Contrast between real life and current economic news

[ivinsfan]

Today is a Wednesday in the middle of the month. We drove into the nearest town (20k) to catch up on some errands this morning.



Here's what we found. WalMart ( I had to pickup an RX and do an online return) Packed at 1030 in the morning.. ONE real live checkout open.. Lines and more lines at the self check...people were entering the line at two different points which caused some conflict.


I had only non perishable items and after standing in line for ages ( the second entry point people invented was flatout line cutting) and watching people squabbling over line placement. I just left my cart and the store. I did see at least 4 people picking online orders, they outnumber the checkout and service desk employees.



Need lunch and we find traffic heavy, go to MacDs drive through in a line of probably 15 cars. We would have gone inside but realize drive thru gets priority. Go to Aldi's and traffic just gets heavier and heavier. Aldi's backed up and low on stock.


Think about stopping at Target but the lot is virtually full decide to drive home.


Today was akin to Black Friday or high noon on a busy Saturday.


What's going on, doesn't anyone have to work anymore, the economy is doing poorly but you couldn't tell by the full parking lots at every sit down eatery. WTH, it's noon on Wednesday of a non holiday week I don't get it..


Maybe this is just a get off my lawn rant! I was blown away that everything was so busy.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Reconciling current economic news with reality:
People are out in force buying stuff before the price goes up tomorrow?

You had the option of eating inside at McD's? Last time we went fast food was about a month ago and Wendy's had no eat-in dining, only drive through.

 

[Aerides]

One theme in your experiences - all those locations are served by folks in entry level low paying jobs. Those are the ones that are hardest to fill, and have been for over a year now. Lack of staff is definitely impacting in-store experiences.

As far as all the people driving around...right? No one appears to be worried about how much gas they are using...

 

[ivinsfan]

Reconciling current economic news with reality:
People are out in force buying stuff before the price goes up tomorrow?

You had the option of eating inside at McD's? Last time we went fast food was about a month ago and Wendy's had no eat-in dining, only drive through.

That's possible...and maybe they all decided to do it at later morning on a Wednesday. I don't know the reason but I know very much not the norm in our area that is mostly a blue collar, ag production area.

 

[ivinsfan]

One theme in your experiences - all those locations are served by folks in entry level low paying jobs. Those are the ones that are hardest to fill, and have been for over a year now. Lack of staff is definitely impacting in-store experiences.

As far as all the people driving around...right? No one appears to be worried about how much gas they are using...

We hadn't run errands since before the fourth of July, but you are right and you'd the fuel price would mean less cars not more. As far as staff I think they had normal weekday non peak staff just too many people buying stuff.

 

[ivinsfan]

Reconciling current economic news with reality:
People are out in force buying stuff before the price goes up tomorrow?

You had the option of eating inside at McD's? Last time we went fast food was about a month ago and Wendy's had no eat-in dining, only drive through.

Well now the McD's parking lot was full too but maybe it was drive thru people stopping to eat their food..

 

[MichaelB]

Reconciling current economic news with reality

Can’t be done. It’s a non sequitur

 

[savory]

The financial report I heard, I think on NPR, is people have more money saved now given lack of opportunity to spend it during the pandemic. The last employment report shows hiring remains strong. Prices are up but clearly have not caught up to disposable income. So people are shopping.I think that suggests inflation will continue until supply grows.

 

[ivinsfan]

The financial report I heard, I think on NPR, is people have more money saved now given lack of opportunity to spend it during the pandemic. The last employment report shows hiring remains strong. Prices are up but clearly have not caught up to disposable income. So people are shopping.I think that suggests inflation will continue until supply grows.

I forgot a comment about Aldi's you know all the non food C#$p they sell. My store has more and more every week. More then 50% of these items have been marked down ie on clearance. Aldi's did a big push on outdoor items and virtually none of it is moving and is now 50% off. So people aren't buying that kind of stuff. Aldi's has big piles of that stuff in the middle of the outside aliases, on selves and all over the store.

