Recession Busters

USA Today released a story yesterday about retail items that are bucking the economic downturn . While some of the items seem obvious (of course Kraft Dinner growth is in the double digits) but certain other products and industries that may not be obvious are shining right now too. Did you know that sales of condoms, laxatives and running shoes are actually increasing?

If you'd like to see what else is shaking things up in this downturn along with my *cough* expert analysis, hit that "READ MORE" button below.

Hershey reported sales up 20%

People are stressing out and are turning to "comfort food". For many, like myself, that's junkie stuff like chocolate. Speaking of, it was only last year when I realized that Hershey's Kisses are nothing more than large chocolate chips. Branding totally got me on that one.


Condom sales up 5%

The article says that maybe these hard times are putting people in the mood. I don't know about that, but I think that if I'm not in a financial position to raise a child, I would take more precautions to make sure I don't accidently become a parent. Just for fun and loosely related, I'd recommend checking out the Durex Sex Survey results for the state of lovemaking around the world. The latest one isn't as in-depth as in previous years, so if the latest version intrigues you, Google search older results.


match.com is seeing its best performance in 7 years

People in tough economic times need love, too. Maybe now more than ever. I don't really have anything other than that.


Home vegetable gardens projected to grow (no pun intended) 40% this year

I can see this coming from a couple of things. Seeds are a cheaper initial investment. They may be cheaper in the long run. Also, the trend towards natural and organic foods may have something to do with it.


Laxative sales up 11.5% in the last year

Um...


Images and statistics from USA Today

READ MORE

As the Poor Get Poorer, the Rich Retreat

One of the podcasts I subscribe to is BBC's Documentaries podcast. Like 60 Minutes, the stories they cover really open up my mind to a lot of different subject matter that I normally wouldn't delve into on my own, such as the trafficking of children, how people living in the oppressive USSR got a hold of Beatles music in the 60's and the threat of the Yiddish language disappearing.

However, the episode I do want to discuss today is a subject that has become increasingly relevant to us all: the economy. It's supposedly not just the poor people being hurt in this downturn; rich people are feeling the pressure too. The BBC put together a piece called The Rich in Retreat, which is one of my favourite pieces from the BBC to date, regardless of my feelings towards that segment of the population.

The struggles of lower and middle class citizens have been well-documented in the media. For a lot of us, we don't need the media to tell us that things are bad. We can see the effects of the downturn in our everyday lives, whether that's those around us our ourselves who are suffering. But there's another side to the story that the average person would probably detest more than ever: the life of the wealthy in this downturn. The actions of AIG a few months ago didn't help, and the disdain towards the wealthy is more fierce than ever.

This podcast tries to get into the hearts and minds of the wealthy during this crunch. It includes interviews with those who live in the upper-crust, while covering the struggles they go through and the personal greed that ultimately caused this financial crisis in the first place. One of the highlights of this piece is an interview with a multi-millionaire who ended up in jail after being convicted of fraud and tax evasion.

After hearing their stories, do you feel bad for them? Do you hate them even more? Do you think they really understand the problems that the average person is feeling right now?

Give it a listen by clicking on the picture below, and come to your own conclusions. I'd love to hear what you think as well. Drop me a comment on the blog and let's discuss.

Assignment - Rich in Retreat

If you'd like to hear more BBC Documentaries podcasts, you can check out their web page, or subscribe to it on iTunes.


Images from Connect Michigan and the BBC

READ MORE