Anyone notice a decrease in spending?

[Ronnieboy]

I suppose we are in a recession, I hear it on the news daily. Large losses in portfolios, etc.
But has anyone noticed a decrease in spending in their area?

It seems the stores and resturants in my area are still crowded and as busy as the last 10 months. Heck I even had a 20 minute wait for a table at The Olive Garden on a Thursday for lunch.

Anyone see a cutback in activity besides their own?

 

[harley]

Not really. Most restaurants and stores we go to seem to be fairly busy. However, I have one waitress friend who says tips are down, and another who works for a non-profit says donations are down too. I'm not sure if these are reflective of society as a whole, or just impressions.

I think the cutback is more likely to be in big ticket items. We've been shopping for furniture for our new townhouse, and have been able to get even better bargains than usual. DW has always been able to bring salesmen to tears, but she says they are bending over backwards to make sales now.

 

[OAG]

Yes we do. We are retired so when we visit local stores (Wal-Marts, Targets, Kroger, Giant Eagle, Sears (and other stores in our local Malls)) we really notice parking lots and store traffic. We are also noticing more "For Lease", "Space Available" signs on local commercial sites that when we first came to this area (over 3 Years ago). Maybe it is the weather turning cooler here in the Mid-West and not the economy at all!

 

[Fastfade]

We're retired and ultra-conservative and we are not eating out as much or making any large purchases at this time. We plannned to take the Alaska Cruise next spring but now we are opting to take a wait & see approach for the next 3-4 months to see how this crisis plays out.

When I see articles about Insurance companies needing bail out assistance, etc, etc., I get even more cautious (hard to imagine)

 

[Gardnr]

I suppose we are in a recession, I hear it on the news daily. Large losses in portfolios, etc.
But has anyone noticed a decrease in spending in their area?

It seems the stores and resturants in my area are still crowded and as busy as the last 10 months. Heck I even had a 20 minute wait for a table at The Olive Garden on a Thursday for lunch.

Anyone see a cutback in activity besides their own?

I'm in a somewhat rural area of MO and don't frequent the shopping and restaurant areas, quite frankly, so I don't really know.

To add perspective, where are you? I imagine that the hard hit areas of CA, NV and FL would be the worst.

 

[Rustic23]

Our habits or such that identifying traffic trends in stores would be near impossible. We seldom shop on the same day or at the same time. Heck, we don't even shop in the same town week to week or same Walmart. We don't eat out often enough to use that as a guide.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I live in one of those "hard hit" areas. The number of people in restaurants and people out and about is noticeably lower.

I used to wander around the auto dealers once in awhile for entertainment. I don't do that much anymore cause it's just too depressing. Those big dealerships are ghost towns waiting to fail. A few of the dealerships have already failed. Those salesguys are beyond hungry. They are desperate.

Hard times are upon us.

 

[free4now]

I find that here in the city restaurants are still packed, but when I visit the areas hardest affected by the housing bust like Sacramento exurbs it's really bad. Malls are nearly empty and they seem to have reduced staffing to the bare minimum so even though you're practically the only customer in the store you can't find anyone to help you. It looks like a death spiral out there.

 

[Bikerdude]

Here in CT the restaurants are still busy but the Casino's have had to cut back on help due to falling revenues. Bear in mind that the market is looking 6 to 9 months ahead and anticipating the economy then. I suspect the layoffs will begin in earnest by the end of the year and continue into the spring and summer.

Check the restaurants in the spring for a good gauge of where we are then.

 

[W2R]

We have noticed fewer customers at some big box stores, and that those who are there don't seem to be buying much.

It is difficult to tell at the smaller shops.

There may be slightly fewer at local restaurants. We haven't had to wait for a seat, lately. Saturday night we were the only customers at our favorite Cajun/Italian restaurant at 7 PM, but it was a little early and the owner said he thought it would fill up as soon as the LSU game was over.

 

[Andre1969]

One of my roommates works as a waiter/bartender, and this past week was actually his best week EVER! So while discretionary spending may be down, he sure isn't noticing it! He works in Bowie, Maryland.

 

[newporttony]

I've seen no change in my neck of the woods. Restaurants and stores as busy as ever.

