mens underwear sales up/ leading indicator of a recovery?

[cleveramerican]

according to those that know Men stop buying underwear in recession.
we just keep on wearing the ones we got.
Last month mens underwear sales went up 5%.
after 16 months of decline.
I bought a 5 pack to celebrate.
So buy some new ones for your country today.

[Skittles]

1. men buy their own underwear?

[cleveramerican]

2. well.... you got a point

yesterday I did anyway

[HelenWheels]

17. Usually only when they want some fancy ones for their mistress

Don't get your knickers in a knot, it's a joke - sort of.

[Kahuna]

19. Yeppers! And that's always a sure sign that they're messing around..

:rofl:

[liberal N proud]

3. Just as the recession is really coming home for me

The last several months have seen some steep cuts in benefits and compensation for me. But prices keep going the opposite way.

[Historic NY]

4. Winters coming.

[madrchsod]

5. i did too...but they were made in canada

we no longer make underwear in the usa.

[madrchsod]

6. delete

[NNN0LHI]

7. I need socks too. All mine have holes in them

There may be something to this theory.

Don

[NecklyTyler]

8. It could be a sign that things are getting worse

People don't have enough money to buy food, so they are losing weight.

There is a good supply of used clothes at yard sales and the thrift shops, but no underwear.

It goes right along with the cliche 'tightening the belt'

[Dennis Donovan]

11. ...or, the last year has been so scary that we all shit our pants.

...and need to replace our soiled boxers.;)

[NecklyTyler]

13. Oh please sir, I wear briefs, (at least until they become soiled)

[OnyxCollie]

20. It's action trunks for me.

[saltpoint]

9. I hadn't realized underwear sales were such a crucial gauge of a

recovering economy. I'm inclinced to join in and go buy a pack but kind of wish the purchase came with a free cold beer. I wonder if that can be arranged.

[chemp]

10. WARNING didnt need to know that WARNING

I recently bought some because the A/C was out in my building, the temp neared 100 degrees and I could wring my current pair out!

Economic indicators my now dry butt!

[fasttense]

15. Yeah, here in rural TN, the cost of electricity doubled and a lot of people

are not using their AC. I guess you go through more underwear when you don't run the AC.

[Uben]

12. There's a logical explanation for increase in sales....

...this last market plunge caused a lot of guys to crap their pants when they saw their portfolios. They are just now getting around to replacing the ones with skid marks!

[elocs]

14. Since I subscribe to the single guy's laundry philosophy

that if you have enough clean socks and underwear you can put off doing laundry indefinitely, I buy underwear regularly (at maybe a buck a pair it is not costly). In fact, I have even purchased socks and underwear in order to avoid having to do laundry for a week.

[Historic NY]

21. I subscribe to the sock theory of buying matching ones for those eaten by the laundry monster

[elocs]

24. My socks all match since they are all white.

Again, the single guy's simplicity approach. Which is also why I do laundry about once a month (the important thing is having enough underwear and socks for a month) and get it all over with in a couple of hours.

[Historic NY]

25. exactly.

[Deja Q]

16. No. It's because underwear develops holes after 3 months of use; cheap fabric quality...

the "new normal" in the "new economy" where it's about 'value'... with "value" meaning only expense costs, not anything that really qualifies under the definition of "value":

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/value
(See definitions 1 and 3)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0412/p13s01-usec.html
One of many articles discussing "value", "new economy", "new normal", and the other Orwellian newspeak... :)

Anyone can get workers, and call them better even if the quality isn't up to par with pig shit, claiming we have an overabundance of workers:
http://www.minyanville.com/articles/BKX-Bernanke-SRS-SG...

We have an overabundance of bad management too, overpaid (at the cost of the workers)...


Though I wouldn't mind being an entrepreneur...

[SpiralHawk]

18. Did they apply the Fudgie Factor in this anal ysis?

You can't trust the data without the Fudgie Factor.

[peekaloo]

23. the chart will feature skid marks as indicators.

[zbdent]

22. Personally, I don't need to see men's underwear go down ...

but that's me ... I'm straight ...