The recession, benefits, the safety net, and the learning curve

fc123

harryhound wrote: »

For new readers of this thread, the self help link for the unemployed to which reference is being made, can be found here.
http://charliecroker.wordpress.com/


The buyers tended to be big middle aged women, with street walker hand bags, accompanied by small "birdy" men.
At a fashion show evening, I could smell the gin and tonic in the car park two floors down.

?

The women are the bird like ones now and the blokes are fat.
Most female faces in the industry don't move much anymore and there are also a lot of pillow faces (from the effects of fillers).

Am off to trade fair tomo. Having a what to wear crisis.

Sadly, will be first show I will clippety clop around (literally as I have some seriously high shoes to wear) for many years where I don't own a shop to fill with goodies.
It used to be like a giant shopping spree involving 1000's of pounds.

I miss the buying in the most.

My granny range evolved into a more bondage theme with silky velvet straps in the end...in red or white on black.

fc123

mr.broderick wrote: »

Wouldn't it be easier to buy it off ebay ?:p

No cos it's a very speshul, high performance sportswear textile and Ebay mainly sell the usual Chinese cheapy stuff that everyone else uses.

SingleSue

StevieJ wrote: »

Not to mention demurrage

Ah quay rent and demurrage, only applicable if you take too long getting customs clearance and delivery arranged.

Demurrage only applicable in certain trades as well.

harryhound

I think export/import is a bit like buying and selling houses. The professionals pretend that they have everything under control when in reality the semi trained workers involved muddle through somehow. Eventually !!!!!! Turpin turns up and demands more money than you were expecting.

I'll leave Sue to explain "General Average".

carolt

SingleSue wrote: »

Hehe bit out of touch at the moment but on top of any VAT and duty (if applicable), there is also customs clearance charges, freight charges, any devanning charges, shipping line charges (didn't exist when I started out but came in to during my time, like an admin charge) plus any transport needed to also take into the equation.

Regulations re having a van just pick things up I am a little eek about, I know we used to have fun with personal effects and people not understanding the ins and outs but it has been years since I have dealt with anything resembling part loads/personal effects/devans etc, my last 5 years in the trade was spent on whole containers only with the occasional double or triple drop of goods of that one box whilst transporting in this country.

How interesting - one of the things that keeps me coming back to this site are little snippets like this, little insights into whole worlds outside one's own experience.

Fascinating.

Demurrage is a good word. Sounds vaguely rude. Or like something you do to to clean a toilet.

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

but it involved electrical goods and stones.

It wasn't electric jade matress thingies was it?

I had one of those (odd gift) and it was amazing. They get REALLY hot. I don't even like being really hot and I got sort of hooked on cranking up the heat. I remember once in the middle of the night in January with all my bedroom windows open, my sheets dripping wet, yet, sepite sweat wettened sheets and open windows, I was hot and I was realising this could not be healthy, but hey, I had a hot stone plug in bed, the world was alright.

It burnt out one night. Think the amount of sweat with the electrics was a bit of a concern really.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

It wasn't electric jade matress thingies was it?

I had one of those (odd gift) and it was amazing. They get REALLY hot. I don't even like being really hot and I got sort of hooked on cranking up the heat. I remember once in the middle of the night in January with all my bedroom windows open, my sheets dripping wet, yet, sepite sweat wettened sheets and open windows, I was hot and I was realising this could not be healthy, but hey, I had a hot stone plug in bed, the world was alright.

It burnt out one night. Think the amount of sweat with the electrics was a bit of a concern really.

No, never heard of those

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

No, never heard of those

Ah, well, its an idea for you then: if you decided to become an importer of electrical and stone plug in thibg from the east. and those little bonsai pots/fountain combos, they are stone aren't they? Its an unusual theme, but there are weirder ones. DH suggested last week that he'd like to become a collecter of lifesized plastic flamingos.

carolt

lostinrates wrote: »

It wasn't electric jade matress thingies was it?

I had one of those (odd gift) and it was amazing. They get REALLY hot. I don't even like being really hot and I got sort of hooked on cranking up the heat. I remember once in the middle of the night in January with all my bedroom windows open, my sheets dripping wet, yet, sepite sweat wettened sheets and open windows, I was hot and I was realising this could not be healthy, but hey, I had a hot stone plug in bed, the world was alright.

It burnt out one night. Think the amount of sweat with the electrics was a bit of a concern really.

That sounds fantastic. I'm always cold and am big on hot water bottles. But my OH would hate it; he's boiling, even in mid-winter. Part of the reason I went for him; free heat.

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

That sounds fantastic. I'm always cold and am big on hot water bottles. But my OH would hate it; he's boiling, even in mid-winter. Part of the reason I went for him; free heat.

Oh the bed comprimises: the downside of not being single. I'm cold blooded, but I like a warmish bed and a cold room. dh is hot and thinks thats just right, I like a soft mattres he likes a firm mattress. Luckily he doesn't mind cold feet sneaking between his legs and has learned to love open windows. Free heat is the best heat. I agree.