Retailers Are Mad You're Not Buying Winter Clothes Because It's Too Warm

The warm December weather has made people
not into buying winter clothes, possibly including
Ethan Renoe, the now famous dude who was interviewed
while jogging shirtless in balmy Chicago last weekend.
Photo from television station WGN  

Here's another effect of the oddly warm December weather that is embracing much of the nation:

Nobody's buying winter clothes, it seems.

Ad Age reports that retailers have lost $185 million in sales because the balmy weather doesn't have many people in the mood to buy coats, ski parkas, gloves, hats and the like.

AdAge said you'd think people might want to spend more on apparel, because they're saving so much on their heating bills. Why heat your house when it's 70 degrees outside?

But people are spending any extra cash they might have on increasingly expensive services like health care, housing and utilities.

You might need to buy a winter coat when the inevitable return to winter hits eventually, but if that's the case, you were smart to wait.

According to Ad Age:

"'The warmer than average weather continues to dampen demand for heavier winter items and has also resulted in a rash of discounting across a number of retailers which has, in turn, driven some volume -- but largel at the expense of total value,' wrote Neil Saunders, CEO of retail research firm Conlumino in a recent report."

Enjoy the sales, folks!