Spending at department stores and on electronic goods was particularly weak over the Christmas period.
He went to Singapore to shop for electrical and electronic goods.
And the electronic goods simply were not as good.
Small metal and electronic goods had emerged by the early 20th century.
"There is a special psychology in buying electronic goods," she said.
They have run up $9,000 in debt for clothes and electronic goods.
It offers a wide range of other products, including electronic goods, books and financial services.
Alone, those electronic goods could have meant one of several things.
If you have loads of electronic goods, you're not living in poverty.
Its price - like that of other electronic goods - has dramatically dropped.