Non monetary ways the economy is affecting you?

[ticktock]

I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of people. Going to the grocery store is like being at Disney during Christmas. Even our little health food/gourmet store which used to always be empty is packed. I guess all the yuppies can't afford to go to Europe for the summer so they're stocking up on french cheese and picnicking at home instead.

Stores aren't stocking up and what they do have is very "safe". All my favorite plant nurseries are only carrying very basic plants. Nothing new and exciting and "Gee can I keep this alive here?"

The library is slammed. The park across the street from me looks like it's the fourth of July every evening. My neighbors hang out in their front yard instead of whatever it is they usually do on the weekend. Where did all these people come from?

I'm usually a homebody but I need a vacation from all these people!

 

[bicker]

I don't think it is the economy. The economy is improving, the recession having ended sometime between June and September of last year.

I do think that a lot of people have found that they don't need to go to "Whole Foods" for everything anymore, and are making more trips to "Stop & Shop" because for many things they charge a lot less. Also, I think that the recession did kill a lot of weaker businesses, leaving fewer businesses to serve the public. I don't think the recovery will reverse that trend too quickly -- both people and companies are reluctant to invest their money in providing services to the public, because there is such weakness in the consumer marketplace these days, with so many consumers, stung by the recession, adopting a more conservative, save-for-the-future attitude, long-term.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

bicker you are lucky that you have really see things pick up in your area, not all of us see that. I think I've actually seen it get worse around here in the past 6 months or so.

I've noticed several of the delis and lunch places near where I work go out of business in the past few months, places that before were always super crowded during the lunch hours. I don't know if its because rent has gone up too much or if its because so many people are out of work or if people are just getting smart and bringing their lunches It's not nearly as easy to find lunch at work now but its a lot easier to get a table when we go out for dinner on the weekends

 

[bicker]

bicker you are lucky that you have really see things pick up in your area, not all of us see that.

Well, my comment wasn't about what's local to my area. My area is actually experiencing a certifiable boom. My comment was actually focused on the rest of the country: The economy is improving; the recession has ended.

People aren't going to "really see" things "pick up" -- perhaps not for a long time. The sting of recessions is always felt long after the recession is over. People are used to how things were before the recession started, when things were on a very sharp upward trajectory. They came to expect superlative gains, and so now modest gains "feel" like losses to many people. Many people were doing far better before the recession than the economy actually was able to sustain, and so now they "feel" underemployed, when the regain employment. Also, a lot of things in our economy have been changed, for the long-term, by the recession. A lot of people found ways to economize, and they see no reason to unlearn those behaviors just because things are improving. That has a stifling impact on everything: If people are saving more money, that means there is less money floating around to pay people to provide marginal offerings.

I think I've actually seen it get worse around here in the past 6 months or so.

If you live in MI or MS, I'm sorry to hear that. Otherwise, it's probably not as bad as it feels. NJ is improving well.

 

[gregokdisney]

Recession is defined as a widespread decline of GDP, trade and employment lasting more than six months. Where I live, more people have lost their jobs in the last six months than in the six months before that. Dozens of teachers have lost their jobs. State budget cuts are wiping out jobs in higher education and mental health fields. Our unemployment figures have risen and unemployment is still above 10%. The home and construction market is still in the toilet. Retail sales are still in the toilet.

I don't know about you, but we're still experiencing a widespread decline in production, trade and employment.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

The only real sign of recession here is that there aren't as many 'baby' products on the shelves as there used to be. I know it's a good thing, but it's a PITA!

 

[akcire]

This doesn't affect me, since my gambling is limited to a lotto ticket a couple of times a year; however, my neighbor works at one of our local casinos. According to her the worse the economy gets, the more people show up to gamble--and they are more desperate ie. trying to turn their last $20 into a mortgage payment??

I don't know if it is true, but she claims to be very busy. She also told me liquor consumption at the casino is at an all time high??

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Non-monetary?

Well I suppose it can be emotional since my brother, other brother GF, and my BIL all need new jobs. Right now they are working however 2 of them are going to be laid off in 2 months and my BIL was already laid off and is now working a job for half of his salary. He has been pounding the pavement since then trying to find something else to support his family.

Also at my dh's work they are just beating them over the head and getting away with it since they know that many people are stuck.

Plus my sister is looking for a job. She just finished up a seasonal gig with H&R block.

So....everyone needs a job here and it can get overwhelming at times with the stress that goes along with it.

 

[FINFAN]

This doesn't affect me, since my gambling is limited to a lotto ticket a couple of times a year; however, my neighbor works at one of our local casinos. According to her the worse the economy gets, the more people show up to gamble--and they are more desperate ie. trying to turn their last $20 into a mortgage payment??

I don't know if it is true, but she claims to be very busy. She also told me liquor consumption at the casino is at an all time high??

that would be why the liquor business is semi recession proof...people drink when times are good, and when times are bad.
Ti answer OP question, non-monetary ways I'm affected is sheer stress. Just constant feeling of being unsettled, no secure feeling, future we thought we had a decent start on for the kids gone,,,just out and out stress, and crabbiness, for a LOT of people I know.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

This doesn't affect me, since my gambling is limited to a lotto ticket a couple of times a year; however, my neighbor works at one of our local casinos. According to her the worse the economy gets, the more people show up to gamble--and they are more desperate ie. trying to turn their last $20 into a mortgage payment??

I don't know if it is true, but she claims to be very busy. She also told me liquor consumption at the casino is at an all time high??