 

[savory]

I forgot a comment about Aldi's you know all the non food C#$p they sell. My store has more and more every week. More then 50% of these items have been marked down ie on clearance. Aldi's did a big push on outdoor items and virtually none of it is moving and is now 50% off. So people aren't buying that kind of stuff. Aldi's has big piles of that stuff in the middle of the outside aliases, on selves and all over the store.

I wonder if in the USA, people are not use to purchasing the types of non-food items Aldi sells at a store that is mostly grocery. I belong to a European, mostly UK, bicycling forum, and any time Aldi sells bicycling related stuff, from computers to bike stands, the forum is buzzing with the news. They know it is a temporary item but they do look forward to it. Aldi provides great pricing vs the comparative product. (I do not know if it is a good value). When I lived near an Aldi, I did not hear or share much news about their products, food or non-food. But, I am a sample of one.

 

[Sue J]

I forgot a comment about Aldi's you know all the non food C#$p they sell. My store has more and more every week. More then 50% of these items have been marked down ie on clearance. Aldi's did a big push on outdoor items and virtually none of it is moving and is now 50% off. So people aren't buying that kind of stuff. Aldi's has big piles of that stuff in the middle of the outside aliases, on selves and all over the store.

In certain circles that is referred to as the "Aisle of Shame". There is even a Facebook group - The original ALDI Aisle of Shame Community is for ALDI fans who enjoy sharing their favorite ALDI Finds, recipes, and product reviews, and want to connect with other ALDI lovers from around the U.S.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/363757814515154

Many posts recently about the Egg Chair!

 

[ls99]

Seems $tarbuc$ drive up lines are always 10 to 15 cars. Nearby my favorite coffeee shops, plenty of parking, Americano is half the price of $tarbuc$ and infinitely better tasting. I only had the $tar... a few times, tastes burnt, awful. I never buy the complicated sugar loaded fancy stuff. Guys who buy that should be required to turn in their mancard at time of orderig.
People must have money burn.

 

[street]

Things are so over price now. I really don't believe there is a shortage of all products, but all prices have gone up. Most of the rise in product price increases has come from shipping which is due to high fuel costs. Even if fuel prices come down, I'm not sure prices will ever be where they were before on most stuff.

I don't get to a big town or city very often but in the last year when I did the stores are swamped and parking lots are full.

 

[rk911]

One theme in your experiences - all those locations are served by folks in entry level low paying jobs. Those are the ones that are hardest to fill, and have been for over a year now. Lack of staff is definitely impacting in-store experiences.

As far as all the people driving around...right? No one appears to be worried about how much gas they are using...

yup. the other day at Lowes none of the staffed checkout lines were open, just the self-checkout lanes. the lone staffer overseeing the self checkout told me that the store can't find anyone to work the registers. our local Boston Market has the same three people working no matter which day I go in.

 

[Bamaman]

I still don't get it. Our community barely has a 3% unemployment rate but our local Burger King is operating with 2 employees mornings--and the door is locked. Few of our fast foods are open inside, but the car lines are long. Forget Chik-fil-A with 25 cars in their double lines.

Millions of people are simply refusing to work. So many have found it easy to live in Section 8 housing, get food assistance and free utilities. Or they're couch surfing since citizens without $30 an hour jobs cannot afford an average dumpy apartment.

Our local economy is booming and great paying jobs are everywhere--especially in government jobs building rockets and private jobs building automobiles.

 

[Chuckanut]

Prices are up but clearly have not caught up to disposable income. So people are shopping.I think that suggests inflation will continue until supply grows.

Or the saved up money runs out.

 

[Chuckanut]

Seems $tarbuc$ drive up lines are always 10 to 15 cars. Nearby my favorite coffeee shops, plenty of parking, Americano is half the price of $tarbuc$ and infinitely better tasting. I only had the $tar... a few times, tastes burnt, awful. I never buy the complicated sugar loaded fancy stuff. Guys who buy that should be required to turn in their mancard at time of orderig.
People must have money burn.

Speaking of reconciling with reality, Seattle is losing five Starbucks stores that are being closed due to crime issues where they are located.

I am not a big coffee person, but I do frequent the local independent coffee houses when I meet friends. Better coffee for about the same price. It seems this is one area where the little guys can compete with the big gorilla. In any case they all seem busy these days. Somebody must have money.

