The Recession Is Here. Sales Are Up

By Deirdre van Dyk

The official word came last week, to absolutely no one's surprise: the U.S. is in a recession. Tough times for retailers, right? It depends on what you're selling. In a tightened economy, everyone is looking for a bargain, which is bad for high-end stores but good for discounters like Target and Wal-Mart, both of which have seen sales spurts. It's also a boost for products that people turn to when times are tough.

--By Deirdre van Dyk

FIREPLACE LOGS People are spending more time at home, and it's cold outside. Sales of logs are up 23% over last year.

HOME ACCESSORIES Vases, candlesticks and picture frames are all seeing a rise in sales. People have an urge to nest now, and home accessories like these give the old place a new look for little cash.

LIPSTICK It's a lot cheaper to treat yourself to a new lip color than to splurge on a new sweater. Sales of lipstick are up almost 13% from last year.

ONLINE SHOPPING During Thanksgiving week, online retailers saw their sales increase 43% from the same week last year. At least on the Internet it doesn't feel as if you're spending as much.

SNACK FOOD For the first time since 1990, when we were in our last recession, people are eating out less. Instead, they're staying home and snacking on frozen pizza, chips, dips, ice cream. ACNielsen says sales of these foods are up between 7% and 24% from last year.