Lars

Behavior

Dollar Stores

Business Men shopping in Dollar Stores; United Airlines is offering to match frequent flier status from any other airline as a way to entice travelers to fly United; more doggy bags being taken home from dining out; lots of men taking day time walks in our suburban neighborhood

Shongum Road, Randolph, NJ 07869

Jack in the Bronx

Employment

Day Laborers Pileup

At Bruckner Boulevard near E 138th Street next to the BP Station and Bruckner Lumber in The South Bronx the mainly Mexican crowd does not dissipate by 8AM as they used to. They just pile up due to lack of being picked up for work into a large crowd that swarms anyone appearing rough enough to look like a BCman (Blue Collar) who could offer a day's wage. Pull up for gas and they will surround your truck. How long will it be before they start duking it out?

2009: The year that America discovers its inner Bronx.

259 Bruckner Blvd, Bronx, NY 10454

rn

Employment

Swelling Substitute Lists

I substitute teach with 3 school districts in Morris County, NJ. Since the downturn, more people are signing up to be substitutes. As a result, I get called less frequently as there are more of us to go around.

Katherine

Bright

Reverse Offering in the Sunday Collection Plate

My local Unitarian Society did a reverse offering this past Sunday.

In the collection plate were envelopes with $20 in cash, money saved from donations to the Society. We were asked to take one envelope per family, match it with our own $20, and donate to someone in need, like the Kenyan AIDS orphans and families supported through www.twanatwitu.org, or pool the funds with friends and family to hold a fundraising supper, plant a community garden ... whatever we can come up with to help out in tough times.

We're blogging about this at http://usrminister.blogspot.com/2009/03/boldly-make-difference-sunday.html. The project is modeled on a similar one at a church in the Midwest.

113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Michael

Commerce

Pledge drive

I would like to know how your recent pledge drive stacked up against previous years. Every time your hosts would mention the sagging economy, I would flinch, because I knew it was scaring off potential donors.

160 Varick Street

Patrick Plain

Behavior

Hold on to your ascot - times are tough!

Walking to lunch near Wall St. I just passed a Bently still very shiny but missing a wheel cover and...was that a small dent on one of the panels? When was the last time anyone ever saw a $300K car not in showroom condition!

C.T. Crowe

Behavior

Not even SEX sells anymore

This e-mail went out yesterday to local swingers associated with the Ddevious Delights organization:

"We have been notified by our friends at CASBAR, where we are hosting this Saturday night's party, that they are dropping the door price to $80.00 in
suport of our friends who may be feeling the negative impact of our current economic situation (and who among us isn't) which has yet to be properly stimulated. All of our friends who paid the advertised $100 early price will receive a $20 refund when they arrive."

In other words, folks aren't willing to pay top dollar for sex with strangers anymore. Talk about a DEPRESSION!

117 25th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11232

Anderson

Bright

More time to exercise?

A sign of the changing economy is the NYC Parks and Recreation facilities. On a Wednesday afternoon, I went to the Asser Levy center and the fitness center was jammed pack with folks working out. It was good to see that folks are taking advantage of the great deals that are available with the NYC Parks and Recreation department.

Asser Levy, Manhattan

Bobbi

Behavior

hair cutters cutting costs

Recently I received a postcard in the mail from the hair salon that I have been going to for the past 5+ years. It was a 30% off card as part of the country's "stimulus package". I have never known them to send out such a card. I imagine that hair color in a box [purchased at the grocery or drug stores] sales have increased, and that people are not going to the salon as often as before, or perhaps not for the "non-essential" services. I have the same curiosity for nail polish, for the same reasons. Also, our town library was PACKED yesterday. Couldn't get a parking space in the lot; had to park on the street! I know you've already covered that on your on-air segment.

Westfield, NJ

N. Martini

Bright

Faster shipping

I placed some orders online at Amazon, J&R, and B&H over the past few weeks. All goods, despite choosing the least expensive shipping option for shipping within 5-7 days, arrived the next day or the second day after ordering.
I assume that due to reduced orders of these discretionary-spending products, orders are processed that much faster and make it out the door sooner.

Derek Tutschulte

Behavior

Every Fee Counts

I live on Brooklyn's Park Slope border (5th Ave) and have been noticing the blossoming of mini-ATM machines OUTSIDE stores. I can only assume that businesses are relying on these devices to drum up a little extra cash during non-business hours.

BofA ATMs have also been opening up street corners in Brooklyn, as well. Must be gold in them thar transactions.

5th Ave., at Sterling Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Rachel

Behavior

Lighter Foot

I got pulled over for speeding last week and the officer kindly wrote me a seat belt ticket (less $, no points) instead of a speeding ticket. That experience illustrated that I can't afford tickets and I'm now driving slower (which is also more fuel efficient).

Janice

Bright

less traffic, more parking

As a driver in the city, I have noticed since the economic downturn that it is much easier to find a parking space on the right side of the street. I never drive in midtown, but in other parts of the city there is less traffic. I will be curious to see if this continues once this never ending winter disappears.

Mr Basso

Behavior

One Tail Light

I live on Staten Island where one's vehicle is little less than one's appendage. I pride myself in being a keen observer and never before the economy started to take a tumble have I witnessed such an exponential increase in vehicles on the road with one tail light out. It's as if someone started a new driving trend, albeit a dangerous one. I suppose that the cost of replacing the bulb is not a cost that is worth shelling out, which makes me wonder just how responsible these drivers are. OR could it be that these drivers aren't being stopped as often as they should be by the police to be made aware of it? It's something to consider.

Paige

Commerce

Recession Marketing

another example of the recession as a character in marketing campaigns...

Bergen and Smith Street, Brooklyn NY

Zunaira

Bright

Grow Your Own

This isn't exactly legal behavior but an economic indicator nonetheless... a friend recently flew to California and encountered a vendor of equipment for home grown marijuana. Business is apparently soaring in tough times, people have less money to buy marijuana and are looking to grow their own. A brown bag version of marijuana use if you will.

Los Angeles, California

Kathryn Daniels

Housing

Room for Rent

On some recent trips to the Upper West Side, near Columbia, I noticed quite a few signs on lampposts (with tear-off tabs) advertising rooms for rent in local apartments. One said "Must like children"; another asked callers to speak slowly when leaving a message because the occupants didn't understand English well. It seemed as if hard-hit area residents were opening their homes to students in an effort to compensate for lost income....

Broadway & 116th Street

Barbara Appel

Behavior

Changes? Where to start?

Several uncommon economic indicators: ON WNYC pledge drive, the attempt to get enough money in half a day is usually fulfilled by the end of the Brian Lehrer show; this year, it was not completed until the Lopate show.
Also: much faster lines at the Post Office, many fewer customers.
Also: I always cross Columbus Ave at the same time on my way to work. The last few months there's been much less traffic, I get to cross (against the light) much faster.

Coumbus Ave and 88th Streeet

Paul

Behavior

Speed traps

I have noticed that the State Police on I-84 and I-684 are setting up more speed traps. Not just at the end of the month, but throughout the month. Perhaps they are enhancing their budgets with more ticket revenue?

I-684, Bedford Hills

Tara Parsons

Commerce

Matching Periods for the Pledge Drive!

This was the first pledge drive that I have ever heard WNYC's matching donors offering $1 for every $2 pledged. So far I have heard 4 of these, and only one dollar for dollar match. Typically I wait for the 2 for 1 matching periods to pledge, but it seems that now a 1 for 1 match is a good deal.

WNYC studios on Varick steet, NY, NY