No wonder they can't afford to buy houses any more, they're all out buying appliances. 
March madness hits appliance buyers
5:00AM Tuesday May 15, 2007
By Christine Nikiel
Noel Leeming Group chief executive Andrew Dutkiewicz says the company is selling flat-screen TVs, video games and computers like never before.
Consumers spent up a storm in the March quarter, especially on appliances, according to yesterday's Statistics New Zealand data.
Spending in the month of March was particularly strong.
Dutkiewicz said strong demand for laptops, the release of Microsoft's latest operating system Vista, and cheaper flat-panel televisions drove the sales.
"We're pleased with our performance for the March quarter. It was better than the December quarter," he said.
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