Kathianne
11-23-2007, 07:30 PM
We all know that there are countries and people that suffer much more than those of us in the US. It's just a fact of life, whether we are speaking of Asia, South America, the Middle East.
But what of our brothers and sisters that are looking at the fallout of our current economic crisis?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071123/ap_on_bi_ge/holiday_shopping
Shoppers seek bargains on Black Friday
By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, AP Business Writer 56 minutes ago
The nation's shoppers — who have been hibernating in recent months because of worries about rising gas prices and falling home values — jammed malls and stores for pre-dawn discounts on everything from TVs to toys on the official start of Christmas shopping.
The aggressive tactics — bigger discounts and expanded hours like midnight openings_ apparently worked. Based on early reports, Macy's Inc., Toys "R" Us, K-B Toys Inc. and others that were noisy with discounts reported bigger crowds for the early morning bargains than a year ago. And electronic gadgets, particularly the hard-to-find Nintendo Wii, topped shoppers' wish lists, though frustrations were high among shoppers who couldn't get their hands on the limited bargains.
With the economy relying heavily on the consumer, however, it's crucial that the Black Friday euphoria lasts throughout the season, expected to be the weakest in five years.
"I'm really looking for the bargains this year because I'm losing my job; they're moving our plant to Mexico after the first of the year, so I have to be careful," said Tina Dillow of New Richmond, Ohio, who camped out at a Best Buy store near Cincinnati at 3 a.m. because of a great deal on a laptop. I noticed it wasn't a great deal on rice, milk, bread, or vegetables. No even on clothes.
Louise Jackson of Chesapeake, Va., arrived at the MacArthur Center, a mall in downtown Norfolk, Va., at 7:30 a.m., a half hour before it opened.
"We're just browsing, to see what's out here, to see if there's anything that would be worth it," she said. By 9:30 a.m., she hadn't bought anything, although she did place a pair of pants for herself on hold at Nordstrom. Her only shopping strategy was to keep an eye out for good deals.
"The tougher economic conditions are driving more shoppers to take advantage of early bird specials," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group.
Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc. agreed, but he noted shoppers were buying selectively. Overall, the biggest draws were consumer electronics, including flat-screen TVs, digital cameras, digital frames, and laptops. In toys, which have been battered by recalls of a slew of lead tainted Chinese toys, there were plenty of hits, including video games such as Activision Inc.'s "Guitar Hero III," toys related to Walt Disney Co.'s "Hannah Montana" and Smart Cycle from Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price, toy executives said.
Somehow I have a hard time feeling sorry for these 'consumers', of which they truly are...
But what of our brothers and sisters that are looking at the fallout of our current economic crisis?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071123/ap_on_bi_ge/holiday_shopping
Shoppers seek bargains on Black Friday
By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, AP Business Writer 56 minutes ago
The nation's shoppers — who have been hibernating in recent months because of worries about rising gas prices and falling home values — jammed malls and stores for pre-dawn discounts on everything from TVs to toys on the official start of Christmas shopping.
The aggressive tactics — bigger discounts and expanded hours like midnight openings_ apparently worked. Based on early reports, Macy's Inc., Toys "R" Us, K-B Toys Inc. and others that were noisy with discounts reported bigger crowds for the early morning bargains than a year ago. And electronic gadgets, particularly the hard-to-find Nintendo Wii, topped shoppers' wish lists, though frustrations were high among shoppers who couldn't get their hands on the limited bargains.
With the economy relying heavily on the consumer, however, it's crucial that the Black Friday euphoria lasts throughout the season, expected to be the weakest in five years.
"I'm really looking for the bargains this year because I'm losing my job; they're moving our plant to Mexico after the first of the year, so I have to be careful," said Tina Dillow of New Richmond, Ohio, who camped out at a Best Buy store near Cincinnati at 3 a.m. because of a great deal on a laptop. I noticed it wasn't a great deal on rice, milk, bread, or vegetables. No even on clothes.
Louise Jackson of Chesapeake, Va., arrived at the MacArthur Center, a mall in downtown Norfolk, Va., at 7:30 a.m., a half hour before it opened.
"We're just browsing, to see what's out here, to see if there's anything that would be worth it," she said. By 9:30 a.m., she hadn't bought anything, although she did place a pair of pants for herself on hold at Nordstrom. Her only shopping strategy was to keep an eye out for good deals.
"The tougher economic conditions are driving more shoppers to take advantage of early bird specials," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group.
Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc. agreed, but he noted shoppers were buying selectively. Overall, the biggest draws were consumer electronics, including flat-screen TVs, digital cameras, digital frames, and laptops. In toys, which have been battered by recalls of a slew of lead tainted Chinese toys, there were plenty of hits, including video games such as Activision Inc.'s "Guitar Hero III," toys related to Walt Disney Co.'s "Hannah Montana" and Smart Cycle from Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price, toy executives said.
Somehow I have a hard time feeling sorry for these 'consumers', of which they truly are...