21.   American consumers still respond to bargains, according to the latest Department of Commerce figures on retail sales released Wednesday.

22.   American consumers, bombarded with advertising, medical studies and word-of-mouth wisdom, are buying vitamin and mineral supplements at an unprecedented rate.

23.   American consumers are ending a frightening year in a cheery mood, more confident about the future than at any time since midsummer.

24.   American consumers are on a spending spree, egged on by a wealth effect based on how much a rising market has added to their net worth.

25.   American consumers are snapping them up, and reinvigorating a personal computer market that was stagnant just a few months ago.

26.   American consumers have been out to shop in the first three months of the year.

27.   American consumers set a record last year.

28.   American consumers, by contrast, breezed through the recession as if it never happened, and continue to spend freely on everything.

29.   American consumers also seem to be helping overseas companies, according to the new data.

30.   American consumers and businesses together comprise the largest market on the globe.