The North Carolina Bankruptcy Information Blog

It’s that time of year again: we’re heading into the holidays with Thanksgiving as the first great meal marker on the road to a season normally full of spending. Every November in the United States, Americans sit down at their dinner tables on the fourth Thursday of the month to give thanks for the all the things they’re grateful for that year. But, the following day, we shop.

Still stuffed to the gills with turkey, mashed potatoes and pies, we tend to turn (however slowly) to the full-blown holiday season, heading to malls, stores, and outlets to get ready for gifting.…

During the early part of the new Millennium, as the economy blossomed and business was booming, “Shopping ‘Til You Drop” was far from a foreign concept. From luxury electronics purchases to cultivating closets full of clothes, Americans made a habit of spending as much as they made as they also spent tons of time in malls, outlets and stores. But according to a recent series about the state of the American consumer from The Associated Press, and as reported by The Huffington Post, those days of unconscious spending seem to be over, even as the economy bounces back, giving way to a more “surgical” approach aimed at spending economy, especially among lower-income consumers.…

For Americans laboring in long department stores lines, hot off the hunt for holiday deals, the cashier question “would you like to save 10% on your purchase today?” can be as common as a seasonal cold. And for well-known retailers seeking to make a profit this Christmas shopping season—from Target to World Market—pitching a retail credit card with the promise of an initial discount is an innovative way to make them fast money and you financially miserable.

With department stores facing tough financial times, they’re depending on customers just like you to buy more and more during the traditionally consumer-driven holiday season.…