Holiday shopping is expected to be 5% more than last year...

[Deja Q]

abc news also said it's an unusually long xmas season and how people are people are going to spend more.

Nice to get all theses news articles.

Credit cards being used more; particularly for gas and food.

But what is the point of these news articles? There are so many things in this joke of a society out of sync that we're at the point of collapse anyway!

[catmandu57]

1. There's going to be a very rude awaking

next spring when these bills come in.

[kevinbgoode]

23. Maybe they consider buying heating fuel

shopping for a gift. . .

[Binka]

2. Expected By Whom?

And really who the fuck gives a shit?

[Deja Q]

4. wall street expects it.

And we all should give a shit. With a collapsed economy, YOU tell us how to eat, sleep, live in decent shelter, et al.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

5. Only people without other stuff to worry about, I think

[IChing]

7. Well, I'm leaving the house right now to make sure it comes true

I hadn't planned on it until I read this article. Thanks for the heads up, now where are my keys and credit cards and what am I suppose to buy? Oh, that's right fuel and food.

[Binka]

9. Comrade Glad You Got The Memo

Sorry you are having cat food for Thanksgiving...but we will NOT CUT AND RUN! BTW did you see Exxon's profits veeerrryyy gooood......

[mongo]

3. God I hope so

We count on xmas to keep us afloat through the year.

[Deja Q]

6. With more people losing their jobs, et al, the shopping year has been

subliminally increased via "christmas everywhere and three weeks early too", as what has been going on for 3 weeks now.

The marketers know things about about to go ka-boom. So they're squeezing what's left in the turnips.

[BlueManDude]

8. they say this every year

and i think since bush has been in office the holiday shopping season has been less than expected.

[katmondoo]

10. Will it be possible to buy anything not made in China for Christmas?

[Binka]

11. Everything Bush Touches Is Less Than Expected

Ask Laura.

[BrotherBuzz]

12. And just who is who is floating this story?

Some hand wringing merchants' association members hoping to encourage shoppers?. I remember these stories last year, they didn't work then, and I suspect they won't work this year as well.

[Broken_Hero]

24. Yeah, true...

I can vouch that walmart had a shitty day after thanksgiving sale(last year), their so called blitz sale was in the freaking toilet....and this year you got high gas, and high propane and energy prices...i got two credit cards this year, and i used them both, for gas/food...nothing else...its crazy. If it wasn't for the credit cards, i have no idea how we would have made it...as far as xmas goes, its dollar store time....army men for everyone!!!...or candles..:)

[Warpy]

13. Expecting aint getting

and they're going by the rosy economic picture painted by CEOs who have again managed to increase obscenely lavish pay packages at the expense of their companies and their workers.

Me? I'm finishing one rug and starting on another, made of waste from commercial upholstery looms and about as cheap as you can get for homemade gifts. I'll also be baking for the neighborhood. Buy anything? Sure, food and medication. Period.

Where these overpaid jerks expect their customer base to come from is beyond me. Most of the people I know are avoiding the malls and making gifts this year.

Trust me, a gift certificate for an hour of your precious time spent babysitting, changing the oil in a car, painting house trim, or cooking a dinner will come in far handier than consumer junk from a mall that the recipient will say "You shouldn't have" and MEAN it.

[Binka]

15. Love Your Rant. Gave You A Star For An Early Christmas!

Hugs and love Warpy!

[elfin]

14. Not at this house

Now that they have changed the bankruptcy rules and now that credit companies can jack up the minimum payments and interest to the skies -- of course these companies want everyone to splurge when they cannot afford it.

When the heating bills come crashing down, there will be HUGE misery all around, How they gonna blame Clinton for that??

[HockeyMom]

16. Citibank - 30% interest rate

I called up and asked what the entire, and I meant entire, payoff balance would be. So, I paid it off online. Cleared in 24 hours.

This month I get a charge of $44. Finance charge for 24 HOURS. I called them up screaming on the phone. I SAID how much to pay off in TOTAL. She then proceeded to tell me that I would have had to pay it all off TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE. WHAT?????

I told her to suck an egg and let me speak to your supervisor. Her supervisor said she could take the charge off "right now". I told her to do just that and then CANCEL my card.

[tsuki]

21. Don't worry. The Heritage Foundation received a mult-million

grant to study the problem and come up with solutions on how to blame Clinton.

[Greybnk48]

17. not at this house either n/t

[Nabia2004]

18. Wishful thinking, expect the opposite

I just spent the week interviewing job applicants. This is a semiannual hiring, and the number of people seeking work is up approximately 50 percent.

The tone of the job market has changed also (at least in domestic health-care). People are desperate. In a quote "regular" year, the number of no-shows to job interviews is an annoying 5 to 1. This time it was the opposite, nearly everyone is showing up, and they are serious about wanting work, almost begging.

This is the worst I've seen it in my 25 years. Its really rather depressing to see.

[Nabia2004]

20. on a personal note, this will be a lean Xmas at my house

I don't even plan on putting up the decorations.

[tsuki]

19. Not at my house.

[Ilsa]

22. Wasn't this story right after the other one about Americans going

deeper into debt, that they are negative net savers?

They had some couple w/family on, 2 incomes, mortgage, car payments, country club bills, private schools, and don't have a dime saved for a rainy day. Makes me ill.