Hi. I’m curious as to the perceptions of others and being that we have members from around the world this thread might prove to be interesting. I’m a salesman. More accurately a Sales & Marketing manager but I still close deals. I have a passion for selling things. I enjoy the mental chess game, being a road warrior, helping people make the best decision, and in the effort attempting to make piles of cash. Up until about five years ago I worked 100% commission. I get a meager salary now but my income is still heavily weighted towards commissions. Without it I could not feed my family. My industry is home improvement (precisely kitchens and bathrooms) and the industry as a whole has taken a massive hit here in the US. We’re still doing well and I’ve noticed a positive trend that seems to lend itself to good, solid growth. I think comparing economic numbers from three to five years ago is not fair and it’s more accurate comparing today to 2000-2002’s performance. How are things for you in your industries now? What is YOUR outlook for the foreseeable future? How’s the mood where you are? Let’s try to keep political policy out of this discussion…those tend to go sour very quickly. I’m more interested in your own personal viewpoints and ideas about these times we are living in. I could talk about this for days (sorry for the long setup). I just finished taking sales results from my team and we had a banner day yesterday so I’m wicked fired up right now!
My pet sitting biz is actually TOO busy! I’ve been turning away clients recently and I’m talking with a friend about him coming to work with me. I can’t really say why my biz seems immune from the bad economy. I do know I get a lot of referrals and my clients are very satisfied. Of course I only average about two days off a year but I guess i can’t really complain. If anyone is interested my website is www.MarkThePetSitter.com. If anyone out there in snuff land wants to start a pet sitting biz, let me know! I can definitely get someone started up with everything I’ve learned over the last two years.
Excellent topic WK! I’ve been in the fire sprinkler business for about 5 years, both residential and commercial- mostly commercial. Much of our work has been in Cincinnati proper and much of it being maintaining the old systems that exist there. With less commercial work available in the area with companies holding off on expansion, service work is being targeted by other companies, many from far out of town. This is a good thing for the building owner who can get a more reasonable price and sometimes puts it out to bid two and three times. I have moved from fitter to sales to try to keep the others busy. I knew nothing about sales which my boss said would fare well for me because I treat a customer in a different way, like a friend. Commercial is starting to pick up, maybe from some ‘stimulus’ money and I’m told residential is on it’s way up as well. I’ve got four little mouths and one BIG mouth to feed,(haha, just a little poke at my wife there) so I try to stay positive on each call. I’m just fortunate to have a job is the way I see it. If a customer believes they will be getting a quality product installed well, they will generally pay for it, possibly with a little help from Vulcan Mind Control, WK.! @MiamiMark We have quite a few ‘Pet Salons’ popping up around here, complete with exercise room, hot tub, and other assorted treatments. Do you see this in your part of the country?
@Bart We definitely have a lot of upscale pet spas in my area. I’ve even seen (Exclusively for pets) personal trainers, acupuncture, massage, reika (spelling?) and water therapy. I read an article somewhere that people will sacrifice luxuries for themselves before their pets. Luckily many very affluent people live within a mile or two from where I live. One off my clients (an elderly couple) has three bentleys, ( 2 sedans, 1 convertible) and neither off them drives! One of the sedans is strictly for their driver to take their spaniel to the groomers!! I walk that dog 10 times a week and they’re always home when I go there.
Things are getting better where I work. At the start of January we took a 10% pay cut, then 3 months later another 10% cut. We have gotten 10% of it back so far, I don’t think we will ever see the other. They have started to hire people again, which is a polar opposite from the layoffs over the past few years. Hopefully things continue to get better.
I’m not employed at the moment, yes, I’m a lazy student. But from my perspective it’s a mixed bag in the UK. My Step-dad took a months unpaid work a bit back, and there was a stint where his wage was halved and he got the rest as holiday time later on in the year. My Mum and Step-mum work in the service sector so there’s not been much of an impact on them and my Dad’s an electrician, so there’s still call for his trade. I’m quite interested in politics and trade union stuff though, and the recessions definitely still having an impact. The bin men in Leeds are on strike, for example, as the council wants to cut their wage by 1/3rd, which is no doubt about budget cuts to stay afloat. It’s interesting to see things from your points of view, especially those who own businesses.
This is going to be a very interesting OT and I´m already enjoying it. I just can´t add too much, as I´m far too political, a flaw for sure, but I just can´t change that and I don´t want to ruin it. 
