A belated Happy New Year to all readers of this blog. To those of you joining us for the first time, we use this space to report on what is happening at N.B. Liebman (such as our Needy Family Giveaway and our Decorating Seminars) and also to provide worthwhile tips to prospective furniture shoppers. These tips can run the gamut from economic news to how smart shoppers can distinguish between different products on the market to how to guard against deceptive advertising practiced by other retailers - one of my pet peeves!
We begin 2012 with a mixed bag of economic news. At first we were told that the unemployment rate came down a tick or two. But then, after Christmas, the number of new applications for unemployment increased, presumably because temps hired to work the Christmas rush were now unemployed again. The 30 year mortgage rate hit an all time low this month, but prospective home buyers were not stepping up to buy new homes. The reason? The new requirements of credit score and higher downpayments are providing obstacles that many folks wishing to participate in the American Dream of home ownership simply cannot overcome. And until the backlog of used homes on the market is reduced, where is the incentive for builders to resume putting up new ones?
Consumer spending is the biggest driver of GDP, and shoppers spent money cautiously but enthusiastically in the Black Friday through Christmas time period. But early indications are that retail sales in January remained sluggish.
Moreover, a casual glance at the classified ads in the local paper shows a continued scarcity of job openings. Where are all of the jobs we need going to come from? How many jobs have been outsourced, never to return? One bright spot- GM, Ford, and Chrysler are growing again and hiring more workers.
And there is some more good economic news to report. A relatively mild winter has saved businesses and homeowners a fortune in heating and snow removal costs. February may bring us a few wicked storms, but the savings in December and January have been significant.
At N.B. Liebman, we began the year with a staff meeting in which all management renewed their pledge to continue making the shopping experience at our stores as enjoyable as possible. . Our selection will continue to be the most up-to-date in the mid-state, and our sales associates will be knowledgeable, attentive, but never pushy. You can browse to your heart's content at N.B. Liebman without anyone breathing down your throat. Our customers continually tell us how much they like that.
And, as I mentioned earlier in this blog, we will not insult our customer's intelligence by telling them we are offering a savings of 50% ,60%, 70% ,or 80% off, when we most certainly are not! Nor can anyone else and remain in business! But we are still the only prominent furniture retailer in the area that does not run that kind of deceptive advertising. Our customers tell us they do not even pay attention to those ridiculous claims anymore. The know whan they are being bamboozled. When N. B. Liebman puts something on sale, the savings are real - you can count on it!
So I suggest you hunker down for the rest of winter in a comfortable new Barcalounger or Tempurpedic memory foam mattress from N.B. Liebman. Those are 2 of our best selling categories. Rest assured that you're getting quality merchandise at a fair price backed up by our outstanding customer service.
And maybe by the time Spring arrives, you can poke your head out the door, find warm sunshine, the Phillies back in action in Citizens Bank Park, and that our elected officials have put partisan bickering aside long enough to jump start our economy by the second half of 2012!
Until next time,
Charles Liebman, President, N.B. Liebman Furniture http://www.nbliebman.com/
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