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Technology Stocks : Y2K (Year 2000) Stocks: An Investment Discussion

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To: David Eddy who wrote (13476)1/3/1999 5:39:00 PM
From: John Mansfield  Read Replies (1) of 13949
 
'Other possible indicators? I was out shopping yesterday. My usual weekend trip. As long as I was in town, I decided to stop by department stores like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Radio Shack and a couple of others. Noted obvservations:

* All department stores were sold out of oil lamps. Totally.

* Large plastic containers (toybox size and smaller) were 95-98% sold out at the larger stores and were selling at a rapid pace as I stood and watched. Comments overheard pertained mostly to customers' concerns over the containers being "rodent proof". One lady mentioned something about needing several +large+ plastic containers for "Christmas decorations" .. alluding to her old one being made of wood and smelling "rather musty". Most simply grabbed several boxes and were off rather hastily.

* The bleach section at Wal-Mart was 99% bare yet bleach wasn't (and hadn't been) on sale.

* 12 volt DC compressors were sold out at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. (Forgot to check on these while I was in the other stores.)

* Canned meats were sold out at K-Mart and nearly so at Wal-Mart.

* A Radio Shack store manager (5 years in that position) mentioned that unlike previous years, sales of alkaline batteries had not slacked off after Christmas .. and sales of rechargeable batteries were actually moving =up= instead of down as had happened in previous years after the Christmas buying rush was over ...

* While standing in Wal-Mart, one couple looking at the large plastic bags was heard to say something to each other about the bags being large enough to hold "the sleeping bags" and other things. Sleeping bags?? I'm in the upper midwest in the middle of a massive snowstorm. Camping isn't likely to be on the minds of folks around here at the moment...

.. now then .. given that I've never previously paid attention to these items as "barometers" .. the situations may all be typical for the period after Christmas .. perhaps the nasty weather has delayed shipments? ... and then again...

-- Dan (DanTCC@Yahoo.com), January 03, 1999.

...

greenspun.com
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