“I’m Still Standing,” Say Consumers

This holiday season, U.S. polls are reporting more confidence in the economy — but not because consumers have more money to spend than they did last year.  Because the economy is still sputtering, overall retail sales this holiday season are likely to be flat or only slightly up.  The confidence may instead be coming from a shift in expectations and habits.  Recession-driven consumer shopping patterns that many people assumed were temporary are now becoming permanent. 

In “‘I’m Still Standing,’ Say Consumers,” in the Autumn 2012 St.....