Word: spend
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According to Beemer's research, 51.5% of consumers plan to spend less this year, compared with 40.1% who said they'd cut back a year ago. Retailers have been quick to trumpet how their more manageable inventory levels and smaller staffs will help control costs. But such cuts could backfire against them. Over 41% of shoppers, as opposed to 21% in 2008, say they will leave stores that are short-handed or have long lines at the register. If cash-strapped customers already feel a little guilty about shopping to begin with, they'll look for any excuse to head...
...attractive deals can always trump fiscal responsibility. And plenty of retailers are offering incentives for husbands and wives to stuff each other's stockings. "In general, retailers realize that shoppers don't have as much money," says John Vincent, founder of BlackFriday.info. "They know you're not going to spend $1,000 on a TV. So they are emphasizing deals for smaller, more practical, more giftable items." Vincent points to Target, which on Black Friday will be selling $3 coffeemakers, toasters and sandwichmakers. Not exactly stuff that tugs at the heartstrings on Christmas morning, but hey, it's the thought...
Despite the temptation to spend, many spouses are still skipping the gift exchange. Matt Batt, a public relations executive from Chicago, and his wife usually spend about $200 on presents for each other. This year, they're cutting spousal gifts entirely, opting to spend that money on their 19-month-old second child and other family members. "This doesn't mean we love each other any less," says Batt. "We just want to do what's right for the Christmas spirit." Batt's a nice Santa for his son. But for companies that are counting on Dad's splurging...
...boxer a projection of the migrant dreams of the many Filipinos who leave home and country for work. About 10% of the Philippines' GDP is money remitted from overseas Filipinos: nurses, nannies, sailors, singers, doctors, cooks, X-ray technicians, mail-order brides, construction workers, prostitutes, priests, nuns. Some spend decades abroad, away from the ones they love, for the sake of the ones they love. Everyone in the Philippines knows a person who has made the sacrifice or is making it. Pacquiao gives that multitude a champion's face of selflessness: the winner who takes all and gives...
Many of these short-term voluntourism projects involve hard work. The Mandarin Oriental in Miami, for instance, offers a two-night package in which guests spend a morning removing invasive plants and assisting with recycling programs in Everglades National Park. The Fairmont Mission Inn and Spa in Sonoma, Calif., recently invited guests to help fix up a hiking trail...