The regular connection.

I've been thinking about this whole 'discretionary spending' thing.

On the surface, comics wouldn't appear to be something that people need. And yet...

It's a regular activity on the part of most of my subscribers -- they come in every week, or every two weeks, at least every month. It becomes part of their lives, a habit, if you will.

Certainly, in the larger scheme of things, comics aren't really that expensive; ten or twenty dollars a week, for most of my customers.

And entertainment in times of trouble is more of a need than a want, in my opinion. When Linda and I were really struggling, the basic cable T.V. was the last to get cut, and the first to come back. We never gave up on reading material; that would have been unthinkable.

Anyway, I'm noticing that the percentage of customers who spend money who are regulars seems to be rising. They account for a minimum of 70% of my sales everyday, which accounts for about 70% of what I need to make my average.

There is a connection there, between me and my customers, and I know them by name and I can chat with them, and it makes the store work. It's a fragile connection to be sure.

After an initial crunch, most of my regulars are hanging in there.