We will never surrender

摘要

Never in the field of human commerce have so many spent so much on so lit-tle―and then wondered whether he will really like it. America's holiday shopping season began in spectacular style last week. On November 29th, the day after Thanksgiving, Wal-Mart, the country's retail giant, took in $1.4 billion at its tills―a 14% rise over 2001 and the firm's biggest one-day taking ever. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, three out of every four consumers were out shopping last weekend―and they appeared to be spending freely. Sales for the weekend were running 12% above last year, according to ShopperTrak RCT, a firm that collates data from thousands of shops. Festive logistics partly explains this spending fervour. With Thanksgiving falling late, there are unusually few shopping days before Christmas this year. Large price cuts by shops also pulled in the bargain hunters. Nonetheless, a quick look at the malls hardly suggests that the great American wallet is slamming shut.