Hot Tub Forum
General => General info Somewhat hot tub related => Topic started by: Chas on November 16, 2008, 06:48:53 am
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I sure don't know if there could possibly be any more doom and gloom in the media concerning our economy. It has been very slow around here in SoCal, and we sure don't have many dealers left in the immediate area.
But we sold three spas this week - a Vanguard, a Limelight Pulse and an Envoy. We will be ordering those tubs online later today, and we hope to pick them up Wednesday or Thursday of this week. If that works, we will have them installed and bubbling by next weekend.
I feel good about the future of our economy and the state of our country for the first time in a long time. Why? Well not because of the outcome of an election or promises made by some political party. We have experienced three distinct, exceptional acts of kindness and support over the past several weeks - I posted about one of them just after it happened, but the thread has faded fast. That bothers me. If I had posted about the folks who sell big-ticket luxury items who are losing everything, I bet it would have drawn more interest.
Friends, I think that if we hope to turn things around it is going to be up to us. Yes, I am a man who trusts God and has seen amazing providence that I can't attribute to anything less, but right now I am simply urging us - focus on the good. The media is not going to help us at all - they are just about giddy to be able to report high un-employment claims and failing businesses large and small.
But I have seen the small-business community pulling together in ways that they would not have done under other circumstances, and I have seen families who have planned carefully, spent wisely and are now enjoying the fruit of their labors as they upgrade backyards and add a hot tub to their lives. You will, of course, never see that on the home page of your favorite news web site. But I think we need to talk about it, blog about it, shout about it if need be, and stay positive.
Many people around the world shorten the name of our country to "the States." But we are the United States, and I think this is one of those times when we need to be a little more focused on being United - we are interdependent whether we want to admit it or not, and much of what happens that is good goes unreported by the mainstream media. So it falls to us - talk up the good at work, at home at as you move about in society.
If you have saved some money for tub and a nice deck, jump on it. Prices are good right now, and there are plenty of contractors who would love to offer you a deal just to keep their crew together. And as that money gets back into circulation, those contractors and suppliers will have the scratch to go ahead with some of their plans. And it will move across our nation like a wave. Stop the doom and gloom - we, the few reading this board, could be the ones responsible for starting an economic recovery that changes a nation and impacts the global economy. Why let the media be the ones to run our lives?
8-)
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Chas, I hope that you are right. The country and the world is very nervous, with good reason. Let's not let this post degrade into some political discussion about right, left, or why the situation is what it is. The fact is, and maybe I over simplify, it is the consumer that drives the economy. Without consumer confidence and the purchases that go with it, the economy slows. I have seen some pretty frightening things in the way of empty stores and the like. I live in Austin, Texas which is, by many measures, a locale and economy that is not as severely affected by this downturn as some other areas of the country, but nonetheless we have seen layoffs, closings and the like. We went to dinner last night with friends, and a restaurant that usually has a wait was able to seat us right away. All this being said, it is up to the individual to make choices to purchase or not. I feel that the media has so overhyped things that even folks with the means and the desire to make a purchase are holding off. That mentality only makes things worse. If you want to see your local business stay in business, you have to provide them with that business. I have my own plans for some more exterior renovations and landscaping projects at my house. I am going ahead with them for several reasons. I want these things. I have the means to accomplish them. Doing so provides business to the contractors, suppliers, etc. that hopefully helps keep them going. Proceeding with things that the neighbors see might spur them do do something similar or at least show them that not everyone is "hunkered down". Last, my home is my biggest and best investment. It's value will increase. This market adjustment is only temporary.
It is what you make it. Remember that.
txwillie
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Chas, it was a great post but unfortunately it seems that doom is what sells. I personally do not watch the news as it is only filled with garbage.
We are all suffering because a handful of people (or maybe make that handfuls) let greed get into the way of what is right. I suspect that other than a few misguided people who truely got taken the rest all came to be from manipulation.
I see it as only the strong companies/businesses will survive but I don't think the worst is here yet. My company is having layoffs because "they didn't hit their numbers" and I bet you will see more and more of that. I am hoping that this doesn't affect me but who knows.
