Retail sales down nationwide for the month of December...

[bridgit]

What does it mean?

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. It means they didn't get much of my money to fill their pockets

Hard to feel bad for them, isn't it?

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. It Means They Haven't Had Time To SPIN It Yet

By next week, it will miraculously become the best month ever for sales. They just need time to work up the story.

[notadmblnd]

3. It means peopel have no money to spend

all our dollars went overseas with our jobs.

[Yavin4]

4. Consumers Are Consumed Out

What is there left to buy that people don't already have? Sure there's HDTV, new video game consoles, and suped-up cell phones, but most people aren't in a burning hurry to buy them.

With debt becoming more expensive and salaries lagging, consumers are taking it slow.

[Double T]

5. Goldilocks has been replaced by the THREE BEARS............

wall street's own greed is about to bite THEM in the ASS.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. It means that I wasn't the only one who was too broke to waste money.

Where did you heart this? I had suspected it would be the case by the lack of news before now on retail sales.

[Demobrat]

7. It simply means that people don't have any confidence

that they'll have jobs in a couple of months to pay the bills. That's all.

[Mind_your_head]

8. It means

A) That a lot of people don't have much "discretionary income" to spend on gifts. They're worried about having enough money to meet their own needs of rent/mortgage, heat, medicine, food, etc.

B) People are worried about the future. The economy and their own personal "economic future". Everyone's being very conservative in their gift giving b/c of this lack of confidence/uncertainty about the future.

C) In light of A & B, a lot of people realize that they have 'enough stuff' and don't need to go out and spend good money on useless crap to let other people know they love them. I'd bet people are buying fewer, but more 'thoughtful' gifts.

D) People just don't feel 'happy & gay' these days. The war in Iraq, the overwhelming disapproval of the pResident and his ongoing stubbornness to "stay the course" or "new way forward" (same as the 'old way forward') is just a real downer that hangs over this country like a big dark ominous cloud. It's depressing.

E) The 1% getting all the money don't give enough gifts or have enough friends :evilgrin: to make any real 'dent' in retail sales numbers. They're also not "trickling down" any of the money to the other 99%.

F) Mebbe people are just sick of corporations and 'big box stores' in general too. It's amazing you can go to any area in the country and you will find almost EXACTLY the same stores and the same stuff that you've got in your town. No variety or diversity. It's boring.

That's my 'take' on it.

Peace to all,
M_Y_H

[blues90]

9. poor over confident stores

People are broke and are not going to spend on plastic and have crappy min wage jobs .

[Demobrat]

12. Problem is the people who need those crappy min wage jobs

will be the ones to wind up on unemployment, not the crack management teams.

[Eurobabe]

10. Recession anyone?

[Rex]

11. It means real wages are hurting from things like outsourcing and

inflation. People just don't have they income to spend like George wants us to! :eyes:

[Kip Humphrey]

13. It means we're losing in Iraq because we're not shopping enough!

[LeftCoast]

14. Doesn't it seem like every year the story is the same?

I swear, it seems like each year we hear all this retail excitement and after Christmas the retailers are always disappointed. It's a very odd phenomenon.