How is the economy affecting people?

In less than a year, I’ve seen over 100 people laid off from my company, most of those who were homeowners lost their mortgages and of the employees remaining, several have lost their mortgages and some of the college students dropped out of classes. Many people have had relatives and friends move in with them, people coming from out of state even. Stress is definitely real, money or lack of it is a real issue but far as energy drinks go, I haven’t noticed much about it- people still walk around with bottled water more than anything.

It is very bleak here. The other day in staff meeting, after discussion of how bad the budget is, boss asked if anyone had any good news.
One person announced that his college educated son had found a job after an eighteen month search. We all stood and cheered and clapped for him.
This college educated kid got a seasonal position in a packing shed sorting fruit….. And we were thrilled for him. That just about sums things up….

I work in retail and people have definitely become SUPER stingy. If we get any customers in the store, they come in and try and haggle for the lowest price they can get by pointing out tiny surface scratches and demanding damage discounts. A lady came inthe other day looking for paper lanterns. They weren’t on sale so she left. Paper lanterns run anywhere from $4–12. She was driving a brand new bmw.

stressful

There is a huge increase in craziness – read the headlines. Domestic violence is way up, divorces are down, people are eating out less, and not making waves at work. McDonalds is opening sixty-five new stores here in the next twelve months, they have never had such high returns.

I think the most horrifying is all the families in the news, where the father (usually) kills his entire family, and then himself. It’s heartbreaking. I can’t imagine.

@casheroo

>I think the most horrifying is all the families in the news, where the father (usually)
>kills his entire family,

The same type of thing happened in the 1929 crash according to various commentaries on the subject. People can’t face what appears to an insurmountable loss, the need to start again, not just with nothing, but with a large debt. The middle class, the genuine middle class, is hit hardest in that they are unable to cope. Working class are more used to functioning in a life without safety nets.

@Midnight_Blue The safety net part makes sense. I guess because my husband and I are in working class, him repeatedly getting laid off due to economy, us having to get credit cards to buy things, not having any money…it’s not new to us. He reads the stories as well, and just doesn’t understand it.

The situation is going exactly as the social scientists of the 1960’s projected it would, and nearly all because of overpopulation.

I have felt absolutely no repercussions whatsoever. I am maintaining the same level of lifestyle I’ve always had, and so are those around me. In fact, if I only based my knowledge on what I personally experience, I would not be able to tell you there was a recession, it’s has that little of an impact to me. And I’m not some rich trust fund kid, I’m a working gal.

That is definitely a unique observation, the energy drink thing, I have to think about that one. On a positive note, what I have been experiencing is there is a stronger sense of community – people are less superficial and more engaging. And people are more compassionate since they are feeling the same pain, and they can finally empathize because their ego’s have been crushed. Yes, the opposite is noticeable too, drivers are extremely nuts with rage and people are more impatient in business, at least in my business.

My company has whetherd pretty well the economic strain but not completely unphased. Frozen salaries, positions not being filled when people leave, and tightening of resources have defiantly been observed. I know a lot of people without jobs that have been looking for a long time with no success. It’s almost impossible to find a good, full time job now with the economic conditions.

Thought I’d resurrect this thread 5 years later.
It is now June 29, 2014 and I too was smug and unaffected between 2008–10, except for the abysmal drop in interest rates that cost me almost $600 a month in passive income from my savings. THAT sucked, but I was still okay.
By the end of 2010 I had lost one job and my second, weekend job, that originally was just for fun, was going under.

My employer could no longer afford a $1,600 a month store space as people had virtually quit spending. I still wasn’t too concerned, figured I would find more work fairly easily. Hah! After dozens and dozens of applications, interviews and lots of false hope, I continued to go through my savings and used my credit cards to carry me on certain expenses.
By the end of 2012 my ship was sunk and I was forced to give up my home and property, sell most of my belongings, give up a most treasured pet and had to move back into town in a room mate situation at age 53.

The trickle down effect has ruined me and I have little hope of ever regaining my former lifestyle let alone retire. It still sucks and things are not getting better if you ask me.