But the turn for the better has to come from the CEOs of the companies & they aren't doing their part. The CEO of GM took a $20 million bonus a few month ago and look what's happening to GM. The CEO of Citibank is looking for his bonus as well and again look where Citibank is! And this is going on and on. Until something is done to stop the people at the top from scamming the rest of the people we are screwed!
Something that txwillie said is one of our problems - we are a consumer based society. We have very little industry. Back in the 1940's we had a lot of industries but over the years they have all been shipped out. Even Hershey bars which have been made in Hershey, PA apparently aren't made in the U.S. anymore, I bet Milton Hershey would be beside himself.
I do have faith in the American people - we are resilient and industrious but we are being sold out left and right because of greed. But unfortunately, some of the American people have the wrong idea of what this country is about. My father came here from Italy to make a better life for himself and became an American citizen fighting in WWII for the U.S. He had to learn English in order to survive and he did. I believe if we can stop all the corruption and greed we will become a great nation again. But as long as corporations are willing to sell out people for the good of the almighty dollar - it won't happen. I envy people like yourself that have made a good living (hopefully) owning your own business - I would like to but I personally don't have the drive to work as hard as someone like you does. The Walmarts and such have almost put an end to small "mom & pop" businesses and as times get tougher - we need to economize and saving a few dollars is why we (I) shop there.
The economy will turn positive, empty houses will be bought and life will return to "normal". The only problem I see is that another crisis wil happen because of the same set of misfortunes will happen again only someplace else ... with oil at $55 a barrel who cares that we need alternitive fuel!
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with oil at $55 a barrel who cares that we need alternitive fuel!
You don't think that as soon as the world economy improves that we won't see $5/gallon gas again?
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Vinny was being cynical. If we quickly forget those $5.00 gallons of gas, we won't be encouraged to look for alternate energy. Which makes me think there is more than our sinking economy behind the drop in gas prices. :-/
Wise people would use that extra gas money to invest in better energy efficiency in their homes, and alternate fuel sources like solar heat and electric. But that probably won't happen.
About 25 years ago, we faced mortgage interest rates in the double digits and gas lines. As soon as the economy took a positive turn, no one was looking at alternate energy anymore and development of solar technology slowed down to a crawl. >:(
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You don't think that as soon as the world economy improves that we won't see $5/gallon gas again?
I am really trying to keep politics out of this, but its relevant to this thread as this thread is to the industry. Obama made reference a couple of times to cracking down on oil price speculators. I wanted more detail on that when I was still undecided, and I really believe the press gave him a free pass on a lot of statements, but in this case it might have been good if they would have dug into that more or if he had elabarated on it. I truely think the worst influence on our economy the last year or two has been when the people setting gas prices started using oil price futures, which are always volitile.
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I work for a major truck manufacturer and Im here to tell you we are hurting! We have about 800 of our 1600+ employees on layoff right now. The rest of us have been working 32 hour weeks since May and have been working some 24 hour weeks here lately. Management is hoping we have hit the bottom of this but cant be certain. I hope things turn around soon so I can get back to 40 hours a week so I can finally buy that hot tub we've been wanting. :'(
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Wise people would use that extra gas money to invest in better energy efficiency in their homes, and alternate fuel sources like solar heat and electric. But that probably won't happen.
One of the upgrades to my house will be to replace the windows. I expect about a 3 year payback. Another is to replace the old flex duct in my attic. I expect a 1 year payback on that. Probably put some extra insulation in the attic while I'm up there.
txwillie
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Not sure where you live Txwillie but I believe Pa is considering energy tax incentives for next year. I am hoping there will be additional federal incentives. I plan to do some insulating as well, but will do it the beginning of the year..just in case I can get that tax break ;)
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Bonnie got my message. I am old enough to remember the late '70's with no gas and gas lines. How quickly we forget what it was like. I am happy to pay $4.00 a gallon because we have gas - it really sucked not having gas! I've even heard reports that the alternative fuel ideas are being scrapped because the oil price is that low.
