Shoppers turn out, but hold on to their wallets

Malls and stores were packed, you're right.  But consumers weren't spending like retailers had hoped.  I think people are second-guessing their choices and potential purchases.  Practicality is winning out over frivolity.  And people are thinking twice before paying the prices. 

Yeah, I heard sales were up 3% over last year for Friday. MSNBC didn't run a big story on that - they just put a tiny story in the news section. Then they waited for Saturday for the sa;es to draw even with last year and they plaster a giant story on the top of the page. This crap is hilarious. You can't even make this up. I wouldn't be surprised if we never get out of this economic downturn thanks to places like MSNBC loving it that people are depressed and doing everything they can to keep them there. I love this stuff. Keep me laughing MSNBC.

I would also like to know how they estimated how many people turned out for sales. Did they go to New York and look at a couple of lines outside stores. The quote in the article sure sounded like it. What ever happened to scientific data and sampling? Real journalism is a dying breed.

I'm waiting until after the digital switch in February to buy a new flat screen TV. They'll probably be another 30-40% cheaper. The pressure to get people to buy new sets will be incredible, and the weak economy will help as well. 

Why is this information a point of contention? Does one expect a good shopping season in view of the economy? The people who are convinced that all this economic recession talk is just that, are the same people who deny global warming and think we are "winning" the war in Iraq. They are Pollyannas who can't quite open their eyes wide enough to see reality, instead living in their own fantasy world. It is this living in ones own world that is what's killing this country and this planet.

Mike G.  Just wait after the Super Bowl.  That will be a prime time to get a great deal on a TV.  Stores that my wife and I went into weren't packed at all and there was plenty of product on the floor.  Best Buy was slow and their doorbuster sale of 32 inch TV's was a bust as we went there 2 hrs after they opened and they had a bunch of the TV's still available. 

From what I have seen on TV, they are reporting that sales were about 7% higher than last year.  I don't get that as there is supposed to be a recession on.  People can't control themselves and thus went out a bought when they shouldn't have.  I agree that the subsequent sales will probably fall off precipitously from here.  We shall see. 

Merry Christmas from the Mortgage Companies of America.  We would like to take this tiem to wish your familiy a safe and happy holiday and please remember us in your future housing purchases.

I think this is good news for Americans. The only way to stop the rich from taking advantage of  the poor is to disrupt their flow of money. Maybe they will realize the obvious. You can't have a healthy economy if you take away the money from the common people. If we allow their junk to sit on the shelves in their stores, maybe they will get the message. In a healthy economy, money flows from the bottom up. When I think of trickle down, I envision ten stacked sponges. The top sponge is soaked and placed back into position. I then watch as the water flows down. From this I've learned that if you're thirsty, you wouldn't want to be waiting at the bottom sponge for a drink. When dealing with Big Bussiness, the greatest strength we have is the power to boycott and demand change. Let them feel the consequences of their greed and abuse.

I do not understand.  The total sales are up, but it is considered to be down? 

MSNBC has never seen a positive, that could not be turned into a negative.

I didn't shop until Friday and the malls were packed.  I didn't see many people carrying a lot  bags as usual but I did see them carrying a few bags.  I went to Macys and a lot of people were price checking items at the little red box.  Most stores had lines at the checkouts.  Almost every parking space was full.  I went to the same mall on Saturday to exchange something and the parking lot was half full.  I went to the outlet mall a little later and the traffic was medium.  They keep telling us we are in this recession but I see people still buying new cars, tons of groceries, designer TV's, etc.  Honestly, I didn't see any better deals than last year.  I was expecting the stores to really lower stuff considering they were telling us if they don't sell their merchandise they were going to forward the stuff to liquidators.

And it will just get worse as the new year comes in. Things are not going to get better fast.

If you think it will get better fast when the new Man takes over the US. Think again! It will take years to dig out of this mess we are in. The US needs a real fix, not a fast one like they are talking about. Uncle Samcan give all kinds of$$$ away. But you need tobring the jobs here. To the US. You know! Make it here, buy it here!

Until we do that.It will not get better.Very simple!

I have said this for a long time.  The Media should really be called Magicians.  They can create illusions and the people by it up.  I was out in the Malls on Friday and Saturday and I saw people spending money.

This election taught me something that I had always known but wondered if it was really true.  The Media shapes the news instead of the news shaping the Media. 

This is all about the doom and gloom that Obama and the Democrats started.  Now they will ride in on the high horses, I mean white horses and everything will be fine.

I am NOT, by any means, saying that we do not have a financial crisis.  We do.  But the Media and the Democrats would like you to believe that it is worse than it really is. 

By the way, I am glad to see people finally questioning the Media.  Because during this election some of you weren't questioning anything.

Welcome aboard the next four years are going to be a long, bumpy ride. BUT we shall overcome because we are Americans.  BE PROUD OF THAT.  Stop beating yourselves up for loving America.

And please stop believing that the Media is reporting the News.  They create the News not write about it.

People are going to buy Christmas gifts so yes the stores were probably packed on Friday.  A lot of people also have the day off from work.  So of course stores were busy.  However people are probably buying less this season or using layaway or cash instead of charging away like usual.     The doom and gloom started a long time ago so stop blaming Obama. He hasn't even taken office yet.   The media may shape the news but they aren't the ones foreclosing on homes, relocating jobs overseas or cutting jobs here.  They aren't the ones cutting back on work hours or making it more difficult for people to get credit.   This is happening in many parts of the country.   It seems that if the media reports things some people want to hear they agree with it.  If the media reports something people do not want to hear they are biased or wrong.  If you do not like what MSN reports well there are other sites and other news venues.

