Look at what MMM has done now!

[frugalman]

Singlehandedly bringing down the stock market 200 points today!

Walmart reported a 0.5% drop in comp store sales today:

"The retail environment remains challenging in the U.S. and our international markets, as customers are cautious in their spending. Net sales in the first six months were below our expectations, so we are updating our forecast for net sales to grow between 2 and 3 percent for the full year versus our previous range of 5 to 6 percent," said Holley. "This revision reflects our view of current global business trends, and significant ongoing headwinds from anticipated currency exchange rate fluctuations."

[Random]

Yeah, WTH?  This is pushing off my FIRE date.

[August West]

I'm going to go to Walmart and slip things into carts when people aren't looking ;)

[mindaugas]

Bike sales should help even things out

[impaire]

Singlehandedly bringing down the stock market 200 points today!

Woohoo! Perfectly timed for my monthly injection of cash in the stock market :)

[seattlecyclone]

Indeed. I took the opportunity to put some cash into ETFs today.

[grantmeaname]

Stocks are on sale and people are buying less cardboard and plastic shit! Hell yeah!

[Nancy]

Stocks are on sale and people are buying less cardboard and plastic shit! Hell yeah!

+1 my sentiments exactly

[frugalman]

And this, from today, August 21, 2013.  Honestly, you wonder if MMM and others are beginning to have an effect on consumer spending...

(Reuters) - Target Corp (TGT) warned on Wednesday its annual profit was likely to be near the low end of its forecast as it anticipates continued cautious consumer spending, the latest retailer to signal U.S. shoppers were holding back.
Shares of Target fell to $66.88 in premarket trading after closing at $67.95 on Tuesday.

We all smirk a little at Dave Ramsey but he does have a tremendous reach.  More and more people I know have attended his seminar through their churches.  Although what he teaches is kindergarten level, the people that take this course are often quite in debt and need the baby steps and encouragement to change their financial lives.

[davisgang90]

Stocks are on sale and people are buying less cardboard and plastic shit! Hell yeah!

It's a Price Rollback!

[superhero]

I really don't like how Wall Street uses Walmart as an economic indicator. I would like to believe that people are seeing Walmart for the truly crappy company they are and they're just spending their money elsewhere. One can hope.

[oldtoyota]

And this, from today, August 21, 2013.  Honestly, you wonder if MMM and others are beginning to have an effect on consumer spending...

(Reuters) - Target Corp (TGT) warned on Wednesday its annual profit was likely to be near the low end of its forecast as it anticipates continued cautious consumer spending, the latest retailer to signal U.S. shoppers were holding back.
Shares of Target fell to $66.88 in premarket trading after closing at $67.95 on Tuesday.

We all smirk a little at Dave Ramsey but he does have a tremendous reach.  More and more people I know have attended his seminar through their churches.  Although what he teaches is kindergarten level, the people that take this course are often quite in debt and need the baby steps and encouragement to change their financial lives.

When I saw this post about Target, I was hit with the obvious fact that each Target store is HUGE. They spend so much on light, space, and keeping that space the right temperature. Loss prevention must be a challenge in so much space. So much waste in just one store!

[oldtoyota]

I really don't like how Wall Street uses Walmart as an economic indicator. I would like to believe that people are seeing Walmart for the truly crappy company they are and they're just spending their money elsewhere. One can hope.

Agreed. Sadly, I have shopped at Walmart, but I've shopped there few than 5 times total. I dislike the store, what it stands for, and it's smelly smell.

[hybrid]

When I saw this post about Target, I was hit with the obvious fact that each Target store is HUGE. They spend so much on light, space, and keeping that space the right temperature. Loss prevention must be a challenge in so much space. So much waste in just one store!

And to think, with all that waste Target is still less expensive than most stores....  This is why I love Costco so much.  I don't need frills, I want value.  And they pay their employees exceptionally well to boot.

[smedleyb]

Gas consumption too is nearly 8-9% below the 2007 peak. 

But is lower retail spending and decreased energy consumption an effect of mustachianism slowly pervading culture, a sign of overall sluggish if not depressed economic activity, or a combination of the the two?  I would say a combination, with much more weight being put on sluggish to depressed economic activity. 

[frugalman]

"But is lower retail spending and decreased energy consumption an effect of mustachianism slowly pervading culture, a sign of overall sluggish if not depressed economic activity, or a combination of the the two?  I would say a combination, with much more weight being put on sluggish to depressed economic activity."

Of course, it's maybe 95 percent the economy, and 5 percent that people are "getting it" about finances. Still, the "getting it" needle is definitely off the zero mark, which is probably because of the sluggish economy. If economic and job growth stretched forward as far as the eye could see, heck maybe I too might buy that Macbook Air gizmo on a charge card or what not. Instead, I'm relentlessly paying down what's left of my mortgage debt, as I think that's the best thing I can do at this time.

It's probably a good thing not too many of us are getting it all at once, or the economy would crater.