Bill said: I am really trying to keep politics out of this, but its relevant to this thread as this thread is to the industry. Obama made reference a couple of times to cracking down on oil price speculators. I wanted more detail on that when I was still undecided, and I really believe the press gave him a free pass on a lot of statements, but in this case it might have been good if they would have dug into that more or if he had elabarated on it. I truely think the worst influence on our economy the last year or two has been when the people setting gas prices started using oil price futures, which are always volitile.
Bill, I am not talking politics here, I'm talking about greed and what was right vs wrong! I knew enough to not get in over my head with my mortgage, I knew that if I had debt that it would affect how much I can borrow and I knew that tops for housing is approximately 28% of monthly income. Why then are we in trouble - people (mortgage lenders) didn't play by the rules and let greed get in the way and people (mortgage recipients) were either too stupid or were extremely smart to get in over their heads and cry about how they can't make ends meet! Even further were the "rating agencies" who rated someome with -FFF credit as A+. The American dream of owning a home is not a Right it is a priviledge! Some of us out here know that if I'm paying $1500 a month for a mortgage that I can't afford a luxury automobile and a boat and take vacations and ...
I too want a 3% loan even though I did the right thing and not screw anybody just so my family can have it a little better. But since I pay my mortgage, thought enough about my expenses and didn't listen to dirt bag mortgage lenders (which I had some) about how much more I can borrow - I'm not qualified for a bailout.
And then comes what I said before - the CEO's. Except for a few that may be out there and as Chas said - good doesn't get noticed, these "great" corporate leaders are not even held accountable for their companies actions - and are looking for bonuses.
No politics here, just some good old fashioned American beliefs on what needs to be fixed!
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chas i pray you are right, but i dont think you are
i think we are in for very, very hard economic times
recently i have seen a large increase in people seeking employment
i would say employment requests have thripled
more and more retail spaces are vacant due to business' going under
none of these so called "bail-outs" seem to be working
now more and more industries are saying "i wanna bail-out too"
i also think we could have an early Obama term al Qaeda attack
yes i am pretty gloomy, but i think reality is pretty gloomy too
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I read this morning that money slated for the development of energy improvements for the auto industry will now be used in an auto bailout....That makes no sense to me..why bail em out if they will just build vehicles that will continue to feed the oil demand. The faster that we are free from all foreign oil, the better..so now we will encourage them to just just start the cycle again??? >:( >:(
I'm with Vinny, I have a real hard time feeling sorry for the guy with the $500,000.00 house who is also using a disproportinate amount of energy because he wanted a BIG house that he couldn't afford in the beginning. >:( I don't want to bail him out..I don't want to bail anyone out..Guess I wouldn't make a very effective Socialist!! ;D
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Guess I should correct, the $500.00.00 house now worth $300,000.00 :(
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I read this morning that money slated for the development of energy improvements for the auto industry will now be used in an auto bailout....That makes no sense to me..why bail em out if they will just build vehicles that will continue to feed the oil demand. The faster that we are free from all foreign oil, the better..so now we will encourage them to just just start the cycle again??? >:( >:(
It shouldn't matter what kind of cars the car companies build. There should be no bailouts. If a company cannot operate within the scope of profits it can make from its sales, it should fail. If American companies cannot build a car that American consumers will buy, then they deserve to fail. Between unions and government regulations, it is no wonder why so many companies move overseas.
Free Market and Supply and Demand ftw!!
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Guess I should correct, the $500.00.00 house now worth $300,000.00 :(
It was a $300,000 house to begin with!
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exactly...and Dan, I am talking about real people here. They are losing their house because they were not smart enough to realize it was beyond their means. Their son is going to school on a full ride government package...sorry, but I can't feel bad for them and they are still benefiting from their stupidity!! >:(
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The economy and all of our 401ks are going to come back....It goes in cycles..Always has...Yes this is an historically bad time, and some unique things happened (credit crisis etc) but I expect things to bounce back.......Unfortunately I also think gas prices will bounce back and we will be stuck with $3+/gal going forward.