I've heard that the local luxury car dealers are struggling though.

 

[freebird5825]

here in the middle of Nowhere NY, it's hard to tell cuz we are a historically depressed area to begin with. the local casino continues to pack 'em in, and new hotels are being built nearby. local house builds continue.
i'm not a frequent shopper, so no data on that. we are still pulling way back on discretionary spending with winter heating costs looming. but i did make dh2b's day by sending him a sears tool chest sale e-notice. it was a deal we couldn't pass up. an early xmas present...

 

[Notmuchlonger]

No. But robberies in my area seem to be up.

 

[Rustic23]

Another question, could it be that we find what we are looking for, and, what we find depends on our outlook of the economy?

 

[DangerMouse]

I've found that the mall is still busy at lunchtime so I am assuming that everyone is still eating their lunch.

However I have noticed that when it comes to buying in the stores there does not seem to be a lot of competition for attention from the retail clerks. I was in Pottery Barn last week making a purchase and I spoke to the clerk about how quiet it was and she mentioned that it is dreadfully quiet and has been for weeks. I did notice the demographics of the shoppers that were carrying around bags and they seemed to be like me - middle age women. So maybe the youngsters are staying on the sidelines at the moment.

 

[FANOFJESUS]

No. But robberies in my area seem to be up.

I think crime is up quite a bit.

 

[FinanceDude]

Sales are down, but I STILL can't get anyone at Home Depot to help me..........on to Lowes.........

 

[Khan]

Sales are down, but I STILL can't get anyone at Home Depot to help me..........on to Lowes.........

Where I live, it's the opposite (Lowes seems to not have employees).

Like some others, my shopping patterns are not such that I would notice a downturn. The number of closed stores in general has slowly been increasing over the last several years. Some places are hiring.

 

[wolf]

Interesting Thread. Would be nice if the responders would mention their location.

City and State.


Thanks.

 

[two4theroad]

Here in South Texas everything seems to go on as before. The mall, the Penney's store, Ross's Dress for Less and Burlington Coat Factory were packed when I took my sister (who is visiting here from a smaller town) shopping this past Saturday.
We went out to eat twice and had to wait for tables.
When driving through Houston last week the freeways were full with single drivers so no car pooling yet there.
I heard that new home starts were down here but have not really seen a lot of for sale signs in the neighborhoods that I frequent.
We are not cutting back as our income from pensions, dividends and bonds has not been reduced. Our long term stock portfolio is in the toilet but I believe we will recover long before we need that money.
All in all, I think a lot of this is media driven hoopla. I know there are areas where the situation is worse than here as my brother does business in Ohio weekly and he says it is bad there but has been for a long time.
My DH, BIL, and dad were all sitting around this weekend speculating on how bad it might get but not one of them could come up with a specific instance of such dire happenings or where they had personal knowledge of someone losing their job, house, savings or future. It is all just worries so far but that does affect lifestyle eventually.
We shall see....
2fer
(the eternal optimist according to DH)

 

[Fireup2020]

In CA a couple weeks ago (Sacramento/Walnut Creek/Santa Cruz) - the areas were depressing! As mentioned before, noticeably more For Sale/Lease, etc signs than NJ or Hampton Roads, VA. I am having a blast saving like mad and buying some things on my list of wants since prices are lower, and stores are not as crowded!!! Next year or so, a new-to-me car will be added to the list!

 

[audreyh1]

McAllen TX has a brand new mega-shopping center with several new chain restaurants. PF Changs has been absolutely packed the last couple of times we ate there, as well as their neighbors. They seem to have several new big electronics business warehouses in the "Trade Zone" near the Pharr international bridge. In other words - things sure are hopping around here!

Audrey

 

[Bikerdude]

Sales are down, but I STILL can't get anyone at Home Depot to help me..........on to Lowes.........

Lately when I'm in HD I get tired with all the "can I help you" inquiry's. It never used to be that way, just started in the last month or so. Must be a store by store or general area thing.

 

[TromboneAl]

I've noticed this many times over the years. Whether the economy is in recession or boom times, I see no difference in the number of people in the stores or cars in the parking lots.