Christmas Fallout...

OK, so now that all the gifts have been opened, the dinner devoured, and the celebratory aspect of Christmas all but finished, so while we're awaiting the coming of the new year next week, it's time to assess the damage from THIS week.

We've written the checks, handed over some well-earned greenbacks, and bent the plastic, usually to the tune of some wonderfully obscene number. But we made sure our loved ones, be they young or old, had a nice time in the process. That's not such a big deal, right?

Keep in mind that TODAY is called BOXING DAY for a reason.

You'll find out why soon enough.

Retailers are thinking something a little different regarding their holiday sales...

Overall, numbers were down, with ladies clothing leading the pack (now that can conjure up some very nice images of scantily-clad females running about...but we men know THAT just ain't gonna happen). And watching that LEXUS commercial where the husband has a new car in the driveway for his wife with a huge bow on the roof is simply laughable on so many levels...yeah, we can ALL afford to do that without batting an eye, especially as a taxpayer living in Fort Wayne, right? At least we can take solace knowing that "Smilin' Bob" (no relation, thank the maker) seems to have had a "very merry" while downing his "male-enhancing" ENZYTE (the gift that keeps giving) like M&Ms...!

But with this being the WORST retail day of the year with ALL those returns, it's not going to be helping any of those "bottom line" pundits one bit...or will it? Many stores have taken to charging a "restocking" fee for items returned, and I for one, think that's a damn good idea and long overdue. I mean when you get one of THOSE God-Awful sweaters from Aunt Beatrice (that even scared the hell out of the family pets when THEY saw it) knowing she meant well, the first thing you just KNOW you have to do is take it back ("uh...because it's the wrong size", he said politely).

If we're talking about items that come boxed, this is even a more problematic issue. Retailers simply cannot resell the item "as new", no matter how well they attempt to reseal the box (which they USED to do ages ago..until someone called them on it). And that means they sell it at a loss (and your gain). All those open box items make for some good bargain hunting in the holiday aftermath, if you know where to look and happen to need something along that line (such as electronics), but make sure everything is there like manuals, accessories, etc.

Then there are those that return items fraudulently, accounting for about 9% of ALL returns. Some people even have the balls to return shoplifted items (if they even manage to get away with them, that is), in the hope of getting some free money. Sorry, people...that's a lot harder to pull off than you realize. There's this little thing called a RECEIPT, and we all know how those "paper trails" work. But most thieves tend to shoplift things THEY WANT, and have no intention of returning, so at least THEY won't be clogging the return lines (a small compensation).

Still, today IS a good day to snag all those 50% off things for NEXT Christmas, like wrapping paper, cards, bows and gift tags. Lights, ornaments, and decorations can be had for similar savings. And all that Christmas CANDY can be bought and pressed into service for the next several months...so what if it IS red and green...it's NOT stale!

Another good thing is that since the retailers have taken a hit with low Christmas sales, they are carrying over more sales into NEXT year to cover their assets. So don't worry that you might not have gotten everything on your list to Santa...become one of his helpers and help yourself to some bargains for the next few days...they ARE out there.

And have fun fighting the return lines...I mean Happy Boxing Day.

Also...today is the first day of Kwanzaa (oh joy).

Here's the *411* on the whole gig:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa
Suffice it to say it's basically a quasi-anti-Christian "holiday" that attempts to UNITE by embracing SEVEN principles:

-UNITY (that means no snitching).

-SELF-DETERMINATION (as in determined to keep you up all hours with the boomcars & gunshots).

-COLLECTIVE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY (roflmao..yeah, that happens here every day - try for some PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FIRST).

-COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS (it's called drug trafficking).

-PURPOSE (lemme see...intimidation, disrespect and animosity towards anyone other then themselves).

-CREATIVITY (more ways to defraud the welfare system).

-FAITH (in themselves and their posse).

Sure this celebration MEANS well, but as we all know...the road to HELL is PAVED with GOOD INTENTIONS.

But don't take my word for it...google up some info for yourself.

I'll stick to BOXING DAY..and some back bacon, eh?