Just in short, as I´m in tobacco wholesales: there´s quite a shift from cigarette to RYO and cheaper brands, the last few months (snuff´s doing good, as well). And cigarette smuggling increases tremendously here (the industry indeed has contracts with trash processing companies, which sort out empty cigarette packs in assorted cities). Well, we earn more money with RYO, so no big deal, yet. Unemployments risen moderately the last months, but there´s lots of short workings and pay cuts. Hope that´s neutral enough.
I manage a branch of a large national bank in the US. I can definitely say the economy has affected our business, but in curious ways. For instance, when it comes to our core business (taking deposits and lending the money to consumers and businesses) it’s a mixed bag. Because of our financial strength, we are seeing a lot of deposits flow to our bank from other local banks that are not as stable. This is a good thing for us, however since folks are uncertain about their financial future (possible layoffs, unemployment, etc.) they are requesting loans on an alarmingly low rate compared to a few years ago. Also, our lending standards have definitely tightened as a result of the US credit market - making it harder for folks to qualify for a loan. This is not to say our corporation is not lending. Our commercial loans and home mortgage businesses are booming right now because of low rates and the first-time homebuyer tax credit put in place by Obama. Despite this, it is tougher to get that car loan or to take out a personal unsecured loan than it was a few years back. When we are unable to lend due to low demand, the bank invests the rest of our deposits. The problem is, we invest in treasury bonds and the yields on those are horribly low. All around, it is a tough environment for banks. I wake up grateful every day that I work for an institution that has over 150 business lines and that has continuously posted double digit revenue growth quarter after quarter even in this tough economy. My job is safe; but I see countless customers that are going through very tough financial times. Let’s hope that what I saw on CNBC yesterday morning is true: that we are 2/3 through this current recession. I hereby raise a pinch of Toque Whisky and Honey to the continued improvement of the world economy!
People seem to still have enough spare change to drink our beer (I’m a brewer). There hasn’t been any drop-off in demand for real ale in our county. Many microbreweries have sprung up in the last 3 years.
I work in a second hand record shop, mostly dealing with admin, mail order and IT stuff (which is why I’m nearly always logged on here!) - we pretty much are the only shop in London that sells just vinyl. Business has been slow the last few months as to be expected in a business that deals in what could be classed as luxury items (high priced rarities, although we carry new releases & repros too), but when the pound took a pummelling from pretty much every other currency there was an upsurge in mail order. Things have gone quiet again, but Christmas is always pretty good, so fingers crossed. We’re a very small outfit, only two regular members of staff, and I get paid peanuts with no break, no bank holidays off, no chance of any kind of raise and the threat of closing forever hovering around us, but at least I’m doing something I like for the time being.
I’m pretty much in the same bag as toffeenose.I work in IT , server/network administration and client support. I get paid peanuts so there’s nothing to deduct from. Most of our contracts dropped to 50% of what they were last year and all IT related purchases have been halted so we’re not selling any equipment either at the moment , there goes my chance for a raise. I’ve started a software / web development group with some capable fellow students but clients are hard to come by these days , even if we’re charging 3’rd world rates for civilized world projects. *hint* *hint* we work cheap :).
I was working as a cook for years. Though it’s become harder to start at a new place and get paid a proper wage. The thing is that bussiness hasn’t slowed down at all but some idiots that own a lot of the places around here have heard the ecnomy is bad so they’ve cut corners which will eventualy shot themselves it the foot. For example anyone worth their salt won’t stay at a place that under pays so all the new hires become terrible culinary wanna-bes who can’t hack the job. The food and service gets shittier so then bussiness does get lost. The flip side is that people who are decent places that pay properly don’t leave now and so the places that aren’t being stupid and reactionary are actualy starting to doing better. However I’am currently sick of that industry so maybe I’ll start fortune telling for money (a bussiness that probably does better in rough times)
oh yeah personaly I’am doing better finacial then I’ve ever done, well in a long time. And I’am actualy doing market research on the grunt low end of it. Which is funny because the shrinking of full service market research has been so big that ironicaly for the companies that still do it much bigger market share so for them it’s like economy is doing much better.