I hate to inject politics, but there are some alarmists in Congress (Democrats) discussing radical alternatives (to private retirement accounts) that in some instances include goverment seizure of our existing private 401k and retirement accounts being replaced by some government bureaucracy run by the Social Security administration to dispense out our money for us! Basically they are saying you aren't smart enough to manage your retirement so they'll take what you've already saved and dispense what they want to you later on and share the rest with other people. Another idea they are looking at is eliminating the tax benefits of 401k. All of this because of panic and alarmism over paper losses in the market the last several months. I'm not kidding here...Here is just one recent article about it in the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122662401729126813.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_mostpop
This should be of concern to all of us.
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I believe if we can stop all the corruption and greed we will become a great nation again. But as long as corporations are willing to sell out people for the good of the almighty dollar - it won't happen.
How strange. How familiar. I hear the echo of past rants...
As for the United States... it's a global economy.... Who was it who said, "We must all hang together or we shall surely all hang separately"?
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How strange. How familiar. I hear the echo of past rants...
As for the United States... it's a global economy.... Who was it who said, "We must all hang together or we shall surely all hang separately"?
Funny, it seems like its only a global economy if you are in the US and Canada explaining the jobs going to India, China and Mexico. The rest of tie world seems pretty protectionist to me.
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Although this is hardly a good rationale, some of us are buying now because we fear losing our jobs in the future and figure if we are going to do this, better do it now....
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How strange. How familiar. I hear the echo of past rants...
As for the United States... it's a global economy.... Who was it who said, "We must all hang together or we shall surely all hang separately"?
I can't say how Canada is doing as the US news and CNBC don't say much about it. I kind of think of Canada as an extension of the US with Montreal being the armpit of Canada (it might be all of Quebec providence). I live in New Jersey so I have 3 armpits in my backyard - Camden, Newark and Trenton and I live close to Trenton! But I hate to say it that the US is THE economy the keeps the world humming or can stop it - at least for now. As for the Global Economy - it is Stopped because of what has happened with US problems - so much for the rest of the world humming along!
Yes Tom, I have ranted in the past but as you can tell I am pretty much anti corporations and anti crappie CEOs which most seem to be. Why, because a lot of corporations are there just for the select few - PERIOD. If you're not in the upper tier of bonus getting - forget it, your a POS to them. I wish more stories about good CEOs come up but they don't. I have a very old story about a CEO whose new mill burned down and he told his workers that he will continue to support them as long as he could. He also told them that if and when the replacement mill gets built he will hire them back. His workers got together and approached him about getting his old mill running - he did, the workers worked 3 shifts for him and he became even more profitable. When asked about this his response was something like - it's simple, my people made me a lot of money and I had to take care of them, they were so happy that I was willing to help them that they went out of their way for me - treat your workers good and you'll get more in return I don't believe that's a CEO's or a corporations idea today.
I hear too many stories from different industries from people I know about how they're treated like garbage at the whim of a manager. Does business need to go on without any thought as to how it might affect someone personally - I think no! But in the whole scheme of things I am an honest worker that see the corporation I work for being run by Bozos - many of them. I suspect that it's true in many companies ... If anyone has a good CEO or Corporation story to tell - PLEASE DO.
And BTW, keep the politics out of this - no sense saying anything about a Democrat or Republican until something becomes factual and rumors are not factual!
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It is interesting that we try to keep politics out of most any discussion these days. There was once a time in our country when political discourse was an important part of conversation. It was a time when people treated each other with respect, even when they disagreed. Nowadays the left gets their information from left-wing sources and the right gets theirs from right-wing sources and neither side seems very interested in hearing what the other side has to say. I’ll agree that a hot tub forum is probably not be the best place to exchange political thought, but when was the last time you had a civil conversation and discussion of ideas and policies with someone who disagreed with you? By the way I am not referring to any particular individual when I say you, nor am I asking for this thread to become a political exchange, just making an observation.
Back to the topic at hand, it seems obvious that there will be a day of reckoning when we continuously spend more than we make. It is bad enough when an individual or a family does this, but recently our government has accumulated massive amounts of debt at unprecedented rates. I was raised back in the day when we were taught to save by spending less than we earn. I am not so sure that we can spend our way to prosperity, either as individuals or as a country.
