Posted on 11/14/2012 6:24:34 AM PST by Perdogg
Here we go with the "but, but, Sandy" excuses. The just announced October retail sales tumbled, with their worst miss of expectations since May 2010, and the first sequential decline since June: printing at -0.3% for both the headline and the 'ex autos and gas', on expectations of a -0.2% and +0.4% rise. Ignoring for a second that the Commerce Department said that Hurricane Sandy had both positive (remember those massive lines in various stores ahead of Sandy) and negative impacts on retail sales, it would be truly inconceivable for the sellside Wall Street consensus of diploma'ed PhDs, which knew about Sandy's impact on retail sales well in advance, and thus could adjust its numbers, to actually, you know, adjust its numbers. Either way there is no way to spin the longer term major store sales trend (last chart), which shows that the US consumer, out of money, out of credit, and out of savings is entering the holiday season with little to zero disposable spending power.
(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...
Obama signs schmobama signs. If signs were what mattered last week, Mitt Romney ought to have won handily.
You are so right. Most cotton or wool clothes are just thin
rags. Many men’s suits are 100% polyester and rayon. Granted good quality clothes can still be found like nuts in the woods but the prices appear to be 2 or 3 times what they were a couple years ago.
Left to right
Woman #1 - Not Guilty
Woman #2 - Not Guilty
Woman #3 - Guilty
Well, look on the bright side America. We kept Obama in office.
I wish I could afford Tom Ford though.
I know we’re cutting back this year.
x2
I have young kids and we have spent thousands at Christmas’ past. Not this year. We already told our kids that we’re not doing that this year and they are totally okay with that.
Let the Obama voters pump the economy.
If you have growing boys, here’s how to save money on pants. Just keep pulling them down lower and lower. You save money and your boys stay fashionably “gangsta hip” at the same time.
I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that this Holiday Season will be a disaster for Retailers.
Now that 0bama has stolen the election and secured power, fashion designers are switching clothing line to conform with the new edicts from Emperor 0bama, so there are temporary shortages. The new fashions that will be in store soon are:
Men - Mao Jackets to reflect the proletariat tastes, and in any color you wish as long as it is gray.
Women - Burkas in the latest styles with the new "Sharia Look" that is popular abroad
Stop Retail “Holiday” Spending.
Christmas and the holiday season was meant to spend time with family and friends, not spending thousand$ on products wanted and not needed.
If something is ‘needed’ - buy it - if not, don’t...
We’ll need the money saved to pay exorbitant taxes
(and make that known when explaining to expected present recipients-make it known now so they won’t buy anything for you too)
“I’m Dreaming of a Galt Christmas”
DEFUND. Prepare. Persevere.
$ power. It’s easy.
Great thread BUMP! Give thanks / merry Christmas!
I see at least two Mrs. Potato heads.
.....
.....................................
I still wear designer stuff but actually pay less for it than I would spend on clothing at Walmart. I shop Nordstroms Rack, Saks off Fifth, and Neiman Marcus Last Call. I only shop the clearance racks and sales plus I have member cards for all that will usually get me another percentage off.
I did what little Christmas shopping I do a couple of weeks ago. I paid $6.60 for a top for my best friend that is Jones New York. I bought my granddaughter a Juicy sweat shirt for $14.98. I bought myself a really cute pair of wedge sandalw that had a clearance tag of $14.99 on them that rang up as $1. The sales girl laughed.
People are amazed at the deals I get. You just have to be smart about it.
The stores didn’t see me the last three Christmases and they won’t see me this year either. It’s going to be another year of no-expense homemade gifts. One year, a friend and I pooled our “got for free” and old scraps of holiday fabric to make a dozen table covers. Another year was more free fabric for totes and 13 monogrammed laundry bags for the teens and re-purposed items into purses for the girls. Last year was even more free fabric and free thread for 16 table runners. This year, it’ll be wreaths of dried red chili peppers from the garden and homemade jelly to those trusted few who promise to bring back my jars.
Yes, one rare honest article pointed out that fashion trends are nothing more than a desperate ploy to foist fewer raw materials and cheaper components on the public, e.g. zippers instead of buttons.
To make matters worse, the good stuff is 2-3 times as expensive as it used to be. Now is that price-gouging of consumers who still seek quality goods or is it the true cost of such goods under our leftist leaders’ inflationary policies?
If retailers are depending on people like me (the OldPossum) for their Christmas sales, they are in for a world of hurt. I’ve already notified my relatives and others that I do not wish any gifts, nor will I give any. Part of the going Galt plan that Mrs OP and I will follow.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.