I think the commmon consumer is in a state of shock with what they see out there. Fuel and heating oil prices, slumping housing prices, everyday needs such as groceries rising, the failure of large companies needing bail outs, popor ROI within their 401k and private investments.
All these things are key indicators for people to do whatever it takes to hold on to their money.
The media blows it all up, all the time, all day long. Educating the public on how bad everything is. Would the housing crisis fall as much so fast if teh media wasn;t all over it every day?
It will be very interesting to see what happens this winter, some will not be able to afford to heat thei homes.