Reply #101: A detailed analysis would be welcome, I think

[Tansy_Gold]

We get the figures -- sales declined, sales rose -- but wouldn't it be nice if we got routine information on how and why they rose and/or fell?

We can see on a daily basis that gasoline prices rise and fall, but who monitors the price of a bottle of shampoo, a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter? How much of the change in the price of any given market-basket commodity is due to higher fuel prices, weather fluctuations, general inflation? And then how are sales affected by the general drop in consumer finances, the raising of credit card interest rates, etc., etc., etc.

Are consumers spending less on gas just because the price is down, or are they buying less and driving less because they simply can't afford it even at prices that are half what they were a few months ago?

These are all, of course, rhetorical questions in this forum, but shouldn't there be a place we can go to get some answers to them?

Just askin',



Tansy Gold