Signs of an economic boom

[Pachydermatous]

I have my own technique for rating the nation's economic upswings and downswings which bypasses statistics, Wall Street, the government and maybe even Arnold Swartzenegger.

It's based on the shifting quality of those clerks, salesmen and hamburger flippers who wait on us daily at service stations, Subway, Wal-Mart, McDonald's, and Food World.

I've noticed during bad times and high unemployment the quality of service personnel takes a big jump upwards. It's elementary, Watson: people laid off from better-paying jobs drift into these occupations and enrich them with their higher skills.

Conversely, when times are good personnel in these jobs tend to tank out. The highly skilled people go back to their own occupations and employers are forced to hire anyone willing to fill out an application.

Today I got in the cashier's line at Food World. Although I was the only customer there, I had to wait a considerable span of time. The cashier had run out of paper and couldn't get a new roll in her receipt-printer. After several frustrating attempts she appealed to her supervisor who finally mastered this technically challenging feat.

Pushing my cart of cat food and Rolaids closer, I noticed the cashier was sporting large silver loops as earrings and her perfectly manicured nails were at least two inches in length. They were so long, in fact, she had difficulty managing my slick bonus card. She gave the impression of a feminine version of Dr. Fu Manchu and I put her down as a failed student drummed out of some beauty college.

A straw in the wind? Perhaps.

 

[Displaced Bama Fan]

Pachy - I think you're observations are right on the money!

 

[Pachydermatous]

Displaced ---

If someone wants a hot theme for a Ph.d thesis in economics he ought to try tracking Latino labor as it weaves through the market. It is fluid, difficult to follow and is making a definite impact on the economy.

When Latinos first hit Birmingham in a big way I noticed they landed in floor-sweeping, thrift store-clerking jobs. They've apparently moved out of these into what I suspect are construction, highway maintenance and farm work, all paying much higher wages. The ones I've seen shopping apparently carry their bank accounts in their wallets and pay cash for everything. No credit cards.

I picked up a 1995 story from the New York Times on this subject. It reported that thousands of U.S. corporations have intensive
on-the-job training to bring entry level employees up to speed. Heroes of the story were three Mexican immigrants who started flipping burgers for McDonald's at $4.25 an hour.

They were unskilled and spoke little English but they took advantage of the training program at "Hamburger U." All three became McDonald's managers at salaries ranging from $25,000 to $45,000 per year --- a goodly hunk of change in 1995.

 

[deliveryman35]

I agree Pachy....I'm getting the same level of service at my local Foodmax. The economy is booming imo in virtually every sector except manufacturing, which will continue to decline because of cheaper labor costs abroad. Maybe one day our democratic friends will realize we all are part of a GLOBAL economy.

 

[IH8Orange]

Pachy,

The general consensus is that approximately 4% to 5% of the working population should be defined as unemployable due to mental dullness, laziness, discordance or other reasons.

Therefore, when the unemployment rate dips below 5%, there are people being hired which, in normal circumstances, would not be able to hold a job. These are the people that you encounter that show no effort to serve the customer, continually make mistakes, or even show animosity toward customers. They don't stay at one place very long, usually, but stay employed by virtue of the demand for workers in the service industry.

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"I've never been quarantined, but the more I look around the more I think it might not be a bad thing." -- George Carlin

 

[Pachydermatous]

Orange ---

Right now we're at 5.6% which is actually a very good mark. I've seen a lot of times in the past I would interpret that figure as prosperity.

Will it hit 5% or lower? Very interesting in light of the fact employers (sometimes) have the option of staffing with Mexicans instead of the usual bottom of the barrel --- druggies, ex-cons, the retarded, second-grade dropouts, welfare rejects, illiterates, professional Democrats, and the emotionally blasted.