To: im a survivor who wrote (12656 ) 3/24/2004 12:50:29 PM From: im a survivor Read Replies (1) | Respond to Some thoughts on the economy and consumer spending.......I do alot of biz with large venues...Ballparks, football stadiums, racetracks, amusement parks and etc......Almost every venue is being effected....folks just dont have the money to blow to bring the kids to the amusement park for a day...everybody is so tight with their dollars, they are cutting back on "unnecessary" spending. Rather then blow $250 to spend the day with the kids at the park, or a ballgame, folks are taking them up the road for a $1 ice cream cone instead.....going to city/county parks with a picnic basket and etc.....A friend of mine owns a thriving sports bar....kind of like Cheers, in that 75% of the customers are regulars and we are all kind of like one big extended family....most pop in after work for a couple beers and some socializing...shoot some pool...watch the game and etc.....His biz has been slowly dropping the last 3 years and much moreso recently....as more people lose their jobs and as money becomes tighter and tighter, folks again are watching their unnecessary spending and can't afford to blow $10 - $20 everyday after work, so people are coming in less frequently then they used to and spending less. Another friend is addicted to golf...he would play everyday if he could....makes about 90K a year and is single....and even he is telling me he can't afford to go and hit the golf course as much as he used to, as money is getting tighter and tighter. Me personally, my wife and I used to be "free spenders"...we enjoyed life and didnt worry about 'money'.....we did alot of traveling, bought alot of 'toys' and etc, etc...but even we are feeling the crunch...no more eating out everynight...alot less traveling....really trying to watch our spending more then we ever have....and it seems most everybody I know is doing the same thing, whether they have jobs with good income or not......Everything is getting more expensive..not just gas....and folks have no choice but to watch what they spend, unless they are upper class with big bucks and no worries about money and their future.......Companies are feeling the crunch also and are having to resort to lots of gimmiks to make sales.....It's being felt all over...at least in this neck of the woods....
