Watches have been on my mind for a couple of days so it was second nature to count the number of display ads for high-end, upscale watches in the first section of The Wall Street Journal today (June 16, 2009) and discover there were eight of them. Watches clearly outnumbered all other products. There was one half-page ad, two quarter-page ads and five smaller ads each averaging about a tenth of a page.
In this economy, it is obviously the seller of ad space to watch makers who is bringing home the bacon.
I did not go on-line and learn the prices of any of these watches. (The ads are not so gauche as to quote a price!)
Yesterday, I was in the local drug store for some dental floss and saw a pile of watches on the counter with a 75% off sign over them. I need a cheap watch (none in the Journal ads qualify) for when I walk on the beach to keep track of how long I am in the sun. I worry about the effect of sea air and sand on my good watch. I bought one that originally sold for $14.95 (wouldn't buy the box for those advertised in the Journal) and with the discount walked away for less than $5, tax included. So it only lasts through the summer, who cares?
