I Have to ask , Cause I can't ever Get it -
I Will Hear talk of a Pending Recession , I Will Hear Unemployment is Up , and Spending is Down....
Yet Every weekend everywhere we go The malls are packed , the lines are long,
Restaurants have a Line out the door ...

Target is always Packed ,
Walmart is always Packed ,

We get outbid on everything on ebay.

It all seems like Most people are spending away , Just as much as a Few Yrs. ago.



Due to Long lines at The stores , And Me waiting in them I Can see ppl paying Cash , and I Can see people are buying non necessites -
So its not all Credit card Debt.

Not to Mention , everytime I Get Gas , I Have to wait to Fill up - At a 12 Pump Place!
So Whos not Spending?
It looks to Me like spending is up. I Know it may not Be But , I Just can't see That people are too concerned with Prices.

My opinion: The media makes it sound worse. People refuse to believe that things are getting worse and are still spending. Even though gas has gone up, people still need it to go to work and school, etc.

Dh and I don't buy "things". We buy food, diapers and toiletries. We really don't go anywhere to use gas. He got a very substantial raise at work but we aren't noticing it. The price of food is eating it up. So I am going to say that I think a recession is coming if not already here.

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"It's time to move from what we can do, to what we must do, to what we will do." ~Hillary Clinton

In my small town I have noticed the gas lines do not seem to be as long but there doesn't seem to be any less traffic on the road. I've also noticed that the resturants do not seem to be as full, car wise. Is that really the case $$ wise? I don't know.

When I leave town and go to Wal Mart, Target, wherever, I do not see a difference at all. But I'm not checking the cash register either at the end of the day.

I think that a recession is here, but I don't think people are changing their habits. The nail salons are still busy, the fast food drive-thru still full of cars, restaurants still have a huge wait, and movie theaters are still packed. People are still taking or planning to take vacations. As you said, the malls and other retailers are still full. Here, on the coast, if it's a nice weekend, all the boats or yachts, big or small are on the water, regardless of the gas prices. In my community, I haven't seen a difference in how people are spending..although I don't know if they're paying with debit, credit, or cash. I just can't tell the difference between people's spending now or two years ago on non-essentials and you would think you'd be able to "see" a difference by what the media tells us.

I haven't really noticed anything different but I've changed my spending habits and have been avoiding most stores like the plague so I dont really know if anything is too different there but as far as the gas station I've noticed whenever one station is a few cents cheaper than another there are long lines at the pump.

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completely!

Oh Yeah the salons are booked!
I Have to Wait 2 weeks to Get a Hair appointment - And this is at a 40.00 Haircut place!
I Am still seeing Huge houses Being Built!
As a Matter of Fact Dh just Toured a 6,000 SF his Company just supplied windows to, Already To Go to Settlement May 1st.
I Don't Know What is Going on , But You are right , You would think that we would See some bit Of Difference.

The malls have looked Like Christmas time Traffic for Months Now.

Another Note -
My Kids Had to take their 3rd choice for summer Camp!
The program is so Full this Yr. -
And We are talking 150.- 300.00 Camps.

I haven't changed any of my habits, but I don't shop much anyway. I haven't noticed any changes when we eat out, there is still a wait.

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A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

I think it depends on the area. Also some people are always doing well in each town so a recession does not effect them to much. I have to say it is effecting me with the increase on all of the groceries + increased gas prices. Being a little more careful on spending.

It is bad in my town. Most teens cannot find a real job because adults are taking all of the jobs Sometimes I feel bad that we are doing so well when so many people in my town are doing so poorly...but I remember my husband works hard for what we have and don't feel bad any more.

Sure can't tell it by me!! UPS pulls up in front of my house several days a wk still I spend just as much as ever and so does everyone I know. I don't get it either.

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