 

[RobbieB]

I got money, but you'll never see me at a coffee shop.

 

[rk911]

I still don't get it. Our community barely has a 3% unemployment rate but our local Burger King is operating with 2 employees mornings--and the door is locked. Few of our fast foods are open inside, but the car lines are long. Forget Chik-fil-A with 25 cars in their double lines.

Millions of people are simply refusing to work. So many have found it easy to live in Section 8 housing, get food assistance and free utilities. Or they're couch surfing since citizens without $30 an hour jobs cannot afford an average dumpy apartment.

Our local economy is booming and great paying jobs are everywhere--especially in government jobs building rockets and private jobs building automobiles.

no expert here but it seems that the unemployment rate only tells part of the story. the labor partiipation rate tells another part. correct me if i'm wrong but if the LPR is low that would seem to indicate a large segment of otherwise "elegible" people have dropped out of the labor force. and if that's the case then a 3% unemployment rate of those who are lookiing for work when coupled with the LPR might give a more accurate picture of the health of the economy.

 

[jollystomper]

Depending on where your zip code (or the zip code you frequent) falls in terms of "wealth", you may or may not see things consistent with current economic news.

In the past I have played with the Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) date available from the U.S. census, including the income statistics. If your zip code ranks high, you might see less direct economic impact that if you ranked lower.

Our zip code ranks in the top 10-12% for median income, according to the ZCTA data. The major impact I have observed is fewer "live cashiers" in stores, occasional shortages of specific goods in some (but never all) grocery stores, and a lot of food establishments opening later and closing earlier due to lack of staff. But, the store traffic seems normal Today my errands took me to Home Deport, Walmart, Costco, and a grocery store, and in terms of shopping nothing seemed out of the ordinary for that time of day. Even the gas lines at Costco around 6PM seemed normal.

But, if one went to an area not as well off, you might find much more in real life relating to current economic news. When we visited DW's uncle in May, in a more "mature" area of Boston, the impact was much more obvious.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Millions of people are simply refusing to work.

no expert here but it seems that the unemployment rate only tells part of the story. the labor partiipation rate tells another part. correct me if i'm wrong but if the LPR is low that would seem to indicate a large segment of otherwise "elegible" people have dropped out of the labor force.

I find these sentiments to be kinda funny on a forum devoted to EARLY RETIREMENT. Yes, yes, people (like us!!) are choosing not to work! Shoudn't we be celebrating this?

 

[rk911]

I find these sentiments to be kinda funny on a forum devoted to EARLY RETIREMENT. Yes, yes, people (like us!!) are choosing not to work! Shoudn't we be celebrating this?

i see your point. .

 

[Sunset]

I find these sentiments to be kinda funny on a forum devoted to EARLY RETIREMENT. Yes, yes, people (like us!!) are choosing not to work! Shoudn't we be celebrating this?

Except that many of us do celebrate thoughtful, prepared, planned retirement and not simply a refusal to work while spending the 1 ->2 years worth of savings and hoping for the best.

Besides, all those non-working people are not supporting SS

 

[TheWizard]

I'll be contrary and say that I haven't really noticed any of the issues that the OP mentions, here in the metro Boston area.

Sure, some times of day and days of the week are busier than others; we retirees know all about this.
Prices are generally up a bit, yes, but check-out staffing is pretty much normal.
*shurg*

 

[wrigley]

Summer time. Kids are out of school. A lot more people are working from home. My companies policy is I must work 40 hrs in the work week. My work week is defined as Monday-Sunday. If I want to browse Walmart, Target, and McDonalds on Wed morning I can do that. I routinely go get gas (when I need it) on Tues or Wed around 10AM. The lines are shorter because the people that actually commute to work are already off the roads. If I NEED something from a store I will go to that store mid week, prior to lunchtime. I live on a cul-de-sac that has 5 homes. Out of those 5 homes 4 of them now have fulltime work from home individuals. 2 1/2 years ago, everyone in those 4 homes were driving back and forth to the office daily. Times have changed!

Mike