I know what you mean about the restaurant industry, Bob. I managed a couple of Chart House restaurants when they were at their peak of 72 locations. All went to pot when they went public and the people that had strictly a financial agenda started calling the shots. The foodies in the field (nearly all of them) were able to make a great coin for their business year in and year out and business was booming. Ahhh then came the “standards” and the “mico-management”…now, on paper I even got excited but man life just doesn’t always work that way. Well, Chart House is still the oldest steakhouse in the country as far as I know but they don’t have nearly the presence that they once had. Ahh, the good ole’ days. If anyone knows someone that used to work for Chart Hosue…they can tell you that it was an awesome place to work. In every aspect of life, you get what you pay for. Work hard every day, treat people properly and you’ll go somewhere. Plain and simple. Fortune telling??? Now there’s something. My secret plan is to create a product that would profit me one dollar and employ many people, then convince 10% of the population to buy one. Ha! The idea is out there somewhere…
I’m the foreman of a union sheet metal shop in North Aurora, Il. I’ve been with the same company for nearly 10 years. We mainly deal with the HVAC aspect of sheet metal. We make custom duct and fittings. We are/were primarily set up for residential and light commercial projects. The residential aspect has all but fallen off a cliff. It’s hanging on by its pinky finger. The light commercial and some Section 8 rehab. work is what has been keeping us going the past couple years. The rehab. work is slim pickins this year compared to previous years. What little commercial work we have left is coming to a close. There doesn’t seem to be anything else on the horizon as of yet. I’m telling you guys, the next shoe to drop is commercial property. It started with housing, but it won’t end there. And just wait 'til hyperinflation hits. You’ll notice it most in the form of higher taxes. You can’t simply create trillions of $$$ out of thin air without paying some sort of price. Governments are trying to paint as pretty a picture as possible right now for the future outlook. If they told us the truth, everyone would panic. There’d be riots in the street by morning. I don’t think the world is going to end, but I certainly don’t think we’re out of the woods just yet. Not by a long shot. I believe we still have a looooong way to go. Look at some of the old articles from the depression era. How many people said the depression was or was almost over way before it actually was? How many are doing/saying the same thing now? It’s the few who are so often right, not the many. How many stupid things did our government do back then to try and “stimulate the economy”? What is our government doing now, how long will it work, and how long can they keep it up? All it does is delay the inevitable. Pro Tip: In a sea of cash, gold and silver float.
I worked for a railroad company, as I’ve said before, but with a slow economy, the need to move goods has declined (Hence my 10 months being laid-off). However, I now have my foot in two doors: corrections and the medical field, and I intend to keep both jobs for the time being. I make half what I made on the road, literally, but I’ve also learned to live “cheaper” so all in all, despite having less money, my lifestyle is still pretty comfy. Thankfully, after reading this thread, it seems that a lot of us are doing okay despite what’s going on in the world. Hopefully it stays that way. Even though I’m employed by both the local government and now the State of Nebraska, my jobs are not “recession proof,” budget cuts you see, but there is a slight demand for COs and nurse aids due to the jobs having high stress and low pay (not really “low” but all considered…). Thankfully I got in before it gets too competitive around here.
I am a Deputy Manager in a project for people suffering from mental health problems. We basically help people to re-learn skills they may have lost after a long stay in the mental health system so they can support themselves in their own independent accommodation or another project that offers less support. This year our wages have been frozen and we have received no cost of living increment. Apparently the money for that just isn’t there. To make things worse we are re-structuring so that we can take clients with higher needs. This means for me a switch from a 12 hour rota to a 24 hour rota and working weekends. The project will make more money but it will mean higher risk as the people we’ll be taking care of will be more complex and displaying more extreme behaviour. I’m not very happy about this but I’ve been told that if I don’t fall into line with the new set-up I won’t have a job. I have a few years experience and I have worked in this category of care before so I know what to expect and I’m worried. I have been attacked a couple of times but both were before I was married and had a young daughter and I took them in my stride. In a similar scheme recently a worker was seriously injured by a client who hit them with a telephone. It’ll only be a matter of time before something happens to me.
I can relate with you, MM. My fiance did an internship at a drug-free living center. She also works at a Psychiatric Hospital.
@ csstokes4- Mental health services have always been the poor relation in the NHS. Services are being cut and the statutory services are coming to rely more and more on the voluntary sector. It’s basically all about mental health nursing on the cheap. I have no idea how things are handled in the U.S. especially with the health insurance system you have there.
Seems where I live the unstable unpredictable mentally ill people are homeless and wander the streets.