Not Everything Is Down in the Economy

by Baltimore Spencer

A WASHINGTON POST article from 16 May said there are some things running hot in this economy. Can you guess? Well, according to sales figures: chocolate, wine and Spam are up.

From the article: “Strong sales of Spam, Dinty Moore stew and chili helped Hormel Foods Corp. post a 6 percent increase in first quarter sales in its grocery products unit….Profits in the first three months of 2009 at Hershey Co., the nation’s second-largest candy maker, surged 20 percent and beat Wall Street’s expectations. Kraft Foods Inc. reported double-digit growth in macaroni and cheese dinners _ the consummate comfort food.”

Obviuosly, people are trimming back going out and staying home more. Finding chocolate up is not surprising: it’s a feel good food. People may not be hitting the wine bars much at the moment but it doesn’t mean an era of prohibition has taken hold: thankfully, the abundance of wines makes the marketplace competitive. As for Spam: that’s a tough one: inexpensive protein or more Hawaiians are eating it. And more people are planting and growing their own vegetables, up 40% compared to two years ago.

But not all good things are also going up: “Chicago-based market researcher Information Resources Inc. reports that sales of laxative liquids and powders rose 11.5 percent for the 52 weeks ending April 19. Sales of stomach remedy tablets, including Pepto-Bismol and Phillips brands, climbed 8 percent.”

Oh, yes, gun sales and home safes are up, too.

“Total firearms sales rose 27.5 percent at Smith & Wesson for the three months ending Jan. 31. It’s not a sudden interest in hunting behind the increase; hunting firearm sales at the company declined during the quarter by 46 percent. ”

We live in a great country of guns, God and Spam. The world may seem upside down for some.  For me, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

BTW - what type of wine goes with Spam? Perhaps a nice Chateau Chesapeake Bay Embankment, last Wednesday’s vintage, will do well.

To Read the WASHINGTON POST article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/16/AR2009051600826.html

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