In January, as Neiman Marcus was reporting dismal Christmas numbers and laying off nearly 400, the retailer's CEO and president, Burt Tansky, insisted a rebound was around the corner: "Luxury is not dead," he insisted. Perhaps not -- maybe it's merely comatose. So notes this morning's New York Times in its survey of how the wealthy have stopped spreading the wealth. Among the locals noted: a still-employed Rowlett couple trolling the indoor mall playgrounds rather than the pay-per children's museum -- "just in case." Also cited is Good Christian Bitches author Kim Gatlin, the Highland Parkie who tells The Times ...
... some of her friends had urged their husbands not to give them jewelry over the holidays. "They were like, you know, 'There's nothing I'm dying for right now -- let's just wait,' " she said. "It makes them feel like they're participating, although they don't contribute to the income stream."
