Americans Slowly Spending

It looks like Americans are starting to spend again -- by degrees.

Sales figures tallied by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs revealed a 0.1 percent gain for the first time in more than a year, reports the Associated Press. It may not seem like much, but sales figures have been dropping and were expected to continue the downward trend.

Deep discounts are helping draw customers into the stores.

“The tone is better, and I am encouraged, but it is still a very difficult environment where retailers have to promote in order to get shoppers to buy,” New York-based retail consultant Walter Loeb told the Associated Press. “Overall, it’s going to be a slow recovery.”

Of course, if we hadn't been plunged into the worst recession in decades, the numbers wouldn't be good news. In the five previous years, sales have shown a 2.6 percent increase over the year before. A late Labor Day this year helped boost sales for the month as parents and students purchased back-to-school products later than they normally would.

But let's not forget that a year ago we were at the precipice of the financial crisis and this year -- by most estimates -- were on our way out.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.