NOTEWORTHY ...

The holiday buying season may suffer for reasons other than the recent slump in the economy, predicts Michael Smith, professor of marketing, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa. "The graying population has taken the bloom off the rose, somewhat. It means fewer kids coming down the pipeline and a different kind of Christmas celebration." Empty nesters, he notes, often leave the nest themselves and travel for the holidays, either abroad or to warmer climates, taking a healthy slice out of their disposable income.

America's teens and pre-teens spend about $105,000,000,000 annually, indicates James Lowry, professor of marketing, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. This makes them a major target for the nation's retailers, especially since a vast number of these youths have disposable income from part-time jobs and many handle family shopping duties.

A toast to the Windy City. Among those who give champagne as a gift, Chicagoites rank number-one, according to a marketing report from 800 Spirits, a national telephone/Internet service for liquor, wine, cigars, and gourmet food baskets. Rounding out the list of top-10 champagne cities are New York, Boston, Washington, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Kansas City (Mo.), Honolulu, and Memphis.

White liberals are just as angry as conservatives about affirmative action, though they are less willing to admit it, according to Edward Carmines of Indiana University, Bloomington, and Paul Sniderman of Stanford (Calif.) University, authors of Reaching Beyond Race. Nevertheless, many whites have positive feelings toward blacks and favor policies that help the deserving disadvantaged, regardless of race.

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