Anyone notice a decrease in spending?

[bodiesotva]

Maybe we have too many people reporting bad news

Business as usual (brisk), in Tucson, AZ

Life cannot be lived from the same place we were born.

 

[Moemg]

Tons of for sale signs in Sarasota,Fl. I went furniture shopping and was pounced on immediately . Restaurants seem the same but we are starting tourist season .

 

[kumquat]

Decrease in spending?

Not on DW's part.

 

[Walt34]

Perhaps some slight reduction in spending but not a lot. Went to the Bonefish Grille in Frederick, MD at 4:00 pm yesterday and the place was deserted but that's not peak time for a restaurant. We were the only ones there, but a few more people did come in as we were leaving. Dinner for two there was $68 but it was from a gift card we won in a drawing.

Lots of For Sale signs still on the lawns around here, houses take many months to sell if they sell at all. One neighbor has tried to sell his three times in the last year, but I suspect he's upside down on it since he bought right around the peak in prices.

One SIL is a waitress at a family-owned restaurant and reports that tips are almost half of what they were a year ago. She whines that she can't get her nails done now. Wants hubby to work more OT. So life is tough.

We don't spend a lot of time in malls, we go in off-peak times for a specific item, hunt it down, kill it and go home. Haven't noticed much change.

 

[FUEGO]

We just decided to go on a weeklong cruise in the bahamas in December for the four of us, plus my mom and grandma are tagging along. At something like $450 per person, this is quite a steal. I would have hoped the economy would force down prices even more, but not so far.

 

[TromboneAl]

a certain type of discretionary product. Their sales dropped by a third

Viagra?

Do you really think you can get away with "a certain type of discretionary product" without telling us what it was?

 

[BanDit1]

Went to a restaurant in Schaumburg, IL this past Saturday. Specifically stopped at a restaurant where the parking lot didn't look full. Went in and saw numerous empty booths and tables. Still had to wait 10-15 minutes. Reason: Restaurant is bringing in fewer employees on each shift to save money.

 

[antmary]

We live about one hour east of Sacramento. Yes, things seem quiet in Kmart, and the people who work in the banks seem scared. One bank loaned lots of money for real estate; I read that a small sub-division that they bankrolled was on the verge of defaulting on 2+ million dollars. Businesses who expanded at the height of 2006 are, slowly, going out of business. Bank-owned houses on the market are slowly increasing. But, they have been selling, since this is a desirable place to live. People seem to be driving more erratically, and some are more rude.

I'm glad I canned all those tomatoes last summer!

 

[bbbamI]

I live in the Dallas area. Restaurants always seem to be full, as far as the malls go...I wouldn't know. I do most of my shopping on-line.

Robberies in my area seem to be up.

Yes, a downturn in the economy can create more crime.

Holidays are coming up, so thefts will be on the rise. People are out of town, purchases are being made, and people get distracted. Cons notice every detail.

Be careful folks. Be aware.

 

[Rustic23]

Nope, Just ordered a Spider Out system. We live on a lake and I have never seen so many spiders and mud dobbers.

 

[jclarksnakes]

Here in Savannah most of the restaurants seem about the same. Some stores and the shoplifting malls seem to be a little slow. Construction which was very busy until a year ago is extremely slow now. Walking in the historic area last saturday we noticed lots of weddings in the town squares. Life goes on.

 

[OAG]

In our little area I have see two holes dug (we have basements here) for new $500K homes. The builders, however, have an entire street of (maybe 6 homes) models they cannot seem to move - they are older than some of the resales going on the market. The HOA here sent out a 4 page letter trying to justify their 12% increase in the Mandatory HOA (Condo) fees for next year. Sneaky way to do it too, would not say anything about an increase at the annual meeting 4 or 5 months ago. I did not attend (was out of town) but from what I understand no one even mentioned it. Goes hand in hand with the RE Taxes here.

 

[Martha]

Viagra?

Do you really think you can get away with "a certain type of discretionary product" without telling us what it was?

Sorry, but I didn't want the business to be recognized.

People's imaginations are probably picturing much more interesting answers anyway.

 

[Martha]

Nope, Just ordered a Spider Out system. We live on a lake and I have never seen so many spiders and mud dobbers.

Had to look up mud dobber. Gross.

 

[bbbamI]

Uh oh Martha...are you in trouble?