The economic impact of Covid-19

[chrisp65]

I used an open air car park that’s usually full in advance of the shops opening.

We were the third or fourth car in and it was still 95% empty when we left.

This is going to be massive, numbers that just don’t match anything that’s ever happened before.

 

[Genie]

The garden centre I went to earlier was rammed. 

[Follyfoot]

3 hours ago, blandy said:

Me too.

I know it's raining (or was) but there's an awful lot of empty (but open) barbers shops, cafe's and wotnot. Walked past spoons and a woman was asking another woman "do you have to give them your name and details" the answer was "if you're having a meal, yes" and that seemed to put off middle aged woman questioner.

More people, perhaps wearing masks than normal. When I put mine on I was the same - with the waterproof coat and the rain I was sweltering. Came back home with some pies and some beer, so not all bad.

Worthwhile journey I would say, what flavour  

Edited July 18, 2020 by Follyfoot

[bickster]

11 minutes ago, Xela said:

The city centres and high streets are dead. No wonder Boris is trying to cajole people into going back into the workplace. 

He's flogging a dead horse. Retail was slowly dying before... all this has done is speed its demise

That isn't the reason he wants to get people back to work though, he wants to quash this homeworking idea, its effect on property prices will be dramatic

Quite amusing really, for all of Cummings "revolutionary ideas" and wanting to change things, when it comes down to it, it was all about making money for the right people. The right people are currently shitting themselves

We are currently witnessing a revolution, the homeworking revolution and he can't stop it. Buisnesses have done a complete U-turn. Buisnesses now want homeworking, staff now want homeworking... the only people that don't are those businesses invested in property or those with businesses dependant on people actually going to work

Might be a few Russian Oligarchs feeling a little uneasy right now

[Genie]

2 minutes ago, bickster said:

its effect on property prices will be dramatic

What do you think the effect will be? I wonder if people will look to move to houses with a spare room or study if they are going to be WFH longer term. 

[blandy]

20 minutes ago, Follyfoot said:

Worthwhile journey I would say, what flavour  

Cheese and Onion. Bought them just to support* the little pie shop - it's tiny and the people who run it are nice.

 

also I like pies and am going to have them with some veg and spuds and an Ale later.

[Seat68]

40 minutes ago, Genie said:

Why were you wearing a hat @chrisp65?

French dandy. 

[bickster]

10 minutes ago, Genie said:

What do you think the effect will be? I wonder if people will look to move to houses with a spare room or study if they are going to be WFH longer term. 

The possibilities of what COULD happen are actually somewhat mindblowing when you start thinking about it

So say people are only required to go in to the office 1 or 2 days a week? well public transport suddenly becomes less crowded, less of a hassle. That in turn also makes owning a car less attractive for a lot of people

Places like London, especially London, if people are only going in once or twice a week, why actually live there? Commuting in is much more palatable one or two days a week, especially if you can get those days to be consecutive - a return ticket and a one night stay in a Premier Inn, A load cheaper than actually living in London

Sure there will be a lot of smaller buinesses that rely on the business worker for their trade that will suffer but thats why this could actually be a revolution, it will mean major changes for lots of people. It really will be adapt to survive for a lot of folk

Everytime I think about this, the tangents go all over the place, some things good, somethings bad

[blandy]

58 minutes ago, bickster said:

He's flogging a dead horse. Retail was slowly dying before... all this has done is speed its demise

Yes, but...

I mean obviously you're right. thing is though, people will still buy stuff - presumably off that internet that they have. So that means high streets closing down and big warehouses opening up and loads of crappy jobs delivering and picking and packing and wotnot.

But people will hate that after a while, they'll hate their towns and cities being empty and lifeless. And then what will happen? Maybe people will start to open shops again, but the shops won't be the same. They'll maybe do what (some) record shops and bookshops have done and include cafes or bars, or combine different things. And then the high streets might come back to life a bit. And so a trip into town might be more of a day, or half day out, and less of a fight to get the stuff and retreat pronto.

And you can imagine that in a year or two or however long, virus might be pretty much gone, and people will want to (albeit differently) do more retail.

Things like clothes and shoes and haircuts and kind of personalised stuff - nail bars, whatever, plus doctors, dentists, charity shops and so on will still need physical premises and people.

So I guess instead of "everyone go back exactly like it was in February" as @chrisp65 said the other day, the Gov't ought to be trying to look ahead and looking at how to help shape the change which is coming anyway, and help shape it in a way which will be better for everyone.

[bickster]

3 minutes ago, blandy said:

Yes, but...

I mean obviously you're right. thing is though, people will still buy stuff - presumably off that internet that they have. So that means high streets closing down and big warehouses opening up and loads of crappy jobs delivering and picking and packing and wotnot.

