The Houston Chronicle today features an AP story about just-release August retail sales figures in America.

Despite the weakness many reported, retailers overall did better in August than analysts expected. Some stores, such as TXJ Cos.’ TJMaxx and Gap’s Old Navy chains, even saw sales rise compared with a year earlier, though upscale stores’ sales slipped.

This is neither doom nor gloom. Personally, I think it's a great sign that consumers are settling into what seems to be greater budget-consciousness. Mindfulness about household budgets probably leads to mindfulness about credit status, which is one of the main pillars of home sales activity. Paying attention to the facts also helps fight false assumptions (such as "it's not a good time to sell" - that's so not true).

Coming Out of The Bunker

There is other great news I think. We are not falling off a cliff economically. Signs of beginning of stabilization abound right now in all sorts of data. From the same article, a real glimmer:

“It does seem like the consumer is willing to spend if given a great deal,” said Carl Steidtmann, an economist at Deloitte Research. “That reflects a consumer that is slowly coming out of their bunker.”

Things can't turn around unless people are coming out of their bunkers. We're seeing that on the streets in our business too.

When the fear factor starts to erode, the erosion will accelerate. While we want a stable recovery, the underpinnings for a rebound are definitely beginning to surface.