Post-holiday retail blues
Well, Amazon’s happy. It posted its best holiday sales ever. This is no surprise, because the terrible weather that combined with the terrible economy to cause nearly everyone else to have a bad sales season would favor internet shopping such as Amazon’s. Even drastic post-holiday price slashes aren’t having the desired effect, and retailers count on holiday sales for thirty to fifty percent of their year-round business.
As little as I usually buy over the holidays, I bought even less this year. And what I bought was very minimalist (translation: inexpensive). I may not be the typical holiday consumer. But in every store I entered where I engaged the owner or salesperson in conversation—especially a local gift store that seemed particularly empty—the answer to “How’s it going this year?” was invariably “Bad,” or a mere sad shake of the head.
And that ain’t good for any us, because the economy is an interrelated web in which, when an entire segment such as retailers does poorly, we all will feel the pinch down the road. It’s Catch-22: we want to save money. But the less we spend, the more we further depress the entire system.
Personally, though, I happened to receive some exceptionally nice gifts this year. So I guess I’m doing my bit for the economy after all.
First to go will be the luxuries–i.e. nail salons, Starbucks, upmarket sporting goods. The Calvinists among us may not think this a particularly bad thing, although the employees and entepreneurs no doubt will.
Pfaltzgraff is now going to be entirely on-line. Apparently they figured that almost all their sales were of stuff the purchaser knew in advance was wanted. That meant they were maintaining all these stores in order to support occasional impulse purchases, which were not enough.
How many electric candle warmers does the average household need, anyway? “Need” becoming the operative word, as opposed to “Want”.
It is said that the average poor person lives a material life something like the average middle class person of the Fifties. Who didn’t think they were all that deprived.
Spent time this morning, in the shadow of Christmas spending, searching through links from kos, trying to find some Progressive that was happy that America had proved somewhat less materialistic this Happy Holiday, and that we were using a bit smaller pig’s share of the worlds fossil fuel, doing marginally less carbonaceous environmental damage. Not a peep of satisfaction to be found.
First time I ever heard of “materialism” (sensu bad) was in college at the end of the ’40s, when we were running the Marshall Plan and performing a bailout for the British Labour government. The Europeans, I was informed by the Progressives of the time (i.e., marxists for Henry Wallace, hiding behind Teddy’s and the LaFolletts’ political descriptor for reform Republicanism) thought we Americans were disgustingly “materialistic.” That is, too much, and too broadly richer than their upper classes were. Not much has changed.
I got nine books and two sweaters. I mostly gave books and food. Great Christmas.
Well, we’re with Neo…..not much shopping. Bought two “Billy” bookcases at Portland IKEA to install at our daughter’s house in Bend….
Truth is, if America’s economy was dependent on people who bought “stuff” (I exclude books) and ate at restaurants at the rate that our family does, there would be a LOT less economic activity going on!
Merry (late) Christmas, and a wonderful 2009!
Eh… I was too poor this Christmas to buy much at all. My disposable income went to purchasing copies of my own books for consignment in various bookstores. I made a good few presents – jewelry and clothing, made presents of books that I had received to review – baked cookies for the neighbors. My daughter had bought just about everything else for presents at various yard-sales, estate sales and at discount outlets like Tuesday Morning through-out the year.
On the bright side – my book events were sold out of stock; and most people who bought “The Adelsverein Trilogy” bought all three volumes at a whack.
My holiday hasn’t come in yet,
so the week between Christmas and New Year has been traditionally (for 16 years) best week to buy presents and plan a feast.
So yesterday I went to the stores – and was really disappointed, by available variety and the prices. Not much to choose from and the prices haven’t drop as much as you would think if believed the news.
I was able to buy gifts for my parents (an annual torture, as they usually “have everything we need! don’t waste money on us!” and other members of my family, but not the perfect ones i had in mind.
Yes, economy is interrelated, but it all comes down to manufacturing industries, not retail. When the country relies mostly on commerce and doesn’t produce much, it makes itself vulnerable to market conditions.