I stopped at a Redbox in Dover Township this afternoon and was not pleased to discover that the popular DVD rental kiosk had raised its price from $1 to $2 per night.
What's up with that?
Redbox made its name by renting DVD's for $1 per night, a good and inexpensive form of entertainment during this time of recession.
My first inclination, as if I was personally slighted, is to stop renting from Redbox. What do you think?
I have to believe that residents are doing double takes as they cruise past local gas stations.
In the past week, the average price of regular gas has jumped 17 cents from $2.416 to $2.59 per gallon, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Driving to work this morning, I spotted a few stations that had bumped prices to $2.65 per gallon.
What's up with that? I have a theory.
The value of the dollar, thanks to stimulus money and bailouts, has tanked and remains at its lowest point in more than a year. To make up for that shortfall, investors have turned to oil and gold for their monetary ventures.
That leaves the rest of us pump poor. I wonder how high gas prices will go this time? Are we looking at $4 a gallon, again?
Currently, York County is home to 98 retail spaces that measure more than 20,000 square feet, according to Rock Commercial Real Estate in York.
Of those 98 spaces, 21 are currently vacant or soon to be vacant.
Based on the downturn in economy, it's been tough for developers to fill those spaces with traditional retailers.
If not retailers, what type of business should fill those properties?
Churches? Gyms? Daycare centers?
What do you think?
If you need a really good example of how people think differently about their money nowadays, here's one for you. It used to be that when I'd get gift cards for Christmas, I thought of them as free money. It didn't count as cash in my pocket, so I could spend it however I darn well pleased.
Now, with gift cards at my disposal this post-Christmas, I'm thinking of them as part of the sheer number of dollars I have at my disposal for the purchases I need to make. Every "dollar" counts.
So instead of getting a new pair of pants at work cuz I haven't had a new pair in a while, I'm going to sew a rip in a pair hanging in the closet and keep that money (note: I'm not calling it a gift card) for when I positively need a pair of pants (think a hole I can't cover up no matter how hard a try).
So tell me, if you got a gift card for Christmas, how are you doing to spend it differently?
Prices consumers are charged for the stuff they buy fell by a record 1 percent in October. Then this morning, the news comes out that prices in November fell by 1.7 percent, eclipsing the old record.
The statistic makes sense. Retailers like Bon-Ton and Boscov's and everyone else are going gangbusters with sales -- sales lower prices -- and promotions to get people to buy. It's basic supply and demand, when consumers aren't demanding like they used to.
But then why are some people worried this is a bad thing?
Well, it is. I don't miss the penny or two on the dollar that I'm charged as much as a retailer or manufacturer misses a penny or two on the dollar when they are selling thousands upon thousands of products.
Then people lose their jobs, and don't have any pennies left.
People can and will debate as to why retailers such as Office Depot are closing stores. Most contend that the economy is caught in such a downward spiral that many big-box stores can't make enough money to stay open.
The answer to that is yes and no. The economy is down, not dead.
I have never been inside a major department store where the aisles were completely devoid of customers. Look, people are buying less, but that's a good thing.
Customers are finally doing what that they should have been doing from the begining: sticking to buying the things that they need.
People aren't cutting back on toothpaste or bread.
They're cutting back on DVDs and trips to their favorite restaurants. If you want a bailout, stick to buying the things that you need. Cut back on buying the junk that you want.
I've said before that the best way to see the marketplace clean itself up is to buy from companies and from producers that you agree with. And since everyone is being more careful spending money nowadays, now is a great time to get into the habit.
Case in point was Monday morning, when between a very early Mass and an assignment at Flinchbaugh Engineering, I stopped by a local big-box retailer to pick up a Christmas gift card for my sister and her boyfriend.
(They both live in Boston so they'll never see this. And if they do, sorry Ashleigh and Mike.)
I also had to pick up some feet warmers and hand warmers for this coming Saturday, the last day of rifle deer season. But I had my reservations about buying them at this particular big-box retailer. So I checked the "made in" information on both of them.
One said "Assembed in U.S.A. and the other said "Made in Japan." I was comfortable with both of them, as you are hard-pressed to find anything made totally in the U.S. anymore, and Japan has fairly a decent labor standards to the best of my knowledge.
Then, a pair of wool mittens caught my eye. They were the kind that have pop-out finger holes to allow easy access to a gun trigger, and my pair like them is made of a noisy plastic-like material.
But then, I took a look at the "made in" information: "Made in China" exclusively for the aforementioned big-box retailer.
I didn't buy them. And I saved myself a few dollars in the process.
The Sunday after Halloween, my wife and I were driving near Target in West Manchester Township. What a traffic nightmare! Cars were everywhere, trying to make the turn into the shopping centers in the area.
I couldn't believe it. Was this the new Black Friday?
I haven't really see the crowds since - and I live nearby and drive through there a good bit. Has the peak of the shopping season past us? And regardless, who started shopping so darn early this year?
I think it was people doing their shopping before things got worse, when they'd be able to talk themselves out of getting gifts for people, or really wouldn't have the money for it. But I could be crazy, too.
What do you think?
Retail stores are really hurting and just about everyone is pointing a finger at the economy.
Even with the government stimulus checks, stores like Steve & Barry's and Boscov's filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and BonTon earnings took a hit.
The last time I went shopping was to buy a dress for my friend's wedding. I can't even remember the last time I shopped for fun and not necessity.
When was the last time you shopped for fun?
