, fighting tooth & nail NOT to have to work.  And the disabled, etc., people with reasons.  But in general everybody here who wants a job can get one.

We're always out of step with the rest of the country 'cause of the oilfield, ship building, agriculture & fishing.

If a little fear makes people start saving money, that might be a good thing.  Even a small "boom" like we're having right now isn't a guarantee of work tomorrow.