St. Patrick’s Day holding up in economic downturn
Posted
Mar 11 2009, 01:54 PM
by
Joan Melcher
Rating:
We take it as an indicator that the economy is ready for a rebound.
What’s that? you say. Spending on St. Patrick’s Day is expected to be $3.29 billion this year -- $32.80 per person for food and festivities, down from last year’s figure of $35.04. That’s about 6%, not much when you look at how the stock market has fallen.
To celebrate, you might want to first find the best price you can on corned beef (if you’re eating in) and second, check out a few of the many deals being offered in celebration of the saint’s day.
If you’ve been thinking of getting a new laptop, you’ll want to check out the St. Patrick’s Day deals at Lenovo.
If you’ve been yearning to visit the green isle, you might want to explore a membership in cFares. Before you go, take advantage of Rosetta Stone’s free Irish lessons. But you’d better hurry. That deal expires on March 19.
If your idea of a good time is to pass on the green beer and knee-deep revelers and curl up with a good book, check out BookCloseouts.com. We found a few books and tapes on Ireland for a fraction of their original price, including an audiocassette of Frank Court’s “Irish in America” for $1.99.
If you’re looking to spruce up your green, you can try Old Navy. They’re advertising hooded green sweatshirts for men ($14.99) and boys ($9.99) and a fetching green tee ($2.99) for women online, but when we checked, sizes were limited. You might have better luck at your local outlet.
And while you prepare for the big day, you can spruce up your knowledge a little as well, with a little help from Holidays on the Net. Did you know that St. Patrick was not Irish, but Welsh? That he was once a pagan and a slave? (Warning: Sharing this knowledge may not make you popular at your local pub.) That the color green is actually considered unlucky in Ireland?
This site has all the goods. It explains, “Green is the color of faeries, which are believed to steal children who wear too much green.”
We’ll sign off with a toast that appears on the main page: “May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble (i.e., the faeries) avoid you wherever you go.”
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