Thousands of Americans still cannot find jobs. Despite the positive signs from the holiday shopping season, major retailers and stores are still not hiring many new people. A leading economist analyzed the holiday shopping numbers and found two major trends in the economy. While retail sales increased tremendously, consumers tried to find the best deal and were willing to shop around until they found the store that had the lowest price. The second trend indicated was that consumers are still wary about the economy regarding major purchases. Auto sales were not back to the 2005 levels and were well below expected levels. However, the positive signs indicate an improving economy that could potentially lead to more business and jobs in the next coming years.

The holiday shopping season is over and millions of Americans will go back to being unemployed. Throughout the season major retailers offer temporary jobs in their stores such as security guards, extra cashiers, and some stores offer free wrapping stations for shoppers. Wal-Mart for example, employs an extra 35-40 security guards and 50 cashiers at each store. The jobs may be temporary but many of those jobs provide much needed financial help for cash strapped Americans.