Posted on 11/30/2014 5:16:39 PM PST by SeekAndFind
I totally agree based on my personal experience. I would also add that my own values have moved away from gift-giving during Christmas as videos of crazed holiday shoppers have caused me to associate that tradition with cultures with which I prefer not to self-identify.
Same story, EVERY year. No matter who is president, no matter what the economy is doing, I have to read this same freaking story EVERY year. How many times can the sky fall?
Face facts! The Messiah is hoovering up all the disposable income most people have.
Thanks! I didn’t know you could get these at Dairy Queen. One is very close by and I will be stopping in. Hubby too!
Can't buy those online.
“There were, however, precious few buyers. You hardly saw anybody carrying any purchases out of the malls.”
Uh, that’s pretty much ALL I’ve ever seen at ANY mall the for the last few years the VERY few times I’ve been in one.
They just finished tearing down the mall in my town a couple of weeks ago. It’s being replaced with a cluster of standalone, big box stores that you drive between and park in front of.
“something to READ”
I pretty much quit buying books; just get everything from the local library, and if they don’t have it, they’ll do an inter-libary loan or buy it if it’s new.
And any bookI feel that IS necessary to buy, I buy used.
All the money that might have been spent on holiday shopping is going to fund the increases in health care coverage.
I don’t pay full Retail. Ever. :)
Good for you. We did that years ago. We have small grandkids and only buy for them. We have a huge open house Christmas Eve for family and friends. Tamales, rice, and beans and cocktails. I set up a poker table in the dining room for the teenagers and a movie on the big screen for the little ones. We never know who will show up but everyone always has a great time.
Christmas Day is a small quiet family affair.
Creates a great stress free Christmas.
We have shifted our attention to a real celebration of the birth of Christ and away from the American retail “Christmas” culture. Black Friday converted us. The erasure of the C work in public helped.
No, credit score is not an issue in my case. Lots of second home “cabins” burn in our county each year. I suspect such losses are a big part of the problem!
Gentlemen, straight ahead is the cliff of deflation. This is the stuff that gives the FED and corporate cartel night sweats. Trillions of dollars of handing out free money to banks and Wall St., and the death of Main St. is just now beginning to be noticed by the morons in charge. Economic ecosystems can withstand tremendous abuse. Reduction in labor expenses (i.e. jobs), below living standard wages given to the survivors, and automation may get the CEO and investors all fired up ... until they realize no one is around to buy their goods or services anymore.
My son worked Thanksgiving night at Wal-Mart and said besides that night, business has been no busier or crowded than a weekend. He said most of the early crowd was there for the spectacle and watching the animals tear into the pallets but that even the first day was below what they expected.
Propaganda meets reality, but those in charge keep drinking the kool-aide and ignoring the tectonic plate shifting under their feet. This is just the beginning and deflation is the grim reaper of ponzi economies, so get your popcorn ready.
(Indiana data point) WM on Saturday had every check line open, and 50% of them devoid of customers.
My son’s Wal-Mart is in a very wealthy area in Texas, so it had nothing to do with the local economy as Texas is booming compared to other states. His only other comment was that with the part of the labor force that has survived working service and retail (who no longer get holidays off), at what point will those who shop dwindle down as more people are busy working those days.
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