I would totally believe that! There are a few casinos that we've driven by in the past few months, the parking lots are PACKED! I also think when times get rough, people 'hit the bottle' moreso than in good times. Lucky for the casinos!

 

[barkley]

the recession is not over here as well. people who are currently unemployed are still hard pressed to find any available jobs, and a neighbor along with most of his co-workers who work in contract jobs were let go yesterday (vs. at the end of june as their contracts originaly anticipated).

non monetary ways it's affecting us/i'm seeing-

in calling around to try to get bids on some landscaping, many places have cut back their staffing so much that they don't have the staffing to either do certain types of jobs or there's a much longer wait for bid/job to be done (flip side is where it used to be the norm for these types of buisnesses to charge for even a bid, all are doing bids for free now).

the private school ds goes to used to only offer a finanical incentive/break to brand new families (to entice new students), last month they sent home the registration paperwork for next school year and it offers a 25% reduction on the registration fee if done by a date early in may (they are trying to keep from losing more students and need to know if one teacher will be cut for next year).

i pick weekdays to shop at costco cuz traditionaly weekends are the busy times. no more-now it's busy everyday of the week. i see people buying less of the impulse purchases, more of what you know is used to make work/school lunches (lunch meats, bread, multi packs of fruit cups/pudding...).

the local pizza places are much less busy, while the take and bake places (esp. when they have a coupon deal) are packed (you hear people talking in line and most are opting to rent a video and do take and bake vs. going out to the movies and a meal).

if certain things go on sale at the grocery store they are more prone to fly off the shelves-rice a roni, top ramen, tortillas, ground beef. the stores are trending more at offering good "come on" deals on traditionaly inexpensive items.


a resort hotel in a nearby state traditionaly sells out their entire room invantory for the days surrounding the 4th of july up to a year in advance. if there are rooms they are top dollar and require multiple nights minimum stay. here we are at the begining of may, and this resort is doing a media blitz to even fill the rooms at their lowest rates, with as little as a 2 nite minimum stay for the upcoming july 4th.


btw-on casinos, we had one that had roof damage due to snow in 2009. although the owners had insurance that would cover it they crunched the numbers and their revenue was so decreased they opted to close it. the other casinos in the area have seen revenue drop such that they are offering big incentives to come in the door.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't really believe that the recession has ended until the job market starts to improve. Things seem stable right now but I don't see much of an upward trend yet.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of people. Going to the grocery store is like being at Disney during Christmas. Even our little health food/gourmet store which used to always be empty is packed. I guess all the yuppies can't afford to go to Europe for the summer so they're stocking up on french cheese and picnicking at home instead.

Stores aren't stocking up and what they do have is very "safe". All my favorite plant nurseries are only carrying very basic plants. Nothing new and exciting and "Gee can I keep this alive here?"

The library is slammed. The park across the street from me looks like it's the fourth of July every evening. My neighbors hang out in their front yard instead of whatever it is they usually do on the weekend. Where did all these people come from?

I'm usually a homebody but I need a vacation from all these people!

I've noticed a lot of the same trends you described.

Recession is defined as a widespread decline of GDP, trade and employment lasting more than six months. Where I live, more people have lost their jobs in the last six months than in the six months before that. Dozens of teachers have lost their jobs. State budget cuts are wiping out jobs in higher education and mental health fields. Our unemployment figures have risen and unemployment is still above 10%. The home and construction market is still in the toilet. Retail sales are still in the toilet.

I don't know about you, but we're still experiencing a widespread decline in production, trade and employment.

Same here.

We have had teachers lose their jobs and more are reported to be on the chopping block. There is talk of services being either slashed or increased fees.

 

[tasha99]

I had a day off yesterday and decided to go to the mall and then a movie. It was a ghost town--I felt like I was in one of those zombie movies where people hide in an abandoned mall. About a quarter of the stores had their chains down, too. It was after noon, so I think they are just out of business. The movie I went to had five people watching it, me and a couple of elderly couples who looked like they were on a double date. It was like Disney in September during a downpour.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

btw-on casinos, we had one that had roof damage due to snow in 2009. although the owners had insurance that would cover it they crunched the numbers and their revenue was so decreased they opted to close it. the other casinos in the area have seen revenue drop such that they are offering big incentives to come in the door.

Our casino's are in the hole big time. They just opened up a new one in St. Louis a couple of months ago. There are already 4 in the area and the new one is killing the others. They were already down in revenue.

Ours partly relies on vacationers and well since that is down the casinos suffer.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I notice that there are fewer employees at stores. Our walmart used to have lots of cashiers. Now, even on weekends, they have limited checkouts and the lines are extremely long. It drives me crazy because it used to be easier to pay and get out of there.

 

[Pluto 2]

the economy is picking up big time. maybe that store that you were talking about that use to be empty now is full is because of the good economy now.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I see a lot more people using coupons. The grocery store is more crowded and there is less on the shelves of the coupon deals. I wonder if once the economy is really back on track if some people will drop back to not using them.

 

[bicker]

I don't know about you, but we're still experiencing a widespread decline in production, trade and employment.

Without knowing where you're talking about, it is hard to look up the data, so it is hard to know. As I indicated, the information I provided was nationwide data. And indeed, I do know that there are some areas (I believe earlier I mentioned MI and MS) that are still in recession.

 

[bicker]

I don't really believe that the recession has ended until the job market starts to improve. Things seem stable right now but I don't see much of an upward trend yet.

"April 02, 2010 - Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in March..." [Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics.]

That helps indicate what I meant earlier about the difference between how people feel things are and how they really are.