Normally I avoid all stores on December 26.ﾃつ I’m not much on crowds and trying to fight my way through folks digging through the discount bins is definitely not the way I want to spend the day after Christmas.ﾃつ This year, though, I needed groceries.ﾃつ If we hadn’t been totally out of dog food and toilet paper I probably would’ve put my trip off until the 27th.ﾃつ As it was, I had no choice but to brave a trip to the supermarket.ﾃつ So, I decided to try the Super Wal-Mart so the kids could spend some of their gift money and I only had to set foot in one store on what is typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The parking lot at WalMart was barely half full.ﾃつ Once inside, the crowd was no larger than any other Wednesday.ﾃつ And, it wasn’t for lack of markdowns.ﾃつ Throughout the store, we found items on clearance at 40% off original prices.ﾃつ We were there mid-morning, and I saw no evidence there had been a large rush earlier in the day.ﾃつ Most of the shelves (even the holiday ones) were still nearly full.

After browsing the toy section, the girls asked to go to Toys R Us for a few specific items they wanted.ﾃつ If Wal Mart was any indication of the crowd level elsewhere, I figured I could handle another store.ﾃつ We grabbed the few groceries we needed, dropped them by the house and headed to the toy store.ﾃつ We saw only a handful of people there as well.ﾃつ The girls found everything they were looking for and we were back home within an hour.

The lack of shoppers has me concerned that our economy is continuing to go the wrong direction. ﾃつ The $555 billion spending bill signed by President Bush a few days ago does little to ease my mind.ﾃつ According to what I’ve read, that amount will only fund government agencies through September 2008.ﾃつ What the heck?ﾃつ No wonder consumer confidence in the American economy is in the toilet!

Tags: Current Events, Holidays, Shopping