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well, I'm right
today's LA TIMES reports that gas prices play a significant role in the 2.4% drop in retail sales this past April - the worst in decades.... and yes, this does have an impact on all of us - read it - very in depth perspective on why this is so significant....
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...ck=1&cset=true
I was reading something similar on CNN.
Walmart sales worst since 1980 and other retailers dropping up to 16% in sales. Isn't the U.S. going through a major housing slump right now as well with massive foreclosures? Greedy oil men. I bet a lot of greedy republicans (not Reps. in general, just the greedy "screw anyone" Reps.) that own homes and retail businesses, who normally are happy to screw their Grandma for a nickel, are feeling a bit screwed right now. What do you think?
The way I look at it, consumers are being squeezed like a pimple getting ready to pop - you've got increasing gas on one side and increasing bank charges through credit card fees and service charges on the other and, there are declining home sales on yet another side while goods and services continue to climb skyward
like the article states, some people are overwhelmed and have stopped buying goods and services and surviving on the minimum
now of course, the people most affected do not represent our Tony&Cam consumer - we tend to be in the Saks Fifth Avenue end of the spectrum and like Saks, Inc. have increased our net sales dramatically over the past months.
however, all of this does have an impact on us directly - how we budget for upcoming projects, where we shop, where we dine, where and what we buy and how often - with gas prices in our nearby service stations at $4.10 for premium, we're staying pretty close to home
interestingly, this has no visible affect on our neighbors who continue to roll around in huge new luxury automobiles (Bentleys and Range Rovers in particular) and are enjoying their wealth while they can.... they can't keep Mercedes in stock and Saks Fifth still has lines of cars pulling up to the valet... what are they all doing right?
we're happy to keep our Jeep rolling around and I must admit that we are getting better milage now that I put some oil in the engine - couldn't figure out where that knocking was coming from until I noticed that my oil pressure had bottomed out between 0 and 20!
I want that cute little mercedes around town people mover - Cam thinks I'm in insane.... I keep telling him that I'm not insane, I'm just plain, old nuts!
I'm thinking this should be fine for around town - groceries, lube, cleaners, the beach, dinner at Norm's, etc. - Cam thinks it looks too small and that we'll look ridiculous crawling out of this "thing" as he puts it when we pull up to a leather club
I say that we will leave it at home when we go "out" and will use something more aproppriate from our stable for appearances - bikes work, jeep works, even the jet packs for dramatic entrances work...
can't beat the millage - I think it runs on one cup of gasoline or something
those tires do look a little small - maybe we could hoist the whole fucker up a couple of feet, strip the top and doors off, give it a roll bar, search light/foglight treatment and turn it into a dune buggy for our romps on Pismo Beach