Maybe the answer to the DRTV challenge for the foreseeable future is this: stock more toys.  In September and October, sales of women’s apparel fell precipitously compared with the prior-year period, as women — and especially mothers — dramatically reigned in their personal consumption in advance of the Holiday shopping season.  “Some 61 percent of mothers said they would shop less for themselves this year, compared with 56 percent of all women and 45 percent of men.”  The last items to be cut from family budgets will be presents for the children.  As Kristen Hunt of Safety Harbor, Fla., (pictured above) said, “I want [my daughter] to be able to look back and say, ‘Even though they were tough times, my mom was still able to give me stuff.’”  The New York Times Nov. 25, 2008