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sybylla

(8,461 posts)
20. Was it mood or the fact that there wasn't really anything all that worthy to buy?
Thu Dec 27, 2012, 10:39 AM
Dec 2012

I don't disagree with you. I think that for a lot of people, mood=paycheck (including one person I'm living with who lost her job in May). Kind of hard to spend money when you don't have any.

But I don't have paycheck woes to speak of beyond the usual middleclass stuff. So when we got over our Thanksgiving colds and I headed out to the stores, I was prepared to be wooed and wowed by the "great deals" the MSM were telling me that retailers were offering.

I saw none.

Not one great deal. In fact, the store that I usually do most of my shopping at had very few of the items on sale that I usually buy at the holidays. So I went to another. Found a few better deals there, but still not much to speak of.

I had a certain amount of money set aside for the holidays - a dollar amount that hasn't changed for several years. Even loaning some of it to the unemployed person in my household for x-mas gifts, I can tell you I spent only about 2/3rds of what I set aside.

Worst shopping season for me ever.

My mood improves when I have money, so technically correct. hobbit709 Dec 2012 #1
Funny how that works. liberal N proud Dec 2012 #2
There was a study out a while ago saying... Odin2005 Dec 2012 #10
Can you imagine what Christmas shopping would have been like for retailers if they paid their people liberal N proud Dec 2012 #15
Yep, 'cause they think a reaganomics trickle-down-piss system works so well and RKP5637 Dec 2012 #34
Those who say money can't buy happiness tblue37 Dec 2012 #22
And When You Buy Things You Need You Pay Taxes & Create Jobs To Make More Of Those Things You Buy... global1 Dec 2012 #19
Why is it that this simple economic fact has been removed from the US economy? liberal N proud Dec 2012 #24
+++ 1,000,000 +++ Pure and Simple! n/t RKP5637 Dec 2012 #39
In my Econ class I beleive it was called "the wealth effect." Correct me if I'm wrong...but it CTyankee Dec 2012 #32
Funny.... PoliticalBiker Dec 2012 #37
Here it's getting hard to pay the grocery bills. Five major corporations I worked for, all gone RKP5637 Dec 2012 #41
I still believe in capitalism... PoliticalBiker Dec 2012 #52
Yes, I agree 100% with you, about the type of capitalism you discussed. ... problem is, as you RKP5637 Dec 2012 #58
Couple really good posts biker Jim Warren Dec 2012 #67
I agree. HappyMe Dec 2012 #4
So true. I find that I'm elated every other Thursday... KansDem Dec 2012 #26
I hope they aren't that stupid. In_The_Wind Dec 2012 #3
Oh, yes, they really, really are tavalon Dec 2012 #61
That's a good part of it, but... GoCubsGo Dec 2012 #5
Who says there is less holiday spending? graham4anything Dec 2012 #6
Online dropped too BlueStreak Dec 2012 #14
Or, people like me have actual spending budgets for xmas. It is a line item in my personal yearly CTyankee Dec 2012 #33
Nobody said there was actually less holiday spending. ieoeja Dec 2012 #23
Right. An expectations game. BlueStreak Dec 2012 #51
And my small shop was up adigal Dec 2012 #7
I pay cash now when I have pedicures and it saves me a surcharge. That enables me to keep CTyankee Dec 2012 #35
Doing my best on that tavalon Dec 2012 #62
well, yeah they do and it is part of it kind of, but kydo Dec 2012 #8
Rich people don't understand what it is like living from paycheck to paycheck. Odin2005 Dec 2012 #9
My sales were up quaker bill Dec 2012 #11
No money was my issue and I work full time for the state Puzzledtraveller Dec 2012 #12
If you have no money Rain Mcloud Dec 2012 #13
Yep, if you're not in debt up to your ears in US, Inc. = United Stupidity, then that's RKP5637 Dec 2012 #42
And here I thought I was a socialist tavalon Dec 2012 #63
Maybe people are paying more attention to needs and less to wants Siwsan Dec 2012 #16
A debit card is just like cash tavalon Dec 2012 #64
I know they are, but the actual slight line of cash flow keeps me financially grounded Siwsan Dec 2012 #75
And I find that cash just leaks from me tavalon Dec 2012 #76
Hubs and I watched the local evening news last night. Cracklin Charlie Dec 2012 #17
the day after Christmas, the busiest shopping day of the year DJ13 Dec 2012 #56
Mood was my issue. LP2K12 Dec 2012 #18
Was it mood or the fact that there wasn't really anything all that worthy to buy? sybylla Dec 2012 #20
You always get a series of wacky explanations when the economy goes bad Yo_Mama Dec 2012 #21
I heard a couple talking heads try to blame it on 'fear of the cliff' ... Myrina Dec 2012 #25
I think it's true. I saw a shopper on tv interviewed in the mall, who said that... Honeycombe8 Dec 2012 #28
Henry Ford didn't really think that way. It was his WIFE who made him give raises to his workers. Honeycombe8 Dec 2012 #27
That's really how all the robber barons were. HughBeaumont Dec 2012 #38
So if holiday spending actually increased 0.7% does that mean people are in a good mood? dkf Dec 2012 #29
Shopping is a reflection of "consumer confidence" in the economy, is what I've always heard. Honeycombe8 Dec 2012 #30
It is greed, willful stupidity/ignorance and a serious lack of business sense. As business leaders RKP5637 Dec 2012 #31
Unfortunately . . . HughBeaumont Dec 2012 #36
My wife and I decided to spend less this year on Christmas once we learned of plethoro Dec 2012 #40
+1 daa Dec 2012 #43
I think the future is going to be pretty bleak for the majority of Americans, because RKP5637 Dec 2012 #44
Thank you for your response. It is as if I wrote it plethoro Dec 2012 #47
Commemorativo - Thanks!!! RKP5637 Dec 2012 #48
RKP, I wanted to ask you something and I could not figure out another plethoro Dec 2012 #69
It could be used as tremendous leverage ... but my gut feel is it won't happen. There will be RKP5637 Dec 2012 #70
Thanks. I wish I was as sure as you seem to be.........nft plethoro Dec 2012 #71
Being broke is the reason for the mood. jwirr Dec 2012 #45
Exactly and furthermore Puzzledtraveller Dec 2012 #50
Absolutely...Give me the shovel! ReRe Dec 2012 #46
+1, n/t RKP5637 Dec 2012 #49
I am scared to spend right now... QED Dec 2012 #53
If you contact the services rendered and make an arrangement make sure they do not try to lunasun Dec 2012 #60
Thank you for this... QED Dec 2012 #73
Advice that may be worth more than you paid for it .......... tavalon Dec 2012 #65
Thanks... QED Dec 2012 #74
Technical question on content\context: Is your OP referring to the release of coalition_unwilling Dec 2012 #54
Well, I have as much money as I did last year (possibly a little more)... OneMoreDemocrat Dec 2012 #55
I for one, am glad they don't have us totally figured out lunatica Dec 2012 #57
Actually, they do act like we're their marionettes tavalon Dec 2012 #66
Actually that was what I meant lunatica Dec 2012 #68
maybe people are wising up to buying crap Skittles Dec 2012 #59
It's all the wimpy, wussie, buzz-kill consumers' fault, dammit.. SoCalDem Dec 2012 #72
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