Signs o’ the times – Pt II
October 8, 2009Jon Brooks 1 Comment »
A couple of months ago we did a post on the Brian Lehrer Show’s Uncommon Economic Indicators web page, where people submit signs of the recession observed around the New York City area. As we wrote, “these won’t show up in any government statistics or charts, but they turn the abstract gloom of macroeconomic numbers into a concrete picture of what’s happening in the community.”
Time to check in again on recent submissions:
Odd job applicants – Brooklyn
I am helping a friend who is sick and getting treatment in Boston by packing and moving his belongings out of his apartment in BedStuy. I posted an ad on Craigslist, offering to pay 100 dollars to 3-4 people for several hours of work just to pack the place up. I received 92 postings in the last 24 hours – not just from the expected recent grads, musicians and writers, but also from engineers, architects, PHDs, construction managers, ex-Military, etc…I was shocked.
Old pennies are back
I remember this happening in an earlier recession: sort of old coins, such as wheat pennies from the ’40s and ’50s, are turning up in my pocket change. I think people are busting the penny jars open.
Chase desperate for customers – Manhattan
I was at the Chase ATM in the Chrysler building and the customer service reps were staking out the lobby for potential customers. There was a woman next to me using the ATM with a non-Chase card and the rep approached her in mid transaction to pitch her into opening a new account. He was standing over her shoulder pointing at the screen telling her she could save the $3 service fee AND (earn) $100. Clearly an invasion of personal space. She declined, saying she had to be somewhere but he persisted, almost dragging her into the office. I know that retail banking is getting competitive but these tactics are more aggressive than charity workers on the streets….
Costco coupons: Golden Tickets – Yonkers
I am a regular Saturday morning grocery shopper at the Costco. I inquired at the entrance about if the store had the coupons that they mail out to all members. An employee said yes, “they are like gold man!” He repeated the phrase emphatically, “they are like gold!”
Tasti D-Lite job applications – Manhattan
On my way back from a museum I stopped for a Tasty D-Lite. In the 5 minutes it took to eat my treat, two people came in to fill out an application for employment. The owner asked the applicants not to fill out the applications in the store. Why? Because there were so many of them there would be no room for patrons!
Beer yes, whiskey no – Manhattan
I own a rock and roll tiki bar in the East Village. Traditionally, people went to bars as a meeting place, a kind of town hall. Today people are still coming in to celebrate and commiserate, however the purchasing is different. Top shelf whiskey, tequila, vodka, and imported beer sales are down. And the sale of cheaper domestic (ie $3 PBR) beer and well drinks is quite noticeably on the rise. Also, bartenders will tell you that regulars are still tipping, but the weekend warriors that only come in occasionally are either not tipping or tipping less.
No museum workers – Manhattan
At the Met Museum, no elevator operators this past Sunday: elevator doors closing on wheel chair occupants, baby strollers. etc, hitting them midway… no guards in many of the galleries to keep people from touching the paintings and sculptures, etc etc — not to speak of the miseries to those unfortunate workers who now have no incomes!
Nanny surplus – Queens
It seems that everyone in my neighborhood is looking to place their wonderful nanny. We recently told our own sitter that we might need to reduce her hours drastically. We told her she should take some time to think about what she wanted to do. She said she didn’t need to think, she was staying with us. She knows how many sitters in the area are looking for work…
A perfectly good cigarette butt – Manhattan
As I was waiting for a bus in the theater district one night, I saw a nicely dressed middle aged woman stop, look at the ground, pick up a not finished cigarette butt, stop a few steps later to get out her lighter, light the butt and smoke it.
Banks of little interest
Just looked at my bank statement and realized that I earned more money last month by picking up change off the sidewalk than I did from interest on my savings account!
We’ll revisit this quite interesting site in another month or so…
October 8th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
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