Ya think?????

[tambyrd]

"Cowed by the financial crisis, American consumers are pulling back on their spending, all but guaranteeing that the economic situation will get worse before it gets better." NY Times

More quotes:

“People have lost their confidence. They have no buying power. They are losing their retirements, their vacation funds, and they are scared to commit to

Comments

Yes duh

[muneraven]

I don't want the nice people who work at mall stores to lose their jobs but it was simply bound to happen because Americans can't keep buying shit they don't need on credit. Truth is a lot of stores are going to close and jobs are going to be lost as Americans discover they can live without a closet full of clothes they seldom where and boxes full of toys they don't use and decorations they never even SEE in their homes.

[hobbitt_mn]

Hmm... maybe we'll actually start making stuff here again. That could create jobs, and hopefully we could get back, at least partly, to less disposable stuff and start making things that last more than a couple months.

that's a good point ...

[tambyrd]

I think we also need to get back to the idea of making "useful" stuff -- we have let too many marketeers get hold of the country and convince us we need 'image' and 'designer' this and that ... thus inflating the prices of things.

I mean, really, why should a bar of soap or a loaf of bread, even ones made with 'good' ingredients, cost so much???