Anyone else feel like the whole country...

General General Discussion
1

…is just waiting around for things to get back to “normal” but nobody is doing anything about it?

I see this in the retail businesses and restaurants we frequent. Nobody is going out of their way to provide stellar service or quality. They might slash prices a bit, but that’s it. This seems odd to me both from an employee standpoint (surely there’s someone that would be happy to do a better job for the same, or even less, money) as well as the business standpoint (if just one business became known for better quality and service at the same price they’d kill the competition).

I see this in the housing market. I check out realtor.com, I find houses I’m interested in looking at, and I contact the realtors. Almost none get back to me. Simple questions like “is it a short sale and if so do they have bank approval at this price?” go unanswered. Even easier questions like “when can we come take a look at it?” similarly go without reply. Is the market really so great that these people have more business than they can handle?

I see this in my business. The market is tough, and getting tougher, yet nobody wants to do anything different or innovative. Everyone seems to think if we tighten our belts (read, layoffs) and wait it out and keep the status quo we’ll (read, they’ll) get through it. No attempt at trying something new, no attempt at changing the process that’s broken, etc.

Not only do none of these people seem to think that they need to try a little harder, but they don’t even seem to have made a conscious decision. It’s simply go along with the flow and wait for someone else to fix everything. In fact, attempts at making changes and innovating are squashed, perhaps because it makes those that won’t adapt look bad?

I gotta say, I’m frustrated as shit. How does anyone expect things to improve if everyone is going to wait around for someone else to do it?

2

everyone’s waiting for our holy leaders in washington to “fix it.” they’ve been trying to make us believe that thinking for ourselves brings famine- we finally believe it.

let’s see what happens in november… either this country is gonna start to get excited again, or we’re just gonna go off the deep end.

as to change and innovation… i’ve noticed in myself, in retrospect, that in the last 2 years, i’ve basically done nothing to try to improve business. so this summer, i finally started making some changes- changed the way i market my company, changed the way i present myself to the client, changed my entirely philosophy. and lo, and behold- i had the busiest 2 months i’ve had since the end of 08.

fuckin-a… you mean if i try harder, i’ll succeed? wow.

3

Just like you, many are TRAPPED in a system /company where the people above them give a rats a$$ as long as they continue to get steady paychecks, catch the game, have beer, buy the latest HALO game, etc…

Could you break out and do what you do for yourself? Money begets money, and most people with desire, drive and ideas lack the $$$ to break out of the chains they slowly put upon themselves…

I don’t know about you, but that is what I feel like and see around me… Like you, they probably feel POWERLESS to change things and get “frustrated as $hit” about it…

It’s frustrating… I know. Getting a business loan without putting your first born up with a rich uncle as collateral is an exercise in futility… Even those with money and business collateral have a hard time getting financing…

The best we can do is keep doing the best we can where we are but keep our eyes open for opportunities to change it or to break out into another opportunity… That is where I am… as my industry has almost wholely been swallowed up by huge corporate monsters… and I refuse to join them. (My misery is my own choosing I guess…)

Chin up, mate… As long as there are people like you , we will come out of it somewhere…

Rmpl

4

I think this is a partial glimpse into our future… But who we get fed in 2012 will be more important as a sign… Either a McCain or a Reagan…

Rmpl

5

I have to think that it is a combination of depression and apathy. I know that it hasn’t affected our company and we are still delivering outstanding quality and customer service and it isn’t making a difference to our customers.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

6

most politicians dont have the guts to tell the truth or are too clueless because of their Keynesian way of thinking.

7

It’s like we are living in “Sienfeld” episode where nothing actually happens. A lot of movement, but no ‘work’ in the physics sense since nothing makes a gain. A bad labor market, but when I go to McDonalds to get my kids a treat meal they always mess up the order somehow. How can we have high unemployment and crappy service at McDonalds. Workers haven’t gotten raises in three years but insurance, taxes and prices have gone up. Workers are always screwing off and surfing the web at wo…

gotta go.

8

Here’s a perfect example.

We’re a construction firm. We ship and use almost no print documents anymore. Today we’re supposed to have a meeting with a blueprint company to come and sell us on their new electronic system because they’re starving for business. On the one hand this is a good sign because it means that they are trying to innovate. On the other hand they couldn’t be bothered to show up on time and they now have 6-8 of us standing around holding our dicks waiting on them.

If your business is about to vanish (meaning your industry, not your company) wouldn’t you make an effort to get to the meeting with one of your biggest clients to talk about ways to keep you afloat on time?

9

I currently work in the advertising world (no I don’t hold signs :wink: )

And we have a high turnover on employees, we lose about one a week, people are just lazy bastards when it comes right down to it and that’s the problem with the country, nobody can function when left on their own.

Than when they find out the world is a cold bitch and come back looking for work we even hire some back, only to fire them again because… they’re lazy bastards :sarcastic:

The frustrating part of all of it, if one of these LB’s fails it can kill a large project and hurt us all. We’ve had payroll delayed on more than one occasion because a weak link failed to deliver on time. Hell I’ve taken a voluntary pay cut because of these LB’s hurting our revenue. If it was my choice alone (I’m a partner) they would all be fired and I would quadruple my salary and have less stress.

10

As a business owner, I can verify that I am frustrated with the “system.” I would love to expand (hire employees), but with the current tax system about to get worse (and since I already pay 40% in taxes) I am not interested in growing (just so I can pay more taxes to Obama). Couple that with the new health care mess, I am even less interested in having to pay someones medical.

So I wait. I wait for change that ACTUALLY does something positive for this country and the small business owner.

