Staying home for the holidays.
Saturday, November 29th, 2008According to an Associated Press story, airports and roads have little traffic, suggesting more people are staying home for Thanksgiving. With gasoline prices off 50 percent or so since the summer, consumers are reaping rewards. The question is will consumers save more or use some of their savings for holiday shopping?
Traveling for the holidays is a masochist’s delight. Long airport lines and waits or sitting in traffic does little to calm stomachs and promote pleasurable endorphins. Just maybe, shoppers, who have been traveling to malls to eyeball values, might go out and splurge.
Americans are not generally skinflints or savers, but the politicians and corporate panhandlers have scared the hell out of John and Joanne Q. Public, making them frugal beyond their desires. Travel is discretionary as is apparel shopping. But once the big ticket expenditures are eased back on, money becomes available for beauty products, as well as for discounted sweaters, skirts, slacks and other department store purchases.