I rarely get things on sale.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate thrift, it’s just that the thrill of snatching something up at the last minute for a great deal can’t compare to the security of knowing something is mine already.
And in this…I am an outlier.
Or at least at the flatter end of the bell curve than I used to be. More and more people, who are smarter and less covetous than me, are assuming the risk and waiting to pounce like the retail panthers they are.
Just not enough people lately.
According to Forbes, supply chain issues caused by all the sickness and death spooked perpetually out-of-stock retailers into buying up more than customers could actually buy, leading to steep extended discounts in October to make room for end-of-year stock, which…flopped.
Despite the multiple extended Black Friday sales and the grand tradition of chokeslamming strangers over discounted appliances finally returning after two years of limited physical retail experiences, November was a little less turkey dinner and a little more turkey sandwich for retailers with a sharp drop of .6%.
A small number, yes, but big in comparison to the last drop of December 2021. Nothing I personally want to cry about, but my megayacht isn’t in danger of needing Swarovski instead of real crystal for the fixtures.
Analysts expect Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas, to have dramatically made up for the lack of expected November numbers as chronic last-minute shoppers grind for gifts, but as of the time of writing, the numbers aren’t available.
But with everything rising in price, as wages continue to stay stagnant, their confidence could just be over-optimism.
What will we unwrap with the end-of-year reports? Will the downward shift continue as inflation fears spur shoppers in different directions regardless of what they celebrate?
We’ll see in 2023! Whee!
You can't spell "Together" without TGOT: That Goth Over There. Staff Writer, April Bingham, is that goth; and she's all about building bridges— both metaphorically between artistry and entrepreneurship, and literally with tools she probably shouldn't be allowed to learn how to use.