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I am trying to do my part, this year I have bought a car and two 4-wheelers and this weekend will be going to get my second car of the year (a new Challenger, orange of course).
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One of the upgrades to my house will be to replace the windows. I expect about a 3 year payback.
txwillie
A 3 year payback on new windows?? :o Did you just have screens in there before?
I'm not sure who told you that but I'm guessing you're off by a decade er so...
Replacing windows can be a very pricy proposition and although the technology has vastly improved, the cost of these will not be recovered in 3 years. Not even close.
Friends of ours just replaced their windows (@ a $6000 pricetag)... They're hoping for an 8-10 year payback.
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What it all boils down to, in my opinion, is that people need to LIVE WITHIN THEIR MEANS. Unfortunately, that WOULD hurt the economy. I would love to work at a hot tub store, and sell something I'm passionate about, but it would be very hard for me to sell a hot tub to someone that has to "finance" it. I know a gal that financed a hot tub, came into hard times, and then couldn't afford to pay it off. You never know what the future holds, and it's best to only buy what you can afford. Of course, I'm a big Dave Ramsey fan, and believe the only money you should borrow is for a house. I, too, believe that tougher times are ahead for this country. The only thngs we are buying right now are NEEDS. I'd love to have a new flat screen tv for our living room, but I feel it's better to set that money aside for something like siding or an appliance fund, if something breaks down. Most people just borrow for things like that, and THEN wonder how they're going to pay for it. Hence the huge problem we face today. Everyone wants it NOW. We are trying to teach our kids delayed gratification. Not sure if we will succeed, but we're giving it our all....
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Renee.....I had a co-worker a few years ago that told me her 22 year
old son went out and got married, bought a house, then went and furnished it
with brand new tv's, furniture, appliances, ect....then he immediately declared
bankruptcy.....when his Mom asked him what the hell he was doing his reply
was "gosh Mom isn't that how everybody does it?...get married, go charge
up all your new stuff for the house...then declare bankruptcy".
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Zep...that is the mindset of many people today. SOMEONE will bail them out. I told my boss this morning I had a new business plan....give me a 2.7 million dollar bonus, and then ask the government to bail the business out. I was obviously joking, but the governement can't just keep bailing companies out. Let the pieces fall where they will, and maybe people will start using the brains God gave them....
We have clients that take loans from their 401k's to bail out their kids from credit card debt. I, of course, can't give my opinion. But it's a shame. Those kids will NEVER learn.
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CEO's only make what they can get. Same as an actor or an actress or a sports player. Do you really think that any football player cares what the hot dog vendor makes? Do you think that George Clooney cares what the guy editing the film makes?
People start businesses to make themselves wealthy. They get that way by getting the best labor they can at the lowest possible price. The cheaper they can get the labor, the more profit they can make. The more profit they can make, the more they expand their business. The more they can expand their business the more people they can hire.
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A CEO is not necessarily an entrepreneur.
A CEO might be someone who makes $20 million+ a year and flies to Washington in a private jet to beg for a $25 billion bail out.
Hot tub related. Our industry is down also. We can use help also. ;)
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A CEO is not necessarily an entrepreneur.
A CEO might be someone who makes $20 million+ a year and flies to Washington in a private jet to beg for a $25 billion bail out.
Hot tub related. Our industry is down also. We can use help also. ;)
Which is why they shouldn't get a bailout. A company that is managed incorrectly should go under. Let the UAW buy up all the shares since they seem to know what takes to run an auto company.
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CEO's only make what they can get. Same as an actor or an actress or a sports player. Do you really think that any football player cares what the hot dog vendor makes? Do you think that George Clooney cares what the guy editing the film makes?
People start businesses to make themselves wealthy. They get that way by getting the best labor they can at the lowest possible price. The cheaper they can get the labor, the more profit they can make. The more profit they can make, the more they expand their business. The more they can expand their business the more people they can hire.
Man are you way off track - A CEO is a person who is supposed to run the company CORRECTLY and have the ideas or hire the people with the ideas to make the money. F*@%ing over the employees is NOT running the company correctly. The CEO's that I'm talking about are not the ones who own their own businesses and if they run their business they way you are stating - they would fail miserably.
