Tag discretionary spending
Here’s a thought that could make marketers miserable: Maybe discretionary spending does not make consumers happy. Ignoring economists’ declaration that the recession officially ended two years ago, Americans have continued to keep their discretionary spending — i.e., the fun kind of spending — in check. A new Harris Poll (fielded in May) found 61 percent
April may well be the cruelest month for Americans who find themselves writing fat checks to the Internal Revenue Service. But marketers should bear in mind that those unfortunates are more the exception than the rule. As the National Endowment for Financial Education notes, the IRS doled out refunds last year to 77 percent of