See each of the submitted stories below.
karl
Commerce
You Want Fries With That?
At McDonald's if you want mayonnaise rather than ketchup for your french fries, there's a 22 cent surcharge. I was shocked.
3rd St and 6th Ave., Manhattan
STEPHEN LICATA
Commerce
Healthy Tissue
one can always tell how a hospital is doing financially by the thickness of paper towels and toilet paper.
Anne Ishii
Employment
status quo gets canned
I have six friends who have been laid off since last September, and they are all white upper middle-class males in their mid-30s. A few other friends who've been laid off are not from that demography but all are from a higher income bracket (than at least me).
Friends of color and women in my network have largely evaded the axe. (Firings notwithstanding) My theory? We (women and people of color) are still the cheaper work force.
Ethan Stanislawski
Employment
Search Marketing and Law--Still Stable
My office at Lexis Nexis is still hiring people rapidly to assist in SEO for Lawyers websites. Lawyers are still giving us multiple contracts. Combine law being relatively recession proof and people still looking for new means to reach potential clients, SEO for law firms is actually going through a relative boom period.
121 Chanlon Road, New Providence, NJ
Sonal Batra
Behavior
Brew Your Own
As stated on facebook I said that my home smells like a cafe now that I am brewing my own COFFEE, rather than buy it from outside.
Edison, NJ
Rylee
Behavior
I'll Keep my Old Coat
Much like an injured athlete who is afraid of open field running and tackles, shopping which used to be sport/entertainment is no longer of interest,even scary. Can't buy that, mustn't look at those, even for items which I wouldn't have given a second thought before. I have watched a coat which I fell in love with in November linger on the rack while markdown upon markdown gets recorded. Which calls to my mind "why did I ever think I needed it?" I don't. Maybe this redirecting of energy away from consumption will be filled with something more fruitful--volunteering, writing letters to relatives long out of contact, cleaning out the cluttered closets in my house and in my mind. [photo by SabineNadineMelanie]
rose
Commerce
Fruit Shop Shuttered
Walked by a fruit/veg store in my neighborhood and noticed a sign on the window:Store Closing, Everything Half Price.
The next week the store was closed. The neighborhood doesn't feel the same without that store.
56th st, 8th ave
Kevin Lahoda
Commerce
Economic Relief
Duane Reade has been working the recession angle with its "Economic Relief Package" sales event. The January circular, complete with rugged, militaristic type and art depicting air drop packages looks to be an attempt at pointing out similarities between the current economic climate in the city with that of war torn areas. Or, maybe, it's their way of saying - "hey it could be worse!" Either way, what economic relief package is complete without pain medicine, beauty products for that interview, and mega discounts for restocking your Christmas product supply?
352 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Susan Brand
Bright
Local Library
The library here in Maplewood, NJ has 8% more traffic in the last year. People are gathering there and using the internet access and computers to look for work. They are also checking out a lot more books instead of automatically visiting Amazon or big box stores. They are also taking advantage of the free children's story times and crafts and other programming. It's pretty amazing to see people actually utilizing the library for all the things it has provided all along. (This would be filed under "Bright Spot" except that the funding for the library will probably be slashed soon.)
51 Baker Street, Maplwood, NJ 07040
Monika Fabian
Commerce
Pawn Shop Replaces Bagel Shop
A pawnshop opened where a bagel shop once was on Queens Blvd in Sunnyside.
33-1 queens boulevard, queens, ny
Eiman Elnahrawy
Bright
Lower Rents in North Jersey
apartments' rent in north jersey (weehawken, edgewater, fort lee, etc) is down at at least 30% because apparently wall street people who used to live here got laid off and are renting out their apartments.
200 central avenue, weehawken, nj
