Measuring the recession by male underwear purchases:
Here's the theory, briefly: Sales of men's underwear typically are stable because they rank as a necessity. But during times of severe financial strain, men will try to stretch the time between buying new pairs, causing underwear sales to dip.
"It's a prolonged purchase," said Marshal Cohen, senior analyst with the consumer research firm NPD Group. "It's like trying to drive your car an extra 10,000 miles."
I think men tend to look for subtle ways to cut their own budgets before they ask for their families to sacrifice. Maybe it's a psychological desire to avoid the appearance of weakness.
(I just bought a year's worth of crappy disposable razors, which cost about 1/5th as much as the blades for my Gillette Mach 3... in case you were wondering why I'm walking around Fort Collins with a couple day's worth of growth).
