posted on December 11, 2000 11:30:42 PM new
Remember that a couple weeks ago, I said everyone rushes out the day after Thanksgiving to do their Christmas shopping because they've learned that the low prices offered then are never-to-be-seen again??? Here is a quote from the above article about Walmart's disappointing sales the last few weeks:
"Most retailers have seen shopping traffic fall off considerably since a burst of activity over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in November."
The stores here were PACKED then. This weekend they were empty.
posted on December 12, 2000 04:57:11 AM new
I wonder if that means there will be mobs & riots at the stores a few days before Christmas??
I actually think there may be sort of a trend away from giving material things as gifts, and more towards giving "experiences". In my little circle of friends we tend to take each other out, or buy restaurant gift certificates & concert tickets as gifts for each other. I am not sure if we are atypical but I don't think we are completely alone.
posted on December 12, 2000 06:15:55 AM new
CAgrrl
Well retailers wouldn't like us - we don't exchange gifts at all. A few years back in our disgust with the commercialism of Christmas, one day my husband made a simple but dramatic comment. He said, "I have never understood why we give gifts at Christmas....my mother use to tell me we give to each other to show Christ's love and because we can't directly give to Him....and then she rationalized that we give gifts because the wise men did."
That didn't seem logical to him and all of the sudden he said, you know Christmas is "SUPPOSE" to be a celebration of the Birth of Christ - BUT it is like someone is throwing Christ a huge birthday party, but when Christ gets there, everyone is singing about Snowmen, and Chestnuts, and giving gifts to each other, and Christ is totally left out."
That made such an impact when we thought about it, that then and there we stopped the giving of gifts to anyone other than the Lord. We thought about his Mom's reasoning, and realized that one the Wise men comparison was ridiculous because 1. They didn't get to the Christ Child till long after his birth, and that the reason they brought gifts was because it was traditional to bring such to any Monarch." We considered his mother's other explanation about giving to each other because we couldn't actually give to Christ, and realized we could, that Christ told us that whatever we did unto the "least of these," we had done to Him.
Before someone tells me that Christ wasn’t born on December 25, yes, I am aware of that also.
So, now we give donations to Prison Ministries; to the ministries who are paying to free the Christian Slaves in the Sudan; to ministries who help widows and children; etc., to ministries who are supporting ministers in countries where Christianity is suppressed and ministers are persecuted, we make these donations in our friend’s and loved one’s names, and on Christmas give them a card and a letter telling them where we donated in their name to Celebrate Christ’s Birthday.
This has worked wonderfully for us, it has made this time of year truly meaningful, and for us has returned the true celebration of Christ's Birth.
posted on December 12, 2000 06:23:01 AM new
Had to add this - this week my sister-in-law, who loves to rationalize all that she does, wrote me an e-mail and told me that she and her family were going to go back to celebrating a true, Old Fashion Christmas, original type Christmas celebration....which to her means adding a few religious Christmas Carols to their celebration.
I told her I was just thrilled to hear that, since there was really no such thing as an "old fashion" Christmas, since the early Christians didn't celebrate Christ's birthday at all!!
That was no the insight she expected, I am sure.
I sent the Shepherd & Schnauzer out to walk in the yard!!!
posted on December 12, 2000 02:32:45 PM new
How do you get such cute animations like the Shepard and Schnauser?? I am very slow to this computer learning but it sure is fun since retiring at 72 years young ! Thanks for replying if you care to. Dana
Goingslow
But if you go to any of the major search engines and just put in FREE CLIP ART you will find thousands to chose from. You just save them to your photo or graphic program on your computer by right clicking on the gif, and saving them to your own computer, and they are yours. I then FTP them to one of my holding sites, and then I can put them in ads, notes, e-mail, message boards, etc.
posted on December 12, 2000 06:59:31 PM new
Wal-Mart stores in my area are doing a booming business! Can't get through the parking lots or the stores. And you better not be in a hurry when it comes to check-out time...cause it is gonna take a while there!!
"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."---Mark Twain
posted on December 12, 2000 07:12:05 PM new
Re Walmart - Apparently they need to be REEEEEALLY booming if they want to make their numbers.
Personally, I see sales in places that never have sales, very few sell outs, well stocked shelves, etc. There is no doubt that spending has pulled back. Every chain reports the same. Federated, all of them.
posted on December 12, 2000 09:31:27 PM new
I was at Wally World Super Store today and the parking lot was packed full.....busy, busy.....same with our regular Wal-Mart...quite busy.
BUT we are in a rural area, and even though there is a Large Mall about 15 miles South, most folks basically shop at Wal-Mart....no real competition here....
posted on December 14, 2000 09:07:10 AM new
Late response to JWPC: Thanks for animation info...will try. And to HEYGRAPE: 'old' but not very broad at 126#. I loved the rocker!!!!!
Goingslow
"SEATTLE (Reuters) - In an unprecedented earnings warning by the world's
top software company, Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday that its quarterly
profits would miss forecasts by 5 to 6 percent, dragged down by an
industry-wide slump in consumer and business sales.>>>>>
>>>>Evidence suggests consumers are not buying the big-ticket items like cars,
household appliances and personal computers that kept the economy zinging
for much of the Clinton years.
Just this week, automaker General Motors Corp. said it will miss its profit
forecasts and cut nearly 4 percent of its worldwide workforce, while
appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. also warned earnings will fall short and
said it will cut as many as 6,000 jobs, or 10 percent of its workforce.
On Thursday, Whirlpool rival Maytag Corp. said lower-than-expected sales
would cause it to miss fourth-quarter earnings estimates, and New York
banks Chase Manhattan Corp. and J.P. Morgan & Co. Inc. said their
earnings would fall substantially below Wall Street estimates and that their
expected merger would result in 5,000 job cuts.>>>>>
