After reading Jeff Li‘s article on the relation between undergarments and the economic standing of a state, I was very compelled to dig deeper into the matter.
It seems that as the economy shrinks, the first thing mens top replenishing is their underwear. Because no one typically sees your underwear, men feel comfortable putting off replacing old and worn pairs until they have a bit more cash to spend.
This comes as quite the surprise. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that underwear could serve such a purpose! I found this gave me a lot of insight into the whole idea of economic value, and how changes in the strength of an economy can affect consumer purchasing habits in such subtle ways.
Economists also look at the sales of other products, to determine a change in the strength of an economy, and to determine the necessity of certain goods as well. Hopefully, the purchase of underwear does not stop anytime soon!
MSN News – How your undies track the recession