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Topic: The Christmas Spend Up
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Chip Gelmini
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1733
From: Brooksville, FL
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted December 26, 2008 09:30 AM
Graham, you are right on Target. Xmas gifts is way out of control.
Everyday we have each other and great meals, even the ones less fortunate than us have it OK, too.
It has been said that, this holiday shopping season makes up for 40% of a retailers yearly sales and I do believe that. But, it really is depressing in October to read in the papers the retailer is predicting sales won't be as good as last year, when in reality the sales haven't even started yet.
I work in a retail store part time. This is a true story. It's a small New England chain. One day a few years ago I went to work reporting for my normal shift. As I entered the store I saw something new on display. It was one of those giant airblown balloons. Inside the clear globe, was Santa, and a reindeer carousel. It was infact quite interesting.
The problem: It was September 10. And yes, we looked at this god damn thing through Christmas Eve. It turned out they had tried this in Conn or New York and it was a big it.
Now had they delayed this until November 1st, that would have made more sense. And as it happened, the store received 100 pieces in September and had 93 left on December 24th. And that was a few years ago. Haven't seen them do it again.
On a brighter side, as I cashed out customer orders over the past 6 weeks, I noticed a positive trend: Cash - Debit - credit card. For the first time in a long time, less people charged it and more people paid in full at the time of the sale. We are tightening the belt. Some of us are using commonsense.
Due to the price per barrel of oil, world leaders, and CEO guys and a war or two, we're in a rut. Hopefully here in the USA President elect Obama can do something about it for the better. If one country can start to turn it around, others will follow.
By the way, it was great last night for me to fill my fuel tank for only $12.00. First tank up in three weeks, and it was just below 1/2 empty. But now I have to think, isn't this where it all began? Oil has gone down because we haven't been buying it. Talk about a no-brainer!! When oil went up, so did everything else! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted December 26, 2008 01:07 PM
Heck, it's good to see things slowing down.. We've been overdo for a slowdown for quite awhile, economically. Now, house prices go down from the rediculous high's that we have seen.
and, quite frankly, I have no sympathy for all these people who have been riding this economic psunami or the last ten years or so, and then boo hoooing when the train ride is now a train wreck.
My wife and I have always had to budget, and now that were three, we budget even harder. if I buy a film, I have to make sure that I can either recoup the cost by selling another or by some other means.
The strange thing is that, since we actually own our trailer, we are among the middle to rich class, even though it's a 1972 Nashua trailer. We don't have to worry about being kicked out. We didn't buy lots of houses just to resell them for a rediculous prifit, and now find that no one wants our houses and were up "crap creek" without a paddle.
In fact, a few weeks ago, I coined a new term with my wife, it's the "New Poor".
We heard about the "new Rich" for a number of years. The "New Poor" are those who have suddenly (assinine that they are acting surprised when every economic indicator said this was coming), ended up losing it all ...
... but, unlike the "classic poor", they don't know how to live on a budget, and so they are truly poor and freaking out!
Why, WHY do people who have no sense about money, have so much of it? Give me it and I'll start a new Super 8 film company!
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted December 26, 2008 02:43 PM
You are absolutely correct about that being the next big debacle to face not just america but the world. It's been a well known fact, for more than ten years, that the average american (I'll speak on Americas stupidity, and not other countries stupidity, as those from those countries are far more well versed about they're own specific stupidity.) when comparing they're savings to thier debt, they have had zero savings for quite awhile.
The whole credit card thing only works on the promise that things will get better in the near future, or you'll have money within a short time.
I do believe that average person today, knows full well, that things wont be better in the near future, but are still charging up a storm, none the less.
Believe me, my fellow forum members, we haven't even seen the worst yet!
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
me just spending time with family and the grandkids is far more important than rushing to the nearest mall to buy a so-called bargain. I do think people are living beyond their means, in my book this spend, spend, spend attitude is not what Christmas is about, so 
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