What can lipstick and underwear sales tell us about the economy?

Some look beyond typical metrics like GDP and job data, but these alternatives shouldn't be taken seriously

Is the country heading towards a recession? Ask 10 economists and you'll likely get 10 different answers. Which is why some people have given up on the traditional data - GDP, jobs, etc - and have instead recently been tinkering with more unusual economic indicators to help them guide their companies. Here are a few that I've seen.