Worried About the Economy? Samsung says Buy a TV

The president of Samsung’s consumer electronics division has

a curious recipe for getting through the recession: buy a TV. 

It costs less than a beach vacation, he says, and with Samsung’s

new line of LCD HDTVs that use 40% less energy than conventional sets,

you can feel good about splurging on eco-friendly entertainment. 

“Consumers are starting to say, ‘You know what, times are tough.

We’re going to invest in family, we’re going to buy a TV,”

Tim Baxter told Fast Company at Samsung’s 2009 Spring

Fever Showcase on Tuesday. 

Baxter added that customers--presumably those who have benefited

from government bailouts--are “using this as a time to trade up” to snazzier TVs. 

Some say the economic crisis is a good opportunity for Americans

to quit living beyond their means. Baxter is not having it. In his view,

you can have your big-screen TV and watch it too. 

“46 is the new 32,” he said. “They say that about age, but it’s the same with TVs.”