HOLIDAY RETAIL: WHAT IF IT'S ALL A CROCK?

If we think back to recent years past, there are always reports that Black Friday is down and the season is shorter and the spending is not going to save retail store and they're going to have to put more stuff on sale sooner and cheaper and pretty much the sky is falling. Then, we get the after-holidays report and spending was up two percent.

Now, I realize the wallpaper for this year has been a little different. There is credit and housing crunch and unemployment is up. On the other hand, the government has been putting money into circulation like your stereotypical drunken sailor.

What if it's all a lie or miscalculation again this time? What if fewer people spent about the same gross money at holiday time? How could we rely on media reports for anything financial if they have misinformed us on this one? What does that all say about the division of wealth in this country?

I'm not saying that will happen but I am saying we've heard this holiday song before and the last stanza has been pretty much the same every time. As they say in the NFL "Won't know till I see film."