Okay here is something really simple to understand, yes sales are higher in retail, BUT I think you do NOT understand that the products these retailers are selling are being sold with a decreased margin. Tell me how well there profits are doing year over year with a decreased margin. Just take a walk around a mall and notice that in EVERY SINGLE window there is at least a 20% discount to actual signs that read every must go because they ARE GOING OUT OF BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't agree with you that every single window has at least a 20% discount because they're going out of business. That's a statement that is simply false. Prices have declined on some prodcuts, lowering margins, but who cares? Inventories are being depleted, factories are starting up again, and who knows? Maybe we'll have actual job growth in the future. For this to happen, we need retail sales. Which are increasing (or at very least not decreasing).