Delos Smith
Delos Smith
consumers kept retailers
I think consumers are more cautious, and I think the retailers have kept inventories well under control.
certainly consumer effect gas mean negative numbers prices retail sales seen weekly
We haven't yet seen the negative effect of gas prices on consumer spending. It's certainly not here in these numbers. That doesn't mean it's not there. Certainly the weekly retail sales numbers have been sluggish.
consumer defensive nervous uncertain
You do have a defensive consumer. If the consumer is very nervous and uncertain about what is going to be happening, you don't know how they're going to react.
adjust consumers economic economy economy-and-economics growth mean view
We boosted economic growth in one quarter, but that doesn't mean it's sustainable. We still have a long-range view that the economy is changing, and consumers will have to adjust to it.
buy consumer consumers current everybody involved people pleasure
You want the consumer buoyant. Most consumers are not current-events oriented. When you get everybody involved in current events, when they usually are not, then people are not going to go out and buy things just for pleasure of it.
bargain buying consumers impulse offering talking thinks
Consumers right now are bargain hunters, and that's what Wal-Mart is talking about. If you're offering a bargain and the consumer thinks it will go away, you'll get the consumer to buy, but there is no impulse buying going on.
based consumers fourth july needs nice salary spending starts wage
Consumers had a nice July and August. Unfortunately, they're on their own for the fourth quarter, which starts on Wednesday. Going into 2004, spending is going to be based on wage and salary growth, which needs a boost.
consumer drop five percent perhaps retailers season stimulus tax
The five percent drop is shocking. It indicates that perhaps the consumer tax rebate stimulus that benefited retailers during the back-to-school season has petered out.
consumers economy eye front gas generally global happening jobs keeping prices remain terms
The economy is generally chugging along. From the consumers' perspective, jobs remain an important issue. Consumers will also be keeping an eye on gas prices and what happening on the global front in terms of terrorism.
job people promises seeing though
People are seeing we're not getting job growth, even though there have been a lot of promises of it. That's the key; for people to be satisfied, you have to have job growth.
extremely june numbers weakness weather
June numbers were extremely strong, which suggests May's weakness really was the weather -- that it was not just an excuse.
certainly low mean report start takes time turning
When it's as low as it was, it takes time to start turning it around. Today's report doesn't mean there's a boom, but it certainly is encouraging.
absolutely pressures price
There are absolutely no price pressures in our system.
concerns darkness parts
There are parts of the world that are in darkness and that concerns me.