Hire cheap labor and most of the time you get crappy workers. You dealers complain that people will buy a Walmat spa because their cheaper and they're not the same. But according to what is being said - there's no reason to buy a spa from a dealer because cheap is just as good as expensive. SerjicalStrike, I guess you hire minimum wage workers to sell and work on your spas! I guess it's better to have 5 know knothing people than 1 knowledgable person and when they get to become knowlegable fire them because they may want a raise.
The old CEO from Home Depot ran that company into the ground and got a multi million dollar severence package. GM and Ford speak for themselves. Enron (is he your idol?) really screwed their employees. Personally that CEO along with his cronies should have been executed on television and we should have made it a national holiday.
My father worked for a family run clothing store and they paid him full salary for months when he had a stroke. They valued him as an employee and knew that he was hard to replace. I'm sure my dad gave back 15 fold for them.
As for actors and sports players - society has made them lucritive fields. I don't think anyone is worth that type of money. As a matter of fact I've read about Warren Buffet's way of management (he's the richest guy in the world or at least was until this market crashed) and he pays ALL (he has many) his CEO's $100,000 a year and they get bonuses on how well they run their company. If someone doesn't perform - no bonus, this isn't a bad concept. He may not be the "cleanest" person out there but I have heard very little dirt about him.
I think you need to rethink.
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I think you misunderstood my point about cheap labor. I said "the best labor they can find at the cheapest possible price." A lot of things factor into that. Not just the minimum wage. Also, most companies pay based on merrit. You get payed based on what you bring to the table. If I owned my own company and two people applied to work for me, both with the exact same credentials, I would hire the one I could pay less. Its called competition. Competition lowers the costs on goods and services. (Not available in a Union based system) The less I have to pay someone, the less I have to charge for the goods and services I provide in order to make the profit I expect as an owner.
I would not fire someone for asking for a raise. If they deserve a raise, they deserve a raise.
GM and Ford don't decide what to pay their employees. The Union does. Which is one of the reasons they are failing. The biggest reason they are failing is because they build cars that cannot compete with the foreign cars. Look at consumer reports. Domestic cars are useually the bottom of the barrell.
Illegally screwing over your employees is wrong and CEO's that are involved in that should be held accountable. I never said F@%$ing over your employees was a good thing or the correct thing to do.
I don't see where anyone said cheap is just as good as expensive.
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I think you misunderstood my point about cheap labor. I said "the best labor they can find at the cheapest possible price." A lot of things factor into that. Not just the minimum wage. Also, most companies pay based on merrit. You get payed based on what you bring to the table. If I owned my own company and two people applied to work for me, both with the exact same credentials, I would hire the one I could pay less. Its called competition. Competition lowers the costs on goods and services. (Not available in a Union based system) The less I have to pay someone, the less I have to charge for the goods and services I provide in order to make the profit I expect as an owner.
I would not fire someone for asking for a raise. If they deserve a raise, they deserve a raise.
GM and Ford don't decide what to pay their employees. The Union does. Which is one of the reasons they are failing. The biggest reason they are failing is because they build cars that cannot compete with the foreign cars. Look at consumer reports. Domestic cars are useually the bottom of the barrell.
Illegally screwing over your employees is wrong and CEO's that are involved in that should be held accountable. I never said F@%$ing over your employees was a good thing or the correct thing to do.
I don't see where anyone said cheap is just as good as expensive.
I can say that GM is struggling also because of lucrative 1960s pension plans that they still pay out to hundreds of thousands of retirees......Its not just about the product.
Also, I am not usually one to criticize capitalism, but the CEOs that are paying themselves 20 million dollars a year and flying private jets for companies that are on the verge of bankruptcy and or complete liquidation are irresponsible incompetents.........
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the CEOs that are paying themselves 20 million dollars a year and flying private jets for companies that are on the verge of bankruptcy and or complete liquidation are irresponsible incompetents.........
This is exactly why I think they should be allowed to go under. They will have to either reform the way they do business or fall to the wayside! >:(
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I can't say how Canada is doing as the US news and CNBC don't say much about it.