I wait to see what impact tea party candidates do in Govt… I wait to see if people “get it” yet. I wait to see if honesty and morality return to the country.

From a business standpoint, all is well. I have a fantastic core base of loyal customers and a constant flow of new customers. We continue to pick up some of the most sought after accounts in the firearms industry and do our best to provide quality service.

I do hear what you are saying Rob about wanting people to do something. Realize that some of us have tried to grow and create jobs, but we are so burned out that we just want to wait if the general public is fed up and votes for REAL CHANGE.

C4

11

You bring up a good point about lazy people.

I was talking to a fairly large PD Capt. and he told me that the current crop of new cops they are getting in are just worthless. Not only are they lazy, but also cowards. Not a good combo for a police officer.

C4

12

People seem less and less willing to show up on time in general. In my mind, if you’re on time…you’re late. Yet people seem to have no awareness of the clock, or respect for the time of others. It’s as if an appointment time is a suggestion.

13

I’ve noticed that people in general are nastier, have shorter fuses and are generally more polarized politically.

I think we’re in the early stages of political Balkanization.

Service in establishments these days seems to suck overall. I put down a box of 10mm Auto FMJ and walked out of a certain gunshop recently because no one could be bothered to ring me up.

I also walked out of a gunshop due to the horrendous attitude and smarmy comments when looking to purchase a Gen 4 Glock 19 with my GSSF discount. I asked to see the handgun, and the clerk told me that he was going to lunch, and I’d have to wait till after chow. :rolleyes: Easy way to lose a sale I suppose…

14

I can tell you that down here that’s a bit cultural. I don’t think it’s right, and it pisses me off that our culture got overtaken, but it’s the reality of life in SE FLorida.

But, from a growing new business standpoint, it strikes me that you’re early so as not to waste your customer’s time, cultural problems be damned.

15

I’ve worked retail for 6 years. I can assure you that I have never seen so much emphasis on customer service as I have in the last 1.5-2 years. From the CEO on down, EVERYONE is pushing it, and they have metrics that they use that are a huge deal.

When looking at customer service, you have to consider the average person that works retail/food service/hospitality. A lot of them just don’t give a shit.

Jay

16

It’s like were in the middle of a Big Mexican Standoff…
In the Political Arena It’s like all sides are standing around wringing their hands afraid to make a move until the other side does…so they can pounce on them and Blame/point out to the countries population all the mistakes they have made.
It’s not unrealistic to think that Buisnesses would follow suit.
It’s time to Fish or Cut Bait…!

And yes I realize that the term Mexican Standoff might seem insensitive and Politically Incorrect…Personally, I don’t care…I’m tired of all this Politically Correct crap…:big_boss:

17

Revenues are down, margins are down, dollar value is down, etc.

The war on business has had a toll and I’m not shocked to see service down too.

B_C

18

You don’t want to use Realtors while factoring your assessments. They are notoriously lazy and self serving, always have been. Not that there aren’t some good and even great ones, but most can’t effectively work for themselves unsupervised and know very little about things such as short-sales. Lot’s of fly-by-nighters as well.

I would adamantly suggest finding a better way to pass the time.

19

This post isn’t aimed at this thread or at the OP, just stating my own opinion on this matter in general. Here goes…

I’m so freaking sick of everyone talking about how bad it is!

Seriously. I’d say we’re arguably still the most prosperous nation on this earth. Whether or not we’ll stay that way is a different argument. Why can’t people simply be happy with what we have, and what we can still do?

I honestly think the largest part of this problem is news and hearsay. We see it on the news every night: Leaders make bad decisions to correct even worse problems. We see it in the newspaper: Is there any hope for America? We hear it from students in school: My professor says we’re headed for failure! Since when did agenda-based opinions become truth?

We all thought it was the end in the 1940’s, yet three-quarters of a century later, we’re still freaking here and many of those saying otherwise are dead and gone. We’ve won virtually every war we’ve been drug into, we’ve had ours most prosperous period yet… and we’re still here.

We need to wake up and realize that it doesn’t matter what’s going to happen tomorrow… because it’s going to happen anyway. What matters is the here and now. We as a society have seemingly forgotten that. We’re so worried about the future, the stock market so much that we’ve frozen from doing anything about our lives in here and now. The irony is that its the choices in the here and now that affect tomorrow, not the other way around.

Again, this isn’t aimed at anyone in this thread or even at this thread itself, but I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even like reading General Discussion anymore because of the doom and gloom attitude that is found in most of the posters (and humanity). If you don’t have a proposed fix, then why bother talking about it? Focus on what matters.

I know many of you aren’t Christians, and even more are atheists, but here’s a Bible verse that is true, regardless of religion:

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet they are fed. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” - Matt 6:25-27

I’m not saying to stop caring about the world, the political climate, finances, or how choices have permanent effects. What I’m saying is that we as a nation need to simply stop listening to all of the negativity in the news, the bad reports, and to start living our lives and doing what’s right. Got a bad Congress? Organize something locally and get the morons out of there, don’t just pine and whine about how bad it is. Hate illegal immigrants stealing your jobs? Take a stance, work with local groups - do something, don’t just complain. And after it’s all done, take some time to enjoy the good things around you. Take the good and the bad, throw out what doesn’t benefit us, and simply focus on the good.

Sorry for the rant.

20

I am more than well aware of this, and will not bother with them if it can be avoided. Generally rank below pond scum in my opinion and experience. But if they’re representing the property I need them to go see it, and I find that asking them if it’s a short-sale when I already know the answer from public records can be very telling.