"There was a general strength in consumer buying, crossing over into practically every area of our stores," one retail executive said.

He said the impact of the weak dollar on consumer buying had probably only begun.

Corporate profits began to pick up, workers' incomes rose, and consumer buying was lifted.

Only a few economists dismissed the latest reading on consumer buying as implausible.

Others note that stores are responding to a shift in consumer buying.

Manufacturers cautiously increased production during the summer and early fall to keep up with what seemed to be more consumer buying.

The impact of the Iraq crisis on consumer buying is not yet certain.

Research in consumer buying has focused on the identification of processes that contribute to an individual making a purchase.

"We'll try to assess the impact on consumer buying."

This showed that consumer buying continued to remain stronger than many analysts had thought.

Consumers can also buy the products in places where they were never sold before.

And the pitch must be right or the consumer won't buy.

Then their companies and consumers would buy more American goods.

The consumer is buying less - they are the problem in many ways.

Food companies and consumers around the world bought about $570 million worth of it last year.

So maybe consumers are not buying a whole lot of cars.

Consumers can buy a kitchen at 50 to 75 percent off retail.

"Consumers come back every year and buy it," he said.

Phone and cable companies are hardly alone in trying to get consumers to buy more services.

For many consumers buying a new computer, it's all about speed and power.