You're Grounded

On September 11, according to Gucci's Tom Ford, “the 90s ended.”

He was referring to the decade of luxury and fashion, but he might also have been referring to the general sense of self-indulgence and glamour-worship that permeated the decade. With the economy already sputtering, the attacks on the twin towers and the Pentagon reinforced the idea that we, as a society, had better ground ourselves, get back to basics, to the things that really matter.

And ground ourselves we did! Not only did we re-examine our values but we also re-examined our budgets and activities. We eliminated unnecessary travel, cut back on frivolity &endash; and stayed home.

A major consumer electronics retailer told me that “Black Friday” (Nov. 23, 2001, the day after Thanksgiving that kicked off the holiday shopping season) was the best they've had in years. And The New York Times reported in early December that sales of personal computers, which had been tanking for about two years, had been steadily rising since shortly after September 11. Hewlett-Packard said it sold 20 percent more PCs during the 2001 Thanksgiving weekend than the year before.

The same thing was going on for DVD players, big-screen TVs, satellite dishes, digital cameras and video game consoles.

What's happening? I think it's three-pronged:

One: You can't stop me. Americans are defying the terrorists'attempts to snuff out our lifestyle. They see shopping and spending as a patriotic reaffirmation. “I don't want to sound callous,” said Gucci's Ford, “but if you don't want to let the terrorists defeat us, have that extra piece of cake and third drink.”

Two: I deserve it. Americans feel they've been through a lot of stress and fright and are rewarding themselves by buying presents for themselves. USA Today says we're “hugging ourselves,” eating big meals and forbidden sweets, drinking more, watching comfy TV shows. (Interesting that ratings for good old “Friends” soar, while the tense, terrorist-themed “24” sags.)

Three: I'm burrowing in. Following September 11, Americans avoided airplanes, companies cut down on business travel and corporate road warriors found themselves spending more and more time at home. It wasn't only that they felt unsafe on planes. They also dreaded the hassle and delays of today's airports.

If Faith Popcorn identified the 90s as the Age of Cocooning, 2001 might be deemed Womb Service. The QVC shopping network, which sells to people who don't leave the house, set a single-day sales record in December, a full 33 percent higher than the previous record. And the biggest seller? Dell PCs.

Analysts say families are seeking familiar comforts, spending time together and asking home entertainment to get their minds off the world's troubles. Internet sales are up for the holidays. And old retro toys are selling: Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Play Doh, Lincoln Logs. (So are over-the-counter sleep remedies, religious artifacts and, sadly, guns.)

Note: Apparently not everyone is burrowing in at home. A New York report says while restaurant and theater seats go empty, the bars have been thriving all over the city. Business increases are in double digits. For those New Yorkers, the antidote to stress is clearly noise, music, crowds and flirtinis.

Popular new pick-up line: “I have a connection at Bayer Labs.”