So I'm shopping and start talking to the owner...

[Ilsa]

telling him I've noticed over the last several months that I think inventories are down in the city. (I've purchased lots of stuff from him before, so I'm a good customer.) I mention the major shops in the mall, and even the small shops don't have stuff on hangers outside any more. Several furniture stores I've browsed are obviously cutting back on inventory. My thoughts are that once the stuff has sold, they aren't restocking -- business expectations are not good right now.

He agrees, yet he also tells me, "I can't sell people stuff they don't want; I have to bring in merchandise or we get no sales," and in fact he had only recently made his first buying trip for the year. He went on to hammer the shit out of George Bush in the middle of the store in my very conservative repuke town. He talked about how bad business has been over the last three years, some of his competition has gone out of business, he's had to cut back. He talked about the deficit and long term effect on interest rates, "compassionate conservatism", real wages going down, said he can't four more years of this crap, etc. We joined in for some great bashing!

Just another great anecdote for the weekend from deep in the heart of Texas. And I didn't even start the political conversation -- he did it all on his own! Please savor.

[BlueJazz]

1. Ahhhh...Your post goes down like Fine Wine...

served with Buttered Lobster..Yum !

[aquart]

2. Savoring.

As the daughter of retailers, I feel his pain. And his rage.

[mhr]

3. But * Claims He Is A White Knight For Small Business!

Please explain this or my, my head will explode.

My paster, journalistic leaders, political acolytes and fearless leader all tell me that EVERYTHING is OK.

How can this not be true?

Oh my aching head!

Must not think, must not think too much, must not think at all.

Oh, that is much, much better!

[havocmom]

4. have been baffled for years about how big business expects to sell

goods and services to a population of under paid, over worked people, people with no jobs and no hope of a future and people who are sick and cannot even afford life saving medicine.

The shopkeepers who look the public in the eye every day know the score.


Boardroom jockeys, however, live in a very small world and do not see the reality of the masses. And they had better start raising the pay for those who protect their gated communities or someone just might leave a drawbridge down so the serfs can get in.

[Deja Q]

11. Neo-slavery

That's what the corporate monstrosities, backed by that unChristian vermin* in the WH, are freely doing.

And it's got to stop.

But I fear it's already too late.

[Frances]

5. I was shopping for shoes today in Sears

I asked a salesman if he could give me info about tennis shoes. He told me that he wasn't knowledgeable--he was just working in Sears until the recession is over.

"Don't forget to vote in November then," I said.

"I will," he answered.

[Ilsa]

6. Priceless!

Great remark! One of this merchant's sales people also was telling me she couldn't find stuff she needed. Had a hard time finding shoes, even at the mall. Not much selection, and not enough sizes.

I noticed that several mid-scale women's dress shops in town have closed, boutiques have shut down, and the existing upscale women's boutique have cut back on what they are carrying. Even the antique shops I visited today had lots of floor space open.

I think DU'ers willingness to speak up with a peppy little comment like that really help invigorate people, also.

[MUAD_DIB]

9. Where do you live?

I live just outside Boston, and I see it from time to time.

[Ilsa]

12. I'm in south Texas,

southwest of Houston, near the coast. It's a hundred miles in any direction to a large (pop. 100,000+) city. During hard times, a city like ours really suffers if retailers can't bring in the business. People instead will take the weekend and drive to the metroplexes to spend their money for better variety, taking it out of local govt receipts.

[laura888]

7. VERY nice story

I am savoring!

[chaska]

8. I was shocked all to hell...

to hear that my boss (in super conservative SC!!!) said that the economy always does better under Democrats.

[Lisa]

10. I've noticed that there are plenty of small businesses that aren't neo-con

Many of them know very well when they are losing customers due to poor economic conditions.

Up here in Canada, the provincial government takes care of health insurance -- one bookstore owner I know commented that if he had to operate in the US he wouldn't be able to afford to cover his employees. A woman near town who harvests and sells seafood is furious about any attempt to loosen pollution laws because that would affect the quality of her products. And a crafts-shop owner was grumbling about the city's big initative to "revitalize downtown" -- he's suspicious that it's a big set-up to bring in stores like the Gap and drive the little retailers out of business (for example the "consultation forum" last week was charging >80$ admission, and he couldn't afford to close his shop to attend, and cough up the fee).

So good going, Ilsa! The poor guy was probably suffering in silence all this while for fear of driving away Bush supporters.

[proud patriot]

13. Thanks for sharing

:D