The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index jumped to 54.9 for May from 40.8 last month – well beyond the average 42.3 predicted by economists.
The housing market continues to fall, GM is headed for chapter 11 despite all the bailout funding thrown at it, and unemployment looms overhead. The CCI seems to defy all other indicators. Have the people decided to follow their leadership over the cliff and attempt to spend their way out of the economic morass?
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I keep telling people — near D.C. here — stores, shops, the mall, the movie theater, the hardware stores — it’s all crowded.
From Home Goods to Lowe’s to DSW Shoes to BestBuy to Target to any grocery store — it’s people SHOPPING and BUYING. Now, I don’t know how much money they’re spending, but they’re out there and they’re in line buying something!!
And here I am standing in line with my bazillion coupons at the groc., but I’m waiting in line, bec. there’s that many people SHOPPING.
And the restaurants are what kill me — I can’t afford to go out to eat all the time like that. But if I go run errands at lunch — Olive Garden, Applebee’s, Red Lobster, Long Horn — parking lots all full. Now, that can’t be people in there just looking around.
And I see the same thing on the way home — at 5:00 there’s already people going in to eat.
If you were going to save $$$ , wouldn’t restaurant food be the place to save???
I don’t get it. Over in Virginia on Memorial Day weekend there was a grand opening for one of the car dealerships!!
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