Sixty Percent Off is the New Black

After declaring yesterday that online shopping had triumphed over stores, I read this morning that even the "luxury" stores like Saks and Bergdorf are deeply discounting now, way before the usual post-Christmas markdowns. "Sixty percent off is the new black," writes Patricia Marx in the December 8 issue of The New Yorker. I still believe that people are shopping online, but now it is a matter of weighing the cost of driving/parking against shipping. Last night SF Mayor Gavin Newsom was on TV asking SF residents to shop in San Francisco (unspoken: not online, not in outlet malls outside SF). Then someone pointed out that his new hybrid Chevy SUV official vehicle was purchased in Colma ($50,000) and the Chevy dealership on Van Ness is closing after 60+ years.

I am totally out of touch with the whole shopping thing because in October I promised my husband I wouldn't buy any new clothes until after Inauguration Day if I could just send $200 more to Obama. I also don't really have a job right now, so it has, curiously, made me feel better about myself--it's not "boohoo I can't afford to buy anything even with these incredible discounts," but more like "my priorities are good and I am so glad Obama won."