Friday, December 07, 2018

Why report real news?

We just got a new sign the pain from Trump's trade war is getting worse, and it's spreading to even more businesses like restaurants.

Did ya hear y'all? Tariffs are hurting restaurants. Not higher interest rates. Not lower housing prices. Not stocks being down 20-50%. Did you hear Sotheby[s is down 50%?! And it's especially not Toll Brothers saying their sales were down 39%.

I'm not saying tariffs aren't putting pressure on the market. Personally I am not a fan of them. But when your own government makes it financially prohibitive to make things in your own country with carbon taxes and all the other stuff- you have to do something drastic to change the tide. And it's likely to be painful.

4 comments:

  1. Capital of Texas RefugeeSunday, December 09, 2018 7:18:00 PM

    You know what's really killing restaurants in America?

    American tipping culture, that's what's killing them.

    Think of it this way: it's so ridiculous that if I order five items at roughly the same price, I'm essentially being socially manipulated into paying for a sixth one without actually getting it.

    And that's what's driving people to fast food and take-out.

    If I eat out at that same restaurant from Monday through Friday, I've essentially given away all of the money that would have bought a meal from them on Saturday.

    In some "nicer restaurants" it's more like Monday through Thursday and I don't get the meal I would have had on Friday.

    So unless the place is absolutely amazing in terms of fresh food and ambience, why bother, and even then, why has this been made into a thing?

    Tipping is also a tariff on goods, and I'm in the mood for more trade bloc ball busting these days ...

    I figured the ZOMG LETTUCE ITZ GONNA KEEL US ALL scare was really a false flag operation intended to force the Mexicans to the negotiating table over the replacement for NAFTA. While everyone was paying attention to more non-news, this has already been agreed to by the leaders of the three NAFTA countries, although it still needs to be approved by Congress and be signed into law by the President.

    Also, that Huawei thing? OMG THE CANADIANS ARE GONNA SNATCH UP ALL THE CHINESE BUSINESSMEN ... except Canada was bound by the MLATs it signed with the US to arrest That Huawei Guy, and so this may also be a way to force the new Not NAFTA But Still Really NAFTA to get more serious about enforcing trade protections on a continental level.

    But first, I'd like to eliminate useless tariffs created by Americans that are imposed on other Americans, starting with this useless tipping culture.

    Who do I tip though?

    The guys at the Waffle House at 3 AM, and that's because they're working at a low-traffic time in a place that won't even let them have guns to protect themselves from fucking assholes.

    So, yeah, I'll voluntarily give those guys 30% just for being there at a suck hour, but the twerpy chirpy chickadee at an Applebee's who can't get my order right?

    Scale, baby, scale. :-)

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  2. Are restaurants dieing? I've been wishing for a restaurantcolypse.

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  3. Old fart casual dining ala Applebee's and Chili's is dying ...

    And since you bludgeoned my News Spidey Sense with BI recently, here's one back at you: Millennials endanger casual-dining restaurants.

    Stuff like Blue Apron makes me laugh, however.

    OMG IT'S LIKE WE CAN PLAY LET'S PRETEND WE HAVE CULINARY TRAINING

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  4. I did that?

    I don't think Millinials are actually killing much. Especially those restaurants. They are killing themselves. For instance tuna went out of favor in my generation. It's just reaching a watershed moment. I used to love canned corn until one day Mr S. said - don't you taste the tinny flavor. And now even I don't like canned corn as much. There ~is~ a slight tinny flavor.

    Fun fact - the original BW3's was in Ohio. A complete dive bar by the University. I went there once while visiting Mr S. family. I think franchising ruined that place. It's the saddest thing. They used to have these ginormous wings. But they thought they needed a million TV's instead. The stuff they are pumping out is complete crap compared to the original. I loved the original BW3'S, but I almost never eat there now. The one in my town is rated so horribly.

    Their wings sort of state like a truck hit a chicken, and they picked it up off the road and said - lets fry this bitch.

    I thought Blue Apron already went out of business. No?

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