Did shoppers do their job over holiday shopping season?
Did all you shoppers out there do what you needed to do during the just-ended holiday shopping season to get us out of this recession? Well, did you? No? Why not?
I’m beginning to think consumer spending and retail shopping numbers are about as worthless as wings on a caterpillar: If you put ‘em on, he’d just shed ‘em in a few weeks for natural wings anyway.
It’s exactly like that when you try to track retail shopping and consumer spending. Whether we’re talking about television sets, luxury cars, bicycles, gourmet food baskets, weight loss supplements, sofa cushions, or anything else, it all comes down to this — until consumers stop fearing recession and start spending money regularly again, we’ll never see the recover we need.
Does that mean we all need to get out there and spend, spend, spend? No, of course not. But it DOES mean those who have jobs and have money need to quit letting fear paralyze them. They need to get on with life. And then more of those who do not have jobs or spendable income may actually see jobs start opening up again.
Hey, I’m no economist. I have little or know investing “savvy,” and most of my income right now if from Social Security. So take most of my advice on such things with a big grain of salt, dose of skepticism, or whatever.
But I do suspect things will only truly turn around in this country when people start making decisions on jobs and on consumer spending based on serious reflection, not on fear and panic.
Oh, and my answer to the question in the title of this article — nope, I really didn’t do MY part to get out there and shop. Humpf — I couldn’t afford it!