Political Discussion

mdmost said:
How people feel about the economy seems to come down to how they're doing in this economy. All of those footnotes are accurate. And yet, people are still eating out at high levels. People still go out on weekends. We're still consuming at record levels. People are still choosing to spend large sums of money on these things. The problem is things that people need are still at high prices like groceries. The dirty secret is companies have pivoted to these prices being "the new normal". It's why I like that Kamala is talking about price gouging. That's definitely happening because companies feel they can get away with it. People complain about gas prices but they are at a normal level. Sure, it's not going to be pandemic level prices when the supply greatly exceeded the demand. Prices are never going back to that outside of a similar event.

I would love if people would stop blaming politicians for high prices or home ownership being out of reach and let's focus our ire at corporations who are making all of this mess because of their greed. Let's talk about corporations buying up neighborhoods and rental companies conspiring to keep prices high with bullshit algorithms that up everyone's rent. If the media would do their f'ing job, things might actually turn around.
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Yes people are still eating out, but not as frequently as they once did. Eating out is a luxury, not something a family does every Friday night like they used to.

I only eat out a few times a year at most as it's too expensive. I just can't afford to eat out as often as I like. Also, a lot of restaurants are hurting or still have reduced hours from what they used to operate 10 or more years ago.

As for other types of spending, well, credit card debt for American's is also increasing. I don't see that as a positive.

For those who are well off, the boomers and the top 10%, this is not an issue. But for many in the middle class, especially Melenials and Gen Z, we are just getting by paycheck to paycheck. Never saving money or feeling comfortable and having anxiety. We don't have the 6 months rainy day fund in savings that financial advisors say is essential. Any unexpected expense or loss of a job can ruin us.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
Speaking eating out.

Wendy's is closing 140 US locations and Denny's 150. People are eating out less and boycotting over higher prices.
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And chilis saw big increases last quarter. Fast food put themselves in an awkward position by hiking their prices to the same levels that casual dining charges.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
I'm not surprised by this.

Democrats are more likely to take advantage of early voting, where Republicans are big on voting in person on Election Day. Anyone who does not vote like them could be caught up in fraud and risk not having their vote counted in their mind, so the only safe way to vote is in person on election day.
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I’ve seen reports that Republican early voting is up.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
hopefully cratering of fast food allows for some more worthy local restaurants to flourish.
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I have quite a few local downtown restaurants in Salem that I love.

Here's the thing about them though. Let's take my favorite one for example.

Prior to the pandemic they were open 7 days a week and did brunch and dinner.

Fast forward today, and they are only open 5 days a week. (closed on Monday and Tuesday). They are only open from 5pm to 10pm Wednesday and Thursday or 5pm to 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Sunday they are only open fro brunch from 11am to 5pm.

So not only are they open for far few less hours, they also only have brunch on Sundays now.

Also, even though they are considered 3 $$$ on Yelp. The average main plate is going to cost you between $35 and $50 with specials and steak options around $100. Appetizers are going to run you around $20 each, desserts $18. And if you want soup, salad or popover as a starter another $14 or so.

I find it always ends up costing about $150 a person to go out at eat. Which I find insane.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
Speaking eating out.

Wendy's is closing 140 US locations and Denny's 150. People are eating out less and boycotting over higher prices.
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And Raising Canes and Chickfila are opening new locations all the time. I think people aren't eating out less, they're just being more selective in where they go and what they spend their money on. Chipotle is still doing well even though they keep raising prices. Wendy's and Denny's may have just run out of favor compared to McDonalds and fast casual places combined with overexpansion like CVS and Walgreens were their own culprits on. Now, McDonalds has gotten pushed back on their prices and started offering cheaper bundles again.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
I have quite a few local downtown restaurants in Salem that I love.

Here's the thing about them though. Let's take my favorite one for example.

Prior to the pandemic they were open 7 days a week and did brunch and dinner.

Fast forward today, and they are only open 5 days a week. (closed on Monday and Tuesday). They are only open from 5pm to 10pm Wednesday and Thursday or 5pm to 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Sunday they are only open fro brunch from 11am to 5pm.

So not only are they open for far few less hours, they also only have brunch on Sundays now.

Also, even though they are considered 3 $$$ on Yelp. The average main plate is going to cost you between $35 and $50 with specials and steak options around $100. Appetizers are going to run you around $20 each, desserts $18. And if you want soup, salad or popover as a starter another $14 or so.

I find it always ends up costing about $150 a person to go out at eat. Which I find insane.
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At least over here Restaurants had to sorten hour and opening days because they Lack staff during the Pandemie when many Restaurants were close employees shiftet to other Jobs like retail and haven't come back after because they noticed that pay and work hours were better elsewhere. But that might not necessarily be true for the us
 
Jan said:
At least over here Restaurants had to sorten hour and opening days because they Lack staff during the Pandemie when many Restaurants were close employees shiftet to other Jobs like retail and haven't come back after because they noticed that pay and work hours were better elsewhere. But that might not necessarily be true for the us
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That is for sure why that cut back on hours. But I haven't heard anything about them not being able to hire staff levels back up. I don't think that would be a problem. I have just assume these reduced hours are a new normal. They have found it just as profitable and demanding to work those hours. Realistically, all they need is one set of full time staff now for the reduced hours. And maybe some part time staff to cover days off. Saves a bunch of money in payroll.
 
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Right. There's less blowback if the polls are wrong and Kamala wins. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief and there's less unpacking of why the polls were so wrong to begin with. They've been oversampling with Republicans and it's a lot closer than it really should be because some Republicans are crossing over to vote for Kamala.
 
It’s a self fulfilling prophecy though. If Kamala blows it out or easily wins, then the pollsters were fraudsters and in on the fix. It also furthers the seeds of doubt and distrust to science and our information institutions.

Report what you honestly have and try to figure out what went wrong if it does. Manipulating data just furthers the divisions and the roots of those divisions. There is a worrying trend to the right in all media.
 
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RenegadeMonster said:
That is for sure why that cut back on hours. But I haven't heard anything about them not being able to hire staff levels back up. I don't think that would be a problem. I have just assume these reduced hours are a new normal. They have found it just as profitable and demanding to work those hours. Realistically, all they need is one set of full time staff now for the reduced hours. And maybe some part time staff to cover days off. Saves a bunch of money in payroll.
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I worked in restaurants for 20 plus years. Most hours choices have little to do with payroll. Cook and cleaning staff is there for hours before it opens and hours after. Servers get paid what ever the tipped minimum is in your area and any hours needed outside of serving hours are minuscule. Most are in at most an hour before open and an hour after closing.

Hours usually have to do with - Food cost/supply and business. You can be open longer and have to worry about covering food cost and having supply for those weaker performing hours or you can just be open what you need for your business model. Lunch sucks for whatever reason, don’t open. Monday is traditionally a slow night, don’t be open. You also raise the quality of life for your staff by giving them days away from the restaurant.
 
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