There is an old saying: When the US has a cold, Canada sneezes.
Alberta, the province where Arctic is located, is debt free. We have a low unemployment rate. The government is upset because instead of having a $7 billion surplus last year, it was only $4.6 billion, and maybe only $2.7 billion this year. I ran into a young guy who left Arctic last month; he walked right into a job paying $2/h more. We're in an odd little island of prosperity here.
The Canadian banking system is structured differently than that in the US, and we didn't issue sub-par mortgages AFAIK. I heard a report that one CA bank wrote off $200 million in loans last month (the report said that the bank is worth $3.2 billion, and the commentator pointed out that the write-off was not a significant amount in view of the bank's total assets). Manufacturers have been hit by rising costs for materials and labor, as mentioned by others in the thread. The Canadian auto industry is shaky (since it's based on yours) and even Honda is downsizing. People are a bit nervous, and the doom-and-gloom media is playing it up and IMO making things worse.
The consensus here in our (IT) office is that the CA and US gov'ts should not offer a bailout to their respective auto industries. The time of "What's good for General Motors is good for the USA" has passed. Let them tighten their belts and learn how to run their businesses properly. If they go down, other more efficient companies (brash upstarts in India and Brazil, perhaps) will fill the void.
Disclaimer: the above is a personal opinion and does not represent the position of the ownership or management of Arctic Spas nor any of its affiliates.
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I’ve been saying it for a few months now that I think 2008 will end up in the history books with a huge asterisk next to it. It’s been a very strange year.
While the fires that burned all summer in the California North State area had a huge impact on our patio furniture sales, our tub sales are up over 2007. I’ll take that victory.
We’ve lost a competitor this year and we don’t hear much from the local Coleman dealer since the name change/buyout issue from the summer.
There is a local manufacturer named after the largest city in Arizona about 9 miles from us. They have an ad in the local paper advertising their “7th annual ‘scratch and dent sale with tubs’ starting at $995” this weekend.
It got me to thinking. Either it’s a advertising ploy to generate sales or, that after seven years of damage to spas that have not even left the manufacturing facility, this company needs to find a kinder gentler way of caring for, handling, and shipping the tubs.
I can't remeber ever getting a scratched or dented tub from Watkins. I'm sure it happens but it is rare.
Just my opinion.
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I don't know about an upturn yet, we are doing ok but 3 of my competitors went under, 1 a few months agao and 2 other done the end of the month.
They are an Arteisian dealer, a Sundance dealer and a Hydropool dealer, these are not junk tubs, but they just could not bear the decrease in the market. Its really kind of sad (we all got along)
As for scratch and dent, they may not all have been "scratched or dented" some companies try a new mold or something different, which does not come out they way they like and they put them out as scratch and dents. I am sure all the companies have a few mishaps every year. As for starting at $1000.00, I would be leary....pumps and control systems cost them that much, so why so cheap?
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The Big 3 are canceling already in place orders with their vendors
<----I donated $20K to Ford last year. :)
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This is exactly why I think they should be allowed to go under. They will have to either reform the way they do business or fall to the wayside! >:(
Exactly. Yay capitalism.
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I worked with Mitt Romney during the 2002 Olympics. His dad was a big shot in the auto industry many years ago. Mitt is a very smart money guy and has made a fortune turning around companies that were near out of business. He was on TV a few days ago and he said to let the big 3 file bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is not going out of business it is a restructuring of the financials. If the government bails them out they will not learn from their mistakes and change their ways. I feel bad that Mitt didn't get a chance to work on our economy because I have a lot respect for him. I remind everyone that I was a 3 term politician for 12 years and government never makes a good business partner. When you get too many cooks in the kitchen who all want the credit and no blame. And they all want to spend some other persons (taxpayers) money. Watchout!!!
Mark my word. 2009 is going to be a very bumpy ride. Prepare the best you can because I think 2010 will be the bottom. After 2010 it will be like after Christmas when people dig out from all the holiday expenditures. The government will be so far in debt it will cost a whole lot to dig out.
Scott 8-)