Some Things are Recession Proof

On the eve of Valentine's Day, USA Today has a couple of appropriate articles about some romance-related industries that aren't tanking, in spite of the recession.

One is the domestic surveillance industry:

Flowers and chocolate aren't the only big sellers for Valentine's Day. There's also spyware.

The use of tracking devices and hiring of private investigators surge around this holiday — an opportune time to catch a cheating spouse.

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Private investigators agree. 'Valentine's Day is a day of lovers, and sometimes the lover is not a spouse,' says Jimmie Mesis, editor of PI magazine. That's why, he says, investigators are often busy this time of year.

One would think that clandestine lovers would have a little bit more discretion around a holiday like this, but I don't have any experience with cheating, so what do I know?

The other article is about the boom in condom sales recently:

While car purchases plummeted and designer clothes mostly stayed on the racks, sales of condoms in the U.S. rose 5% in the fourth quarter of 2008, and 6% in January vs. the same time periods the previous year, The Nielsen Co. reports

The sales bump squares solidly with one of the nation's most common trends during any recession: nesting. At the same time, condoms make for a relatively inexpensive form of birth control at a time many cash-strapped families are hesitant to grow.

Makes sense to me.

And, lest you think that you will have the worst Valentine's Day around this year, consider this poor bastard's lot:

On this special day for lovers young and old, few things can top a gourmet meal served by candlelight on small, tasteful plates. It's much more intimate than cards or candy, and it certainly beats meeting a grisly end at the hands of the Church's enemies. So by all means, enjoy your duck confit and chocolate mousse while you stare into the eyes of the person you love. What a romantic way to celebrate the 1,739th anniversary of the day I was bludgeoned to within an inch of my life and then publicly executed!

Now that's festive!