Boxers + briefs = boom?

As Ylan Q. Mui, staff writer for The Washington Post, mined apparel data from a market-research company, she came across the men’s underwear index, supposedly an economic indicator. That data turned into a story that starts:

For one answer to the nation's most pressing economic question – when will the recession end? – just take a peek inside the American man's underwear drawer.
There may be some new pairs there, judging by recent reports from retailers and analysts, and that could mean better days ahead for everyone.

Today’s Tip: Look for telling pieces of data. Economic indicator and sales reports abound. Search for new, even offbeat, data that tell the story.

An informal index – the shopping-bag index – was employed by former Ernst & Young analyst Brian Ford, who traveled the malls in the Philadelphia area each Black Friday, counting the number of bags carried by shoppers. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jane Von Bergen tagged along with him for a memorable report on holiday shopping one year.

“In business writing,” Ylan says, “we are constantly assaulted with numbers, and it can be tough to dig for the interesting ones. I knew that any story that involved underwear would definitely be a reader!”

Ylan says she searched for other firms that tracked men’s underwear sales and checked with retailers. “This was a light-hearted and quirky story, but I still wanted it to be grounded in some economic theory and hard data,” Ylan says.

While getting sales information from retailers posed a challenge, gathering the courage to interview men about their underwear was an even bigger one, she says. “There were more than a few awkward conversations.”