But people will hate that after a while, they'll hate their towns and cities being empty and lifeless. And then what will happen? Maybe people will start to open shops again, but the shops won't be the same. They'll maybe do what (some) record shops and bookshops have done and include cafes or bars, or combine different things. And then the high streets might come back to life a bit. And so a trip into town might be more of a day, or half day out, and less of a fight to get the stuff and retreat pronto.

And you can imagine that in a year or two or however long, virus might be pretty much gone, and people will want to (albeit differently) do more retail.

Things like clothes and shoes and haircuts and kind of personalised stuff - nail bars, whatever, plus doctors, dentists, charity shops and so on will still need physical premises and people.

So I guess instead of "everyone go back exactly like it was in February" as @chrisp65 said the other day, the Gov't ought to be trying to look ahead and looking at how to help shape the change which is coming anyway, and help shape it in a way which will be better for everyone.

Agreed, I'm not saying dead completely but it will become more "niche" and before that happens there will be a lot of pain. Not so surem about clothes though, many people were doing that online already

On the other side of the coin, I see hospitality increasing. people WFH will want to go out more, they'll have more disposable income and a greater "need" for social interaction, they also won't have to think about going to work feeling a bit rough etc so it won't be concentrated at weekends either

[Demitri_C]

10 hours ago, ChrisVillan said:

I stand with Xann. Pricks.

Edited July 18, 2020 by Demitri_C

[Demitri_C]

11 hours ago, Xann said:

You not liking it doesn't make it incorrect.

Sunny down the garden path, is it?

45,000 dead and counting.

You saying it doesnt make it correct either xann. 

If i said labour fans were pricks there would be outrage on here.

 

[chrisp65]

9 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

You saying it doesnt make it correct either xann. 

If i said labour fans were pricks there would be outrage on here.

 

Give it a go and see what happens.

Go on.

[Rolta]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

You saying it doesnt make it correct either xann. 

If i said labour fans were pricks there would be outrage on here.

 

I'd find it ironic if it was a from a supporter of this government.

Edited July 18, 2020 by Rolta

[Xann]

10 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

You saying it doesnt make it correct either xann. 

Well,  I'd say the evidence is pretty conclusive already.

We watched the US vote in a populist con man backed by Murdoch lies and right wing media dogshit, then cringed as the self enrichment, incompetence and chaos unfolded.

The consequences were profound, yet somehow we learned nothing from it when we went to the polls.

Let's see if the public's confidence in the Tories finally pays off with Brexit?

[Demitri_C]

6 hours ago, Xann said:

Well,  I'd say the evidence is pretty conclusive already.

We watched the US vote in a populist con man backed by Murdoch lies and right wing media dogshit, then cringed as the self enrichment, incompetence and chaos unfolded.

The consequences were profound, yet somehow we learned nothing from it when we went to the polls.

Let's see if the public's confidence in the Tories finally pays off with Brexit?

There wont be. They will mess it up just like they messed up alot of things. Like i have said dont worry conservatives will lose the election and they will lose very badly at the next election.

Lets see if starmer can do a better job

You telling me you dont know any tory voters? Do you go to their faces and call them pricks? Not just you but some other sayings that say they stand with you. Id bet they dont.

You should be angry at the tory party i get that but i dont agree with generalising all of the people that vote them as pricks.

You should hold the laboue party partly responsible as well for their shambolic performance at the last election.  Losing to bloody boris Johnson is shocking 

[cyrusr]

12 hours ago, bickster said:

Agreed, I'm not saying dead completely but it will become more "niche" and before that happens there will be a lot of pain. Not so surem about clothes though, many people were doing that online already

On the other side of the coin, I see hospitality increasing. people WFH will want to go out more, they'll have more disposable income and a greater "need" for social interaction, they also won't have to think about going to work feeling a bit rough etc so it won't be concentrated at weekends either

This is very true. Pre-virus every time a shop closed, it wasn’t being replaced by another shop, it’s usually a restaurant/bar. This is very true in Birmingham (Independent Birmingham pushing massively on all the non-chain stuff as well) and I imagine the rest of the country as well.

As you say, the virus has simply expedited this. 

[bickster]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

You telling me you dont know any tory voters?

I really don't think I do tbh

They exist for sure but they usually have to crawl from under rocks when they vote

We voted to remain

You'll remember no-one reads the S** either. There is a correlation here, a very strong one

Round here someone who reads the S** most definitely is a prick, he'll also be the prick who voted Tory and for Brexit

[ml1dch]

14 minutes ago, bickster said:

I really don't think I do tbh

I do. They're pricks.

[bickster]

In fact some of the more feral youth around these parts actually use the word Tory as an insult, it replaces either word removed  or clearing in the woods