Green shoots

fc123

agent_orange wrote: »

I love to read posts like the last two. How it must irk some of our doomsters.

With mine, it's not really my intention to irk anyone but I am really struggling to absorb all the 'data', graphs forecasts and match them to my own little micro world........just so I can plan really. Being self employed makes me feel more vulnerable.

Perhaps, subconsciously I have already reacted to it all. My product has changed and is more targeted towards a younger customer base to 12 months ago (we've always done young but have deleted the 'not so young' ranges as they slowed), it is being sold in a different way and I am waiting for the trickle down effects to seep through. I guess they take a couple of years.

The damage to commercial property prices from the asset bubble popping will take longer to feed through, longer than we can allow time for so, we're sorting that bit out right now.
No regrets though as something amazing happened 2 days ago that is going to really help us survive this downturn.

geoffky

sue...if he cant explain compound interest to you...dump him as he will be no good with money...

geoffky

downshifter98 wrote: »

Hi all

Its the 'big boring purchases' that people have cut back on (cars, sofas, beds, kitchens etc) this, plus the fact that many people still in work (probably 90% plus of those that want to) are actually a bit better off currently (petrol, mortgages,deflation) means that smaller 'treat' type spending is still doing rather well (including Sat nights out).
As an example, friends run a local florist and apparently 'Valentines' weekend was busiest for years.
.:beer:

Downshifter

funny you say that my local florist has just gone bust after 40 years of trading..:rolleyes:

and its payday this weekend...

gingin_2

We have just got back from a yearly birthday weekend in London with eldest child. Same hotel, same restaurant first night, similar trips. The difference was huge. The hotel was virtually all Europeans, very few brits, unlike last year and was also much quieter. The restaurant on Friday night that we had to wait over an hour for a table for last year was seating people almost immediately. Took a trip to new attraction "Ripley's Believe it or not" and it was oddly quiet (probably because it was extortionately priced). Picadilly seemed fairly quiet. We managed to find cabs almost immediately, even on a friday and saturday night.

It looked to me very much like recession had hit.

fc123

gingin wrote: »

We have just got back from a yearly birthday weekend in London with eldest child. Same hotel, same restaurant first night, similar trips. The difference was huge. The hotel was virtually all Europeans, very few brits, unlike last year and was also much quieter. The restaurant on Friday night that we had to wait over an hour for a table for last year was seating people almost immediately. Took a trip to new attraction "Ripley's Believe it or not" and it was oddly quiet (probably because it was extortionately priced). Picadilly seemed fairly quiet. We managed to find cabs almost immediately, even on a friday and saturday night.

It looked to me very much like recession had hit.

....or could be that Piccadily area has 'milked the cow dry'. That area has always had ups and downs, get's cleaned up, new places open etc.
It's also very tourist orientated.
I have an appt in Covent Gdn soon, haven't been there for a while so will report back. Neal St has lost all it's soul......but I haven't been there for a while.

downshifter98

funny you say that, my local florist has just gone bust after 40 years of trading.

Is it the only one around? If so it could be an opportunity for someone as every town centre needs one imho.

My original post wasn't trying to deny that things are generally bad at the moment - just that things aren't ALL bad and won't stay bad forever - can you imagine what kind of doom and gloom comments we would have had if the internet/forums existed during WWII - I would suggest that they would have been pretty overwhelming (and, in hindsight, wrong) and generally written by people with names like 'LORD HAW HAW' etc etc - it does make me wonder what the motives really are for the current crop of doomsters....

Downshifter

chewmylegoff

Snooze wrote: »

That was the first thing that came into my head too.



None of this makes sense. He's either lying about his age and he actually meant to write 82 or there is something wrong with him. No 28 year old wants to sit down in a pub..... on a Saturday night.... and they certainly don't drink bitter! I'm surprised he didn't mention his pipe or slippers in his rant...

Rob

i'm 29 now, but can confirm that when i was 28 (and 27 and 26 and 25 etc..) i wanted to sit down on a saturday night, and i only wanted to drink bitter. a couple of fridays ago i made the mrs walk for 40 minutes from one pub to the next because bitter was off in the first two pubs and the third one was rammed. what's fun about standing up, drinking beer you don't like?

Dan:_4

chewmylegoff wrote: »

i'm 29 now, but can confirm that when i was 28 (and 27 and 26 and 25 etc..) i wanted to sit down on a saturday night, and i only wanted to drink bitter. a couple of fridays ago i made the mrs walk for 40 minutes from one pub to the next because bitter was off in the first two pubs and the third one was rammed. what's fun about standing up, drinking beer you don't like?

Your poor mrs. You could have got a taxi.

Im 30 and always stand up in pubs, at the bar normally.

itsnever2lateisit?

fc123 wrote: »

....or could be that Piccadily area has 'milked the cow dry'. That area has always had ups and downs, get's cleaned up, new places open etc.
It's also very tourist orientated.
I have an appt in Covent Gdn soon, haven't been there for a while so will report back. Neal St has lost all it's soul......but I haven't been there for a while.

Was in Covent Garden Friday, plenty of browsers, but not many carrying bags. Walked into Porters Restaurant and straight to table, never done that before

vansboy

gingin wrote: »

We have just got back from a yearly birthday weekend in London with eldest child. Same hotel, same restaurant first night, similar trips.
.

The attraction of Central London & West End hasn't been there, for me, for years & years.

Oxford Street has more trashy shops than some of the 1960's shopping areas which were demolished to make way for the Lakesides of this country - much nicer enviroment to spend your time spending in, too - even if every oither 'Mall' is a replica.

& for some reason, I watched Soho Blues on tv the other night, yet another cop-umentry prog, but what I didn't realize was how unpleasent Leicester Square is after 11pm!!??:eek:

People making a journey there, to get drunk & have a fight (with Police) !! CRAZY!!:rolleyes:

& that's our Capital City!!!:mad:

VB