Holly and I went shopping yesterday to finish getting our Christmas gifts. We went to what is usually a busy mall on a Saturday.  We were shocked that it was no busier, if as busy, than just a regular Saturday.
"It's ONE WEEK until Christmas. WHERE are all the people?" she asked. When I worked at Dillards(during the time she was in college), it was just a blur from Thanksgiving until Christmas."
And the sales the stores already were offering were amazing. Every single item was 30 to 50 per cent off. Plus, any purchase over a certain amount automatically generated anywhere from 15 to 30 dollars more off. And I am not just talking the stores with cheaper merchandise. I am talking EVERY single store.
We got some amazing buys for pennys on the dollar. "We never took a markdown on ANYTHING until AFTER Christmas," Holly added.Â
It really brought home to us two things--first and foremost just how bad the economy really is; secondly, that a lot more people must be buying online, which normally will always be cheaper than comparable merchandise in the stores.