Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends,americast.usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Fri, Sep 4 1992 Date: Fri, 4 Sep 92 04:34:27 EDT Message-ID: 09-04 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update Sept. 4-7, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network CHRISTMAS ARRIVES EARLY: Christmas is here for the catalog industry. And for people who think it's too early to start holiday shopping, too bad. Many catalogs and other retailers already have mailed their Christmas editions. Sears' Great American Wish Book arrived the last week of August. The cover sports Santa, parka-clad children, a roaring fire and a Christmas tree. (For more, see special Christmas package below.) PEOPLE RESISTING TENT CAMPS: Resistance to tent cities in Homestead, Fla., is growing as Hurricane Andrew victims refuse to leave their homes. The five military-run tent cities sit virtually empty as officials consider putting in laundries, TVs and VCRs to lure more people. By Thursday, only 289 people had checked into a tent city here built to house 1,500. Only 34 people were in a Florida City, Fla., site. MILK SALES ARE UP SLIGHTLY: A higher demand for low-fat and skim milk have nudged milk sales up from 53.7 billion pounds to 55.3 billion pounds since 1988, Jim Miller, an economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "I'm rather conservative in calling it an upsurge in sales. This may be a trend, " he says. The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board will spend $17.5 million this year advertising milk to kids. MORE AMERICANS LIVE IN POVERTY: More Americans are living in poverty than since 1964, the year Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty. The Census Bureau said Thursday that the number of poor Americans reached 35.7 million in 1991. The figures - sure to become a potent political weapon - showed that 21. million Americans joined the poverty rolls in the second year of the economic downturn. POOR POPULATION TOPS 14%: Poor Americans comprise more than 14% of the population for the first time since 1985, the Census Bureau said Thursday. Americans living in poverty reached 14.2% in 1991, up from 13.5% the year before and topping 14% for the first time in six years. The poverty line for a family of four in 1991 was $13,924. For a single person, the poverty line was $6,932. PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY ON THE RISE: More individuals filed for bankruptcy this year, the American Financial Services Association reported Thursday. Personal bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ended June 30 rose 10.9%. Personal bankruptcies numbered 899,840, up from 811,208 a year ago. The largest percentage increases were in east coast districts. JOB TRAINING IS SHORTCHANGED: Working in America may never be the same as blue-collar jobs fade into a white-collar future. Yet a study for the Department of Labor finds that while businesses agree that employees need extensive training to competently fill those jobs, few do anything about it. "Less than 5% of companies are doing anything in the way of training," says John Niles, an author of the study. RECYCLERS EYE MASS. BILL: Industries are watching closely the debate and outcome of a measure on the Massachusetts ballot that would require most packages to be recycled or made of recycled material. The measure would be the nation's strongest; similar Oregon and California laws affect only plastic. It would require packaging to be made of 25% recycled material by 1996. MORTGAGE DELINQUENCIES UP: More homeowners are falling behind on mortgage payments. The Mortgage Bankers Association says nearly five percent of homeowners are 30 days or more late on payments. That's up from 4.5% the first quarter. But the second quarter rate is still below the five-year peak of 5.3% in last year's second quarter. MILLER TO GO TO RESERVES: Even though superpremium lines of beers aren't selling as well as they used to, Miller Brewing Co. is introducing Miller Reserve and Miller Reserve Light. Television spots are set to break nationally Sept. 13. They were created by ad agency Frankenberry, Laughlin & Constable. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON CHRISTMAS: CURRENT EDITIONS FOR HOLIDAYS: Catalog companies Orvis, Lighter Side and Smithsonian describe their current editions as full of Christmas gifts. Lands' End will mail its holiday catalog earlier than usual. Watch for it this month. All that holiday cheer, and it's not even Labor Day. The hope is that people will plan ahead. FREQUENT SHOPPERS TARGETED: Mail-order companies send out an early catalog, often just to the most frequent shoppers, to try to gauge the most popular items. Then they stock up on those before the Christmas rush. Often, catalogs will then mail a later edition. The other reason is more obvious: catalogs mail early to squeeze every possible dollar out of the season. RATE INCREASES STRIKE CATALOGS: Catalogs have suffered from the drop in consumer spending. And catalogs were hit by postal and UPS rate increases last year. By mailing early, some hope to encourage a "shop-early, shop-often" mood. That's what Lands' End says it's out to do. "Every catalog wants to make sure it's in your pile," says Jay Walker, chairman of Catalog Media, a catalog-marketing firm. (End of package.) ADVISORY: Decisionlines will not be published Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of Labor Day. Decisionlines will resume publication on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Trends & Marketing Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. 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