Perceptions of the recession

SamIAm_3-2

I would have noticed if for no other reason than I know a lot of people that have been made redundant.

chucky

Asheron wrote: »

Im just saying the Media took 2 years to tell you.

just so that i understand and am clear with it - how long did the media take to tall us?

SGE1

chucky wrote: »

just so that i understand and am clear with it - how long did the media take to tall us?

Don't encourage him!

SGE1

Interesting that it's about 50-50.

mewbie_2

When I finally realised it was a recession was when Pickles said it wasn't.

SamIAm_3-2

SGE1 wrote: »

Interesting that it's about 50-50.

It is interesting and I'm slightly surprised by this - I would have expected it to be more like 75-25!

dandy-candy

I definately would have noticed it for a few different reasons,

1) My local high street has lots of shops that have shut and aren't being reopened by new buisnesses which is very unusual around here
2) I drove to Borehamwood last week - now its not unusual to have the odd shop empty here but there are a dozen including a stretch of 3 in a row
3) My husband has a shop and the takings are down to just covering the costs atm
4) My mum is a pensioner so she told me about how tight it is now the interest has dropped on her savings
5) My sister sells ski chalets in Austria - a year ago she sold roughly 3 a week, she hasn't sold any since August now
6) I do the food shopping and the cost of feeding our family of 5 has shot up as have our gas/electric bills

I don't think any one of these points alone would have been such a sigh but when they all come together.... _pale_

GrammarGirl

It would only be within the workplace that I would suspect some kind of 'slowing down'. We've had a pay freeze and it's been quite quiet. Lots of people have left and haven't been replaced, and old perks such as paid-for lunches out and our entertainment fund have been cut.

My personal life hasn't changed a bit. In fact, things have improved as prices have reduced, especially petrol.

lostinrates

SamIAm wrote: »

It is interesting and I'm slightly surprised by this - I would have expected it to be more like 75-25!

Its very hard to take the media out of it. Joining up the dots with the knowledge we have its conceivable, as SGE1 suggests, more people think they'd know than really would have done.

My guess is the slightly older would pick up clues from sales and closures more quickly...having seen it before. The redundancies would filter through more slowly...no media to spread the word beyond the locality? Any one with savings, or indeed benefitting from mortgage payment reductions, would be pretty hard put to miss warning signs I think.

SamIAm_3-2

lostinrates wrote: »

Its very hard to take the media out of it. Joining up the dots with the knowledge we have its conceivable, as SGE1 suggests, more people think they'd know than really would have done.

My guess is the slightly older would pick up clues from sales and closures more quickly...having seen it before. The redundancies would filter through more slowly...no media to spread the word beyond the locality? Any one with savings, or indeed benefitting from mortgage payment reductions, would be pretty hard put to miss warning signs I think.

I guess the reason i'm slightly surprised is that it is pretty clear to me that we are in a recession, but only because of the effect it has had on businesses near here and the effect it has had to people I know. I had (wrongly) assumed that there would be more people on here in a similar situation to myself than not; clearly it's more balanced than that.