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Could Back-To-School Shopping Frenzy Save Retailers? + Lee’s take on AXP, V, MA, BBY, SPLS, UBS, TSCO, HPQ, CECO, APOL, COCO, DV, S, WMT, JCP, and NFLX |
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InvestorsObserver
Featured
Contributor
Lee M. Allen
Right about now, people across our fifty states and other odd geographic possessions are consumed by what could be known only as back-to-school fever. In the old days, before our economy tanked and people stopped shopping, they would just go into a shopping mall any time they wanted and buy stuff until they maxed out their American Express (AXP), Visa (V), or MasterCard (MA) credit cards.
But lately people really need a good reason to march back into their local Best Buy, (BBY), Staples (SPLS), or Tractor Supply (TSCO) and spend money. What better reason than the educational advancement of their kids?
This is precisely why retailers stocked their stores to the ceilings with back-to-school items. Right now may be the precise time that the 90% of Americans still working will free up their wallets, purses, and formerly hidden Swiss bank accounts – operated by United Bank of Switzerland (UBS) - to bring sorely needed life back into this economy. But we all need to buy more than pencils, pens, backpacks, and Swine Flu vaccines to get this economy humming again and I have a handy shopping list you can use when you go out on your own personal back-to-school shopping spree.
Read on for more of Lee’s insights into what back-to-school shopping is really about...
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Just another use for those
back-to-school pencils
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First of all, forget the sorry attitude that back-to-school is for students or parents of students only. Is Christmas cheer and gift exchanging only for Christians? Take a look at those Sunday newspaper sale circulars. There are some great deals out there. You know you want one of those sub-two-hundred dollar netbooks from people like Hewlett Packard (HPQ). Why would you want to waste one of those slick netbooks on a kid who will just leave it in shop class or only use it to play video games?
Back-to-school can be just like Christmas except you buy things for yourself. And no gift wrap needed. If you’re one of those people prone to guilt, then you can always enroll in a class at your local community college or one of the more reputable on-line distance learning companies like Career Education Corp. (CECO), Apollo Group (APOL), Corinthian Colleges (COCO), or DeVry (DV). You might even be able to find a class to help you improve your bingo skills.
A great way to read books and newspapers; Thanks to whoever
sent this to me
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What retailers like Sears (SHLD), Wal-Mart (WMT), and J.C. Penney (JCP) are counting on is that unsuspecting parents wander into their stores for those essential kid jeans, T-shirts, and handkerchiefs. And before they know it, they will fill their arms with hundreds of dollars of other not-as-essential merchandise like automobile tires.
And just in case you are out of ideas on what to buy, let me help round out your back-to-school shopping list:
eBook Reader
Once you see one of these slick devices you will absolutely want one. Yes… Someone finally sent me one of these eBook readers but it wasn’t Amazon. I’m not sure who it was. It just showed up one day in a white box from someplace in Cupertino, California. After using this thing I can’t imagine reading a regular newspaper ever again. Forget being loaded down with two-hundred-thirty-two pounds of books. All those books can fit on this well designed little device. It plays music, too! (How much do you think I need to say so they will let me keep it?) |
College Guide
Go onto eBay and spend a few dollars on a two-year-old college guide. No need to buy a current guide; most of these colleges haven’t changed much in the last hundred years. Get your young student paging through this guide to whet their appetite for the day when they will be looking for the school with the best cafeteria, dorm rooms, and views of the mountains or ocean.
Briefcase
It has come to my attention that many kids carry backpacks to school. In many circles this could be considered less than professional. You probably won’t see your average Fortune 500 CEO jaunting to his private jet carrying a backpack. Start your young student right and wean them off the backpack. The sooner they carry a briefcase, the sooner they will land that big job so you can fly around in their corporate jet.
Cliff Notes
Why bother buying those classics like All Quiet On The Western Front, Catcher In The Rye, or To Kill a Mockingbird? Who has time for all that reading, anyway? And how can even your smartest student know what’s going on by the end of each chapter when all those words are thrown in there to confuse them. The simple answer is just save time and go straight to the Cliff Notes. Also, most of these books have movies you can get from Netflix
(NFLX). |
Goldfish can warm up any dorm room
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Chinese Language Training Tapes (or CDs)
These might be a good investment for your young student. They can be purchased at most office supply stores or online. At the rate the Chinese economy is expanding you can expect Chinese to be the prominent language by next summer in most parts of California, especially after Governor Schwarzenegger is forced to sell the Chinese the entire state to help pay for the deficit and frivolous things like keeping schools open.
Waiting to help your child with homework
24 hours a day,7 days a week
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Pakistani online tutor and homework helper
After you get a look at the books your kids bring home, it will hit you that school is harder now than when you were a student. You don’t want to disappoint junior when he starts begging you for help with his complex matrix transformation theorems. You don’t want your little one blaming you when they get less than passing grades. The simple solution is to find an online tutor to answer all their questions and help them with their homework. For near pennies an hour, all their questions can get answered online. And if you can afford closer to a dollar an hour, you can even get one of these bright algebra, geometry, or chemistry experts to help your child by dialing a toll-free phone number. |
Alarm Clock
This may be one of the most important back-to-school items on your list. Sure, your kid has to get up early in the morning to make that 7:15AM school bus, but there is no reason you have to get out of bed early. As soon as your child is old enough to tell time – say by first grade - get an alarm clock and savor that extra time you will get in dreamland. It’s never too early to get them in the habit of waking up and making it to class on time. I have heard that the number one reason college students drop out is that they sleep in and forget to go to class. Shame on those parents that did not get their kids in the alarm clock habit early.
If you have any other ideas on must-have back-to-school items or thoughts on these new eBook readers, email me at LeeAllen@InvestorsObserver.com.
FREE for 90 days: Get the InvestorsKeyhole Service and our other premium investor services. Plus Over $1,000 In FREE Bonuses!
CLICK HERE to begin your 90 DAYS FREE.
We can make this 90 day FREE offer because we are confident you will find our service an essential part of your investing toolkit and stay a subscriber for many years to come. Our biggest risk is that we do find people cancel their subscriptions when they move to their own private islands without internet access. |
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