Shoppers walk past an H&M location, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, in New York. This holiday season is shaping up to be the weakest since the country was in the middle of a deep recession in 2008. That not only shows that stores misread Americans' willingness to spend during this period of economic uncertainty, it also could indicate that the days of shoppers spending thousands of dollars willy nilly on holiday gifts may be long gone. (Associated Press)