This is a small town and not near the big travel destinations where you expect an upsurge in traffic during the winter. I never realized until I worked here what an impact the seasonally challenged retirees have on our local economy. Every summer our hours get dropped each week til it hurts. Snowbirds, how I have missed you!
Today, it was busier than usual. Large orders kept coming through the line. There were several two and three cart orders. It is the first of the month, which accounted for most of the traffic, however, Pennsylvania also came in to restock her kitchen and Michigan said she would be in the next day because she was certain she forgot several items. I was so glad to see them, I'm down to 24 hours this week!
I had a discussion with a coworker the other day. I complained about only having $1.65 in the bank after paying rent, but quickly added that I did have some savings for an emergency. She said all her savings were gone and her husband will be losing his job soon. This used to be her part time job for extra money. Her factory job died two years ago, now her husbands job is almost at an end too. She said their income dropped from $50,000 to $20.000. They say it's a recession, but it sure feels like a depression for those of us at the bottom.
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I'm glad that your hours will potentially increase this season! I guess I had never thought about the travel pattern of "snowbirds" before :-)
ReplyDeleteIt does, indeed, feel like a depression. We are doing pretty well financially but I am extremely vigilant about where every penny goes! That's because I see the cost of living skyrocketing and no cost of living increases in pay.
Since you work in a grocery it would be interesting for you to write a post on the cost of food. I've been married 15 years and it is staggering to me how much the price of food has increased over the years. My husband worked in a grocery in high school and college and he is always saying stuff like "I remember when ground chuck was 99-cents a pound." This was after I told him I was pretty pleased at getting it for $2.69/lb. Yikes!
Wow, having hours cut isn't fun. Sounds like you need to find another job for the other hours?
ReplyDeleteCarrie, you're right, grocery prices have steadily increased.
ReplyDeleteAdam, I have applied everywhere near my home. I sold our second car so we could put the extra money towards paying our debt down. I only have one credit card yet, so it has helped. My husband and I have been working in different businesses in the same shopping plaza, and if we need to we can walk home (only 2 or 3 miles.)
ReplyDeleteI don't want to buy a second car yet because I could use our savings to move. There are no opportunities here at this time. I've never seen it this bad. I'm hoping to move as soon as possible and look forward to new employment in the future.