Cafe de Mello

The day after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday" because that is the day most stores break into profitability. The start of the Christmas shopping season, Black Friday typically accounts for 10% of all sales during the holiday period. Unfortunately, this year I doubt there will be much cause for celebration among the nation's retailers.

 Part of my pessimism comes from a notice I received from Citibank letting me know that the interest rate on a credit card I have is being changed. I assumed that they were raising the rate until I compared the new rate to that charged on my last statement. Amazingly, the new rate is lower. It is down to mere usury (can this be true? I'll believe it when I see it). However, by merely drawing my attention to the interest rate on the card, this notice has made me less inclined to go out and spend.

My reaction to this notice makes me think that many of my fellow citizens are feeling as anxious about this economy as I am. If that is so, Friday may well be black because many retailers will be in morning.

 Due to circumstances beyond my control, my planned Wednesday posting is rather short. I will make up for it tomorrow with a special Thanksgiving Day Post.

 If you are in the mood for more good liberal reading, why not down load a PDF copy of the first five chapters of my novel "God Is a Rubber Duck." If you want to read the rest it is available exclusively on line at my fully secure Createspace E Store, or from Amazon.com (also available in a Kindle edition).