People are Extra thrifty and cautious this year. This economy has beat us up! From skyrocketing interest rates, food and gas prices, to now jobless. And some of us myself included, can't afford to X-mas shop at all. My family this year agreed we were not going to buy gifts for each other. Instead, we're making homemade gifts, or even baking.

Hey there BostonTeaParty; Stop blaming the Unions for CEO Mismanagement! It's the CEO's job to strategically plan so the company(s) are profitable. Risky investments or business practices, underhanded business policies or tactics and so forth, are the responsibility of the CEO/Sr. Management.  And whether or not a company is unionized, makes not difference. It again is the responsibility of the CEO to make it work, That's their Job!!

As Ronnie Said......."There they go again!"....We can no longer trust the Dam— (Dem) Media.

I was at the Mall of America this Saturday and Sunday and it was dead there.  Today was really bad actually.  There weren't any great sales.  I would have figured the store windows would have been plastered with red SALE signs everywhere.  Inside the stores, not much was on sale either.  Very disappointing.

Hey there BostonTeaParty; Stop blaming the Unions for CEO Mismanagement! It's the CEO's job to strategically plan so the company(s) are profitable. Risky investments or business practices, underhanded business policies or tactics and so forth, are the responsibility of the CEO/Sr. Management.  And whether or not a company is unionized, makes no difference. It again is the responsibility of the CEO to make it work, That's their Job!!  Sadly, the CEO's of the 3 Big Automakers for instance, did/do not have the skill, i.e. foresight 5-10 years ago to come up with competitive and profit generating products which would have help them to weather an economic downturn. They could have had part of the market share Toyota and Honda have enjoyed from selling hybrid-electric vehicles the last 3 or so years, and even maybe have come up with an even more competitive product and beat Honda and Toyota!  I only hope the Chevy Volt will not be too late.   

Lastly, what really makes me angry is the Big 3 Automakers want the Public to bail them out After these 3 have been prodded by consumers and environmentalists to build affordable hybrids. They have been approached by Amory Lovins (Rocky Mountain Institute-RMI) who has come up with a composite material which is light weigh but is as strong if not stronger than steel, and does not pollute the environment to manufacture. It would  do away will much of the heavy equipment used in present day plant/manufacturing operations. Each autobody part is so light weight, one can carry it with one hand. 

www.rmi.org

Google Amory Lovins. Check out his website and his interview by Charlie Rose. The man is a genius!

I hear that their is a shortage of semi-automatics and all the military ammunition like 7.62x39 and 5.56 is hard to find. Sounds like gun dealers are doing great...What do you think BTP?

So what do some of you people do for a life other than malls? Not being snooty or anything. I'd really like to know. Yesterday I went out deer hunting and missed a shot at a dandy black-tail buck...

I am convinced that MSNBC is determined to drag on this recession as long as possible to get the most news worthiness out of it. The opening of the story paints the worst possible scenario, and then backs it up with facts that don't substantiate the gloominess. If consumer spending is anywhere close to last year, that is terrific. Even in the best of times, expecting continuous year over year growth indefinitely is unrealistic and is what feeds credit bubbles that create the sort of mess we are in. If sales growth is flat, even in times of recession, it shows that fundamentally we remain strong and the world is not ending. It's just sad that the end of the world would make such a great new story. Come on MSNBC, give us a break from all the gloom and doom reporting, and let us enjoy the holiday season. How about for just 4 weeks you focus on just the facts and then next year you can get back to the negative spin reporting you find so valuable.

Fox seems too right wing; all else seems too left wing. BBC kind of evenhanded in exposition, but slants the news by omission, emphasis and inclusion. I can't imagine a news source that doesn't slant one way or the other, often unconsciously.

The NYT once attempted to be even-handed but today is very liberal. Point is, where is a truly neutrel news source? Maybe a hook into a wire service?

This is not rocket science, this has been in the works for a long time.  ^ months ago people started pulling assets and selling that is why we had huge SELL OFFS  of the Dow.  Only completely blind followers of barak that can not see more than a week in the future voted for him.  For gosh sakes he even wanted to raise the capital gains tax saying that only rich people had capital gain, that is nuts.

When Obama started talking about raising the capital gains tax (doubling it) from 15% to 28% or more.  Don't let the media take your attention away from this, it was indeed Barak. The media will try to reset the past but it is in store what has been going on.  Now we are in The Obama Economic Down Turn 2009-2012. 

  The Joint Committee On Taxation Reported Figures Demonstrating That

Middle-Income Americans Benefit From Lower Capital Gains And Dividends Tax

Rates. "Figures from the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) help support the

idea that more middle class Americans benefit from this tax break. In 2005,

about 20 percent of the taxpayers who were expected to report capital gains

income -- and 24 percent of those expected to report dividend income --

earned less than $50,000 annually, the JCT data showed." (Joseph J. Schatz,

"Tax Break Tries On 'Middle Class' Label," Congressional Quarterly Weekly,

2/17/06)