This makes me feel bad.

Wasn't that exactly what the politicians that made the stimulus check happen WANTED?
It wasn't to help pay bills, they want you to "help stimulate the economy" by buying a bunch of useless stuff!
Hasn't the president, for nearly his entire administration, been saying something to the effect of shopping is good for America therefore shopping is patriotic?

Everything about that ad is disgusting.

I wonder how many people realize there is only so long you can go living on debt. And I don't mean individuals, as I am sure there are a good bit of people who are good with their finances. I mean as a nation. Le sigh.

only in america.

This was the whole point of the stimulus checks -- short-term spending to give the economy an artificial boost. Can't blame the stores for taking advantage.

@Meg Marco: You shouldn't let your personal well being be affected by a silly, misguided ad.

i don't know about you guys, but i (& my local tavern keeper) thoroughly enjoyed my welfare...errr...economic stimulus check.

Since this was the whole point of the stimulus package I give them +1 for honesty.

If you don't fritter away your stimulus check, you're unpatriotic. My president told me so, so it must be true!

I can't believe I wasted my stimulus check on a PS3 when I could have gotten shoes.

@cmdrsass: Too late.

Yes, buying things like pumps will stilumate the economy; the economy of Malaysa.

I paid off a credit card with mine. Ha! Take that, Uncle Sam!

Although I heard this morning on NPR that consumer spending was up 1% last month, so somebody must be spending their checks!

@Meg Marco: Sounds like we're in need of a Cheer Up Megan Day. I recommend ice cream.

Ohhhhhhhhh, I LOVE those shoes!!

@serreca: I haven't even received mine yet. :(

Not that it matters... there won't be anything left to spend after I pay off my bills.

If this upsets you then I feel bad for you.

@B: What an excellent idea!

That ad represents everything wrong with a society that thrives entirely too much on credit.

I'm sick of these stimulus check ads, primarily because we earned too much to qualify for one! Now before y'all jump all over me for complaining about a pretty decent income, remember, we also paid a s**tload of taxes last year.

Things like this happen when people confuse democracy with capitalism. The two are not interchangeable.

While I agree that the sign was tasteless to an extreme degree, I'm getting tired of people saying that if you spent your check on yourself then you wasted it when you should have saved or invested it.

I spent all $600 that I got in a weekend and I don't regret it at all. I gave $200 to my sister to finish paying her for the furniture she sold me when she broke up with her fiance, ($400 total for a less than 2 month old couch, recliner, television stand, and coffee table).
I spent another $250 on buying new sneakers and clothes, both of which I had been putting off for months (years in some cases) until I could better afford it.
I spent $100 or so stocking up on food staples- peanut butter, tuna, rice and noodles, along with my regular groceries.
With what was left over I treated myself to a nice dinner out and put some gas in the car.

So where in all that is the waste?
Sure I could have invested the $600, but what would that get me? I'd have a measly $600 invested in something, and it would be a long, long time before any more could be invested, seeing as I can't afford to invest my money right now. Meanwhile I'd have an angry sister/maybe no furniture, old clothes that are falling apart, and fewer groceries in my cabinet.

serreca: You still spent it on stuff. It doesn't matter that the payment was deferred, so "Good Job, Citizen!"

My stumulus payment is finally coming tomorrow!

This will top off the new roof and air conditioner fund. So yes, I am going to spend it and put it into the economy!

I assisted the NOLA rebuild by buying some Abita beer with mine :-D

I honestly don't know what I spent my stimulus on. Once it got into my account, it just became another $600 of float. Everything "luxury" I bought myself since then, I would have bought anyway.

@Mr. Gunn: Yeah but it was several years ago and the economy needs stimulating NOW, so I didn't really help.

I did save mine, but then my hubby's crap car need $1200 in repairs. Oh well.

Eh, I think it's kind of a light-hearted and funny ad. They definitely put it on thick in the small print, but it still makes me laugh because it's so absurd.

My check should be arriving tomorrow. Since I had to pay almost exactly $600 in taxes this year, it will be going straight into my back account to call it even.

Yes! Dont pay off any debts or other responsible uses of what appears to be free money!

I paid off some big bills with that, made me way happier than any gadget ever could to know they are off my plate, so I can keep on building my savings.

You cant fix anything by injecting the economy with "fun money", after everyone buys their expensive shoes they will still be broke after that. Ridiculous.

any chance those are made in america? nope, therefore stimulus spending on imports does NOT help our economy.

Nothing says "Yay! America!" quite like overpriced goods from China.

Mudpuddle needs stimulas slippers and an matching pair of stimulas socks.

They didnt give back enough money to qualify as stimulas anything. It was more like pay the high electric bill or feed my stimulas craving gas tank.

@BingoLong: Actually, the president said one of the best way to fight terrorism is to go shopping.

It's not defending our rights, not being afraid, speaking up, etc. It's shopping.

Regardless, retailers are reporting a good sized bump from the spending, but I wonder if that will have any real impact, since the "bump" was already built into their earnings models.

Another "Used most of their stimulus check to pay off debt" person checking in.

Whoops, I spent mine on a computer which was a planned purchase anyway. It just made budgeting easier and gave me the extra $600 to pay off my student loan.

So I indirectly used mine to pay off debt.

1)they're not even cute shoes.

2)they're not a durable purchase.

3)the only people i know who aren't using the check, for the most part, to pay off debt...are debt-free.

i only have student loan debt and it's at a very attractive interest rate, so i paid $300 of it and put $300 into small, durable home improvements.

Again, no stimulus check for me. If they really wanted to stimulate the economy through consumer spending, then give refunds to those most likely able to afford to spend it. (those who paid the most in taxes)

I'm not saying that's a good idea or that I wish that's what they did. But their actions do not meet their professed motives. Maybe that's the definition of government though.

All you people putting that money into your bank accounts to save are supporting terrorism...I hope you're happy with yourselves!

We have the same signs at the Triangle Town Center mall in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Kind of appalling.

Half of my $2100 is going towards our annual Canadian vacation. The other half, to pay off some obligations. Sorry Uncle Sam.

I'm really torn on this. I resent the hell out manipulative marketing (even though I work in marketing). And I hate being 'sold' to and being told I need something.

I also don't like that our economy is so spending-dependent. Unfortunately, it is a spending-based economy. I think we'd be better off focusing on the longer-term goals and less on trying to find quick-fixes.

The real problem is we have too many laws that prevent us from 'trusting' the free market system to work, so the whole thing becomes an exercise in tampering.

@HYDRAULICMONSTER: I agree. I'm in decent shape financially because I don't put stuff on my credit card that I can't pay off that month. With our 1200, I remodeled my bathroom (which was VERY needed), bought a nice pair of shoes I've been looking at and threw the extra $100 in my savings account.

I hate hate hate advertising. All of it. It's so goddamn shady.

I can just picture meetings with ad agencies.

"what can we do to seperate Opie and his Chimp welfare check?"

I know...make a patriotic ad about buying *insert crap product* to tug at those inner redneck heart strings.

Shameless. Absolutely shameless and crass. Of course, I wouldn't be caught dead in a shopping mall these days. Unless our TV blows up on us, we're pretty much set for durable goods until at least 2011. So there.

If you don't continue to over consume, then the terrorists have already won.

It is always a class act when a retailer uses the words of a murdered United States President to promote shopping at their mall. I would walk out of that mall.