Buying Habits of the ‘Stealthy Wealthy’
Yes, retail sales are down across the board. But there’s still a big market for high-end designer handbags, shoes, and the like. It’s just gone a bit “underground.”
Retailers call it “stealth wealth” – consumers going to great lengths to avoid displays of big spending in these lean times.
Shoppers at luxury stores ask for purchases to be delivered to their homes so they can leave the store without bags. Or they ask for plain bags instead of those bearing logos. Some even ask for pricey items to be wrapped as gifts – when they intend to keep them for themselves.
There has also been a rise in personal shoppers and in-home “shopping parties,” where the goods are brought to customers for perusal in private.
(Source: Associated Press)
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