Shhh... Recession forgot to tell retailers it is here...

As unbelievable as it may sound, my business is closely tied to real estate and construction, and March was the best month I've had in 14 years, and April is already fully scheduled out and looks to be even better ...

I don't understand it, either ... only way I can explain it is that people are starting to accept the higher interest rates for mortgages and construction loans, and I'm making up for several months of slower activity... maybe ...

 

It's a Green thing.

 

Maybe deserves a thread of it's own, but I think it fits in here--

 

Best Buy has danced on the brink many times over the years but they figure out how to keep going.

 

My business is directly tied to new home starts and we have the vast majority of the market. There may be an uptick happening but a lot of clients had excess inventory so they wouldn’t be buying from my company while that happened.

 

I feel like there’s a small market for one in-person electronics store of that type and they’ve outlasted their competitors. It won’t be an easy life but they can make it.

 

As long as they keep dropping off buses full of Brazilians, I think the Best Buy near me will be doing ok

 

I’m not fan of Biden. But it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if we avoided a sever calamity. My job would be thankful. My portfolio would be thankful.

 

I dont think thats the way any business thinks now (at least ones with shareholders), just being happy turning a profit.

 

I’m just not sure what to make of that. It definitely is a thing. My wife’s company hires techs, and their biggest barrier to growth is finding employees. They generally train them themselves. The pay is very good. But the hours are long, the work is hard, and you have to be reasonably smart.

My guess is in the past some factory jobs, while not easy, were repetitive, paid well, and you had union protections. The jobs like on the video and my wife’s company require more skill, more smarts, more initiative and probably harder work. There aren’t many high paying jobs for people with low skills and limited work ethic these days.

They mentioned disability, if they are talking SSI that isn’t a lot of money. Something like $800 a month. SSDI is likely more but you have to have a work history to be eligible for that.

I do think some people will exist on jobless unemployment benefits for as long as they are able to.

 

What does Sales have to do with profits? I’m sure Sears at one point had large Sales numbers.

The problem with Best Buy is their primary competition is Walmart and Amazon. BB just can’t compete with those two on cost structure. Consumers aren’t willing to pay much of a premium for the in store experience. They may check it out at BB and buy it at Walmart cheaper.

It is an issue with most brick and mortar stores.

 

I think that was true, but there seems to be something to the idea that people want to still go to places rather than buy online. Barnes and Noble was on the brink of death a few times, but now they are opening new stores. If you want to buy a book its always cheaper on Amazon, so I dont know if its all about price.



That being said, most Best Buys look hollowed out and sad inside, Barnes and Noble is a pretty pleasant experience as big box retail stores go.

 

"...it's almost as if some entity is paying them...it's almost as if somebody isn't letting them fail...almost as if a giant parent somewhere...

"...an uncle, maybe?"

"...could be a rich *uncle*....could be a VERY. WEALTHY. *UNCLE*...yes..."

 

NYT

California Economy Is on Edge After Tech Layoffs and Studio Cutbacks

 

On the other hand, if this ain’t a recession, I’m sure I don’t want to live through one …

Poll: 70% of Americans Feeling Financially Stressed, 58% Living Paycheck to Paycheck