Gym Memberships do well in November

So I hit the gym tonight after work. I saw Mike Scotto, the head personal trainer, at the Birkdale Fitness Center. It seemed busy and I asked Mike how the gym was doing and he said exceptionally well. He said that they were booming right around Thanksgiving whereas usually they wait till Christmas and the New Year to boom. I wonder if they are up because the population is still exploding here or because existing residents are spending more money on health? Anyways, if you want to join the gym, ask for Mike and now is the best time of the year to do so because they roll out the best incentives. I reccomendd the personal training if you have never worked out before.
The news is full of contradicting reports and for the most part the village feels slower but I can't tell if that is a normal fall slow down after school starts and the weather cools or if that is the economy. I wonder how the Birkdale stores performed on black Friday? I guess that all depends on the weather. My friend that works at Barnes and Nobles says that they are doing well. I find that amazing because the place is never really packed. This past weekend in NJ, we went food shopping and the lines were twenty deep at the registers. I don't think that I have ever waited in any line around here (except maybe at Starbucks). The point of all this rambling is that I wonder how the stores are doing?