88% will spend the same or less on gifts
83% will buy more items on sale
75% feel pressure from debts
62% will wait for a sale
61% will focus on practical gifts
58% will cut back because of credit concerns
49% will cut travel plans
Sources: America's Research Group/UBS, Maritz, Deloitte, Accenture, Consumer Reports, Thrivent
Just as Lawrence Kazmerski, a top official at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was about to give the keynote address at the University of Minnesota's annual E3 conference at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, the lights went out, bathing the audience in darkness and a deep sense of irony.
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