2 posts and columns on discretionary purchases

Voices

CES Economist: Gadgets Are Necessities Now

in News on January 7, 2009 at 2:27 pm PT

Yes, this may be the worst recession America has seen since World War II. But the people who are bringing us the Consumer Electronics Show would like to point out that sales of tech products are actually faring pretty well when compared to what happened during previous recessions.

Voices

Bernstein Downgrades Amazon, eBay on Macro Concerns

in News on December 19, 2008 at 6:03 am PT

Bernstein analyst Jeffrey Lindsay has cut his ratings on both Amazon and eBay, noting that the large majority of goods on both sites are discretionary purchases, and that–of course–the current environment has people focusing more on worries about unemployment and home foreclosure than spending money on nonessential goods.