Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
Well Wooch, I know the investment world is living in fear of the prospect of consumers holding off buying today out of anticipation for yet even bigger price cuts tomorrow.

Consumers think they're smarter these days (and many are). They know in a tough economy that demand drops and exerts downward price pressure (ignoring supply adjustments of course).

What we're wondering is if buyers' wide-spread belief of a better price later can actually force retail's hand to lower prices even more now. This is a nasty recipe for deflation, which is devastating and brutally hard to get out of.

Hope the data holds up and people are spending at a reasonable pace at least.

We might not know until much later, and here's a case where perceptions might adversely influence reality...
If they send me another "Economic Stimulus" check, I'll spend it at a reasonable pace, at the very least.