The Underwear Indicator

In difficult economic times, there’s even more importance to the infamous boxers or briefs question. Sales analysts believe that men’s underwear offers insight into our financial picture because it's typically viewed as a necessity and therefore, sales tend to be stable. So when finances are tight, men postpone the purchase of new underwear, causing sales to decrease. But things are looking up apparently. Research firm Mintel expects sales of men’s underwear to fall 2.3 percent this year and 0.5 percent next year—a step in the right direction for the economy. "People still need underwear," said Michael Kleinmann, president of FreshPair.com.