posted
Had a talk with the sales rep from our main materials supplier, who claims that orders from customers on his sales route are WAY down this quarter, compared to last year. Being a little concerned, I compared last quarter's books to last years. Sales were practically the same, within a few hundred dollars. My question: is anyone feeling a down turn in business this year?
------------------ Tim Whitcher Quality Signs & Design 107 E Adrian St Blissfield, MI 49228 qualitysigns@cass.net
Posts: 1546 | From: Adrian, MI | Registered: Mar 1999
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Asking individuals or small companies about economic conditions can be sometimes misleading. Large corporations draw from a large demographic and can see and feel trends. All it takes with our shop is a large order or two from a few select companies and it's a roaring economy. Same for the converse, if we lose a few good ones. That said, all indicators do show a slow down for the nation, but that doesn't mean we have to participate. What was the old adage? "A recession is when your neighbor is out of work, and a depression is when you are." It has been a different kind of year for us, with sales surprisingly up about 25% over any other.
------------------ Wright Signs Wyandotte, Michigan Since 1978 www.wrightsigns.outputto.com All change isn't progress, and all progress isn't forward.
Posts: 2785 | From: Wyandotte, MI USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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this economic downturn started last year april,may 0f 2000 ....killed me..closed the shop, moved to the house june 2000. untill jan-feb 2001 it started to pick up and has been good since..what the stock market and the big business feel, we are the 1st to get the hit..and in this area it was apr/may 2000...as things picked up here the larger market feels the down turn a lot longer and deeper...so this why the news is talkin about all the bad economy and us down here are over it.....the big boys will take another 6 mos to a year to feel the diff. if gas price come down more and other energy cost dont go bonkers again this winter...things will get better, but if gas goes up again and energy prices go up...its gona get worse down here in the trenches...
------------------ joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-944-5060 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND
Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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This was just on the news a couple nights ago, saw the story on TV as I was waking up from a nap on the couch.. something about the Gross National Product (the main economic indicator for the US) being up by almost 6% last year, versus .7% this year.. so we're basically at the same point we were last year..
Anyways... no, I dont feel any recession at all.. in fact, I'm quite a bit busier now than this time last year and frankly, it's pissing me off... It's cuttin into my beach time.
------------------ Mike Pipes Digital Illusion Custom Graphics Lake Havasu City, AZ http://www.stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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it's a funny thing... spme of the other shops around us are crying because they are broke. a bigger shop just closed a bit ago and the owner went skipping out of town under the cover of darkness. another smaller shop just went bankrupt recently and the owner went to go to work for another shop.
we had our best year ever last year by over 20% from the previous high and we are probably over 30% higher than we were at this point last year. it will be interesting because we had an absolute amazing third quarter last year.
i, personally, don't see a major slow down with us but i do see a downturn with other shops. i would be extremely happy to be where we were last year. oh yeah....
it will be interesting, also to se, as joe alluded to, the costs of natural gas, electric, and gasoline in the future. prices are down for now but i expect them to rise as the demand goes up. we will see.
it is going to be an interesting year, i guarantee it.
have a great one!
------------------ Bruce Bowers DrCAS Signtech
"how great are His signs..." Daniel 4:3
i am a proud supporter of this website!
Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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And in Mendocino county the cash crop is up to almost $5000. a pound
Guess its a growers market!
------------------ HotLines Joey Madden,47 years in the Classic Art of Pinstriping Grants Pass, Oregon Learn something...... http://members.tripod.com/Inflite
------------------ St.Marie Graphics & Makin' Tracks Sound Studio Kalispell, Montana stmariegraphics@centurytel.net http://www.stmariegraphics.com 800 735-8026 We're chiseling every day of the week! :^)
posted
Despite a 3 week slowdown..so far this year is the best one so far! Only 8 years to compare though.
------------------ Dave Grundy AKA "applicator" on mIRC "stickin' sticky stuff to valuable vessels and vehicles!" in Granton, Ontario, Canada 1-519-225-2634 dave.grundy@quadro.net www.quadro.net/~shirley
I just notice a lot more competition, and some big companies opening up their own in house sign shops. The businesses we do work for seem to be busy, the car dealers seem to be in a slow down, and we don't do any work for them anyway.
I think people are being very careful with the money they have right now. If they nedd their truck lettered, I don't think this is something they are putting off. Just my observations.
------------------ Draper The Signmaker Bloomington Illinois USA
Get To A Letterhead Meet This Summer! See you there! 309-828-7110 drapersigns@hotmail.com Draper_Dave on mIRC chat
Posts: 2883 | From: Bloomington Illinois USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
We've been slow for a couple of weeks, however we just missed out on a good sized job which would have kept our 2 man shop pretty busy. Customer took bids, ours was $3000 lower than the highest. They went with the highest because somebody fed them a load of bull. We weren't bidding apples and oranges, just apples and more expensive apples. This job was for another sign shop, so I didn't talk directly to the customer or I would have outbulled the other guy.
------------------ Dennis Goddard Excalibur Signs & Graphics Tampa Fl
Posts: 1050 | From: Tampa Fl USA | Registered: Apr 2000
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