If thrift were chic

"I encourage you all to go shopping more," the president of the United States counseled us in 2006. In 2008, it isn't just the administration that is touting an income tax refund to slow the pending recession. Some of the Democratic candidates also favor the plan. There is, however, some anxiety about it. what if, people don't actually SPEND the money? What if, perish the thought, we SAVE it?

Here's my question: When, exactly, did the national anthem become, "Oh say can we see by the mall's early light..."? I'm being literal. At least in Massachusetts, the Wrentham outlets opened at midnight on November 26th, setting themselves apart from the more humble 5AM openings of most of the chains. Here's the topper though: the midnight opening created a traffic jam on Route 495. Imagine, all those people stuck in their cars while the Christmas music pounded on and someone else got there first.