hard times and what is changing

**rosey7415** · 03-01-2009, 12:27 PM

(there is another thread a sign of hard times and i was going to add this there, but that was about one local store so i thought i would start this on my own.)

it is about things that you see in your local areas that are changing. i am sure we are about to see a lot of things that we haven't seen at all or things that were from the past making a comeback. times are a changing........

1. this am in my sunday paper, there was a whole article on the only local shoe repair shop and how their business is tripling. in our previous prosperous economy of buy-it-all-new these places were becoming obsolete. not anymore!

2. my sunday paper is less than half the size it used to be! so many places that used to have flyers aren't anymore. or instead of a little booklet, they now have one folded page. the coupon inserts are terrible....very few coupons and usually for stuff that i would not use.

3. i check out freecycle and craigslist everyday. there are more wants than giveaways now. i want to post something that is so sad and i had never seen before....it was posted this am. :

"I need help!!!
I have to be out of my home tomorrow...
I need somewhere to dock my 28'RV and 30'Camper,
I am going to be living in them...If you have water and
electric...even better
I will be able to pay for use of land and utilities... I am not looking
for a complete hand out...I am out of work on workers comp' and my
retired and disabled inlaws are dependent on me...I will also have
quite a few items that I will be giving away...quid- pro-quo.. .If you
can help let me know...call and leave a message"

4. burger king, mcdonalds, a lot of places aren't sending out any coupons anymore.

i am sure i can think of many more, what is something new that you are seeing???

**MRAHoffman** · 03-01-2009, 12:54 PM

stores closing, but the BIG box stores are going to pare down from all the "extra's" to just the basics.

**Spirit Deer** · 03-01-2009, 01:03 PM

We met four huge car transports when we were running errands in town yesterday. It broke our hearts, because we knew immediately where those cars had come from. Our local GM dealership is closed now. We no longer have a car dealer in town, and the nearest dealer to service our three GM cars is fifty miles from here.

**homesteadmamma** · 03-01-2009, 02:18 PM

Here in our province, we aren't doing too bad just yet.
A few I've seen:
-CTV and CBC are looking at cutbacks
-a number of stores are closing in the city
-less people in the stores
-Fabricland is no longer stamping a rewards card

Having said that, we were at Walmart in the city yesterday and it was busier than it was at Christmas. I was amazed. When I was at Superstore though I noticed people's carts weren't as full as usual.

**nancycg56** · 03-01-2009, 02:23 PM

They have opened 2 new shopping centers a few miles from me and a new Gold's Gym (huge, btw) so I haven't seen anything like you describe yet. A new car dealership is going in a few miles away, too. We are a big military area so that might be the difference.

I would think twice before opening a new business though.

**Guest57** · 03-01-2009, 02:53 PM

Our coupons seem to be dwindling as well! My good friend told me that some of the magazine companies are quitting and yesterday we heard of several newspapers that are shutting down as well.
Our stores seem to be desolate when I go in them, which is a weird feeling in itself, and we are starting to see the 'Coffee Huts' starting to close!
I am SO looking forward to getting the garden in and being able to turn the heat off!

**Thevail** · 03-01-2009, 03:59 PM

Here in our town I've noticed a discernable change in the homeless. They used to look drunk..now they look hungry. And the "homeless please help" signs are getting a lot more literate. Which to me means a lot of people with at least a high school education are now homeless.

Our stores are a little emptier, but the loss leaders are sold out the day the sale starts and they're not doing rain checks for them anymore "sale price limited to quantity on hand" is starting to be a regularly posted sign.

We went out for a friend's birthday, and the restaurants and bars and shops downtown were half empty..This NEVER happens because we're a college town.

**pollypurebred39** · 03-01-2009, 04:06 PM

A big publishing company in our area just filed for bankruptcy, it's stock closed at less then a penny the day before. They have stopped 6of its newspapers and several magazines with more cuts to come. It employeed 3500 people out this way and they all all out of a job with no hope of returning.

When I went to the food store yesterday I saw the the newspaper rack had 1 paper for sale. It was a New York paper. No more local newspapers.

My country living magazine sent me a sorry this is your last issue, issue and said they would replace it with ladies home journal.

Our food stores are having dirt cheap prices an item or two to get you in the store to shop. I just shop the sales, I expect that's what a lot of people are doing.

and every month there are new stores closing and I was told by a friend who sells houses (she's doing poorly right now) that they stopped putting for sale signs up. It drives down the price that the houses on the market can command. Instead they are listed in the office.

**jayneluvsmickey** · 03-01-2009, 08:03 PM

our local grocery store used to have great sales on average of every two months...REALLY great sales. haven't had one since before christmas.

our quizno's and starbucks closed

not as many kids enrolled in our daycare. i have 11 enrolled in my class now and have never had less than 17 enrolled in the previous year

LOTS less new car tags seen while just driving around

**Grayce** · 03-01-2009, 08:11 PM

I get a lot of magazines. Now all the magazines are filled with articles about saving money, making cheaper meals etc. (I don't mind that at all). One of the magazines I get went out of business, they sent me a letter telling me I wouldn't be getting any more issues.
Another thing I have noticed is there are a lot more husbands home during the day. My DH and 2 of our neighbours are all laid off right now.

**mzpepper** · 03-01-2009, 08:19 PM

One thing that I have seen recently that I have not seen before is Auction signs for houses in the nearby neighborhoods. I was a little shocked when I saw the first one. These are not brand new developments either but established neighborhoods.

**sunshine** · 03-01-2009, 08:23 PM

- a one mile strip of city blocks with EVERY SINGLE house having a for sale sign in the yard.

- well manicured lawns torn up and gardens planted

- less donations to Good Will, Salvation Army and Catholic charities . . . they think it's due to people holding on to things to try to sell them, rather than donate.

- less sales and coupons

- less people eating out

- less people shopping PERIOD

**jennordhavn** · 03-01-2009, 08:28 PM

I work for a very large law firm and I noticed a ton of law firms in our area and nationwide are doing layoffs. Our firm did layoffs Friday and it was a horrible day.

I noticed not as many jobs are posted on Craigslist and my DH is having a hard time finding a job after taking some time off to go to school and care for our toddler.

Lots of foreclosures and cheap house prices.

Other than that, I haven't noticed much in our area. The restaurants and stores are still busy. I haven't noticed any store closures in our city. I work in San Francisco, so that may be why I still see a lot of spending there. There are still a ton of people in Starbucks (and there is still one on practically every corner).

**Milly** · 03-01-2009, 10:04 PM

Our local newspaper has started free ads for people who are looking for work. The requests for work covered 3/4 of a page the last time I looked. The people advertising seem to be highly qualified, well educated folks, too.

Also, I just saw a new TV ad for Dixie Cups. It uses the song 'Good Morning" from the movie "Singing In The Rain'.

Apparently, Dixie has come out with a new line of coffee cups with lids that you can buy in the paper goods aisle. I swear, the darned things look like Starbucks cups!! It looks as if Dixie re-tooled their Starbucks line for those of us who now bring our coffee from home, instead of stopping off on our way to work. Clever, clever Dixie people.

**kmeyrick** · 03-01-2009, 11:05 PM

Malls have been shortening their hours. I've noticed tons more sales- nothing sells for retail anymore. When people do buy a home, they are getting condos or smaller houses. Restaurants are always near empty.

And the weird thing is, as bad as the economy is, it's not like the Great Depression. I'm wondering if a lot of the layoffs aren't necessary as much as they are mass hysteria. My dad's whole department got laid off and his company actually did well.