@chapeau-noir wrote:
@vintagecraze50 wrote:
Eating out may take a precedent over buying something else for some.
You've actually hit the nail on the head - increasingly people are preferring to spend their money on experiences - evenings out with friends, travel, etc., over acquiring yet more *stuff*. This culture has been increasingly one of competitive acquisitive greed, and in a great way I think the pandemic reset people's world view into realising that beyond a certain level, acquisition of yet more material items is meaningless.
Burger, fries, Turkey Club, piece of Chocolate Cake and piece of Carrot Cake... $42 at a diner near camp.
There's all manner of things at play as each individuals $$$ usage and concerns vary along with that of retailers now being considerably more aggressive online versus a sideline to brick and mortar. Vying for dollars is certainly more aggressive than the old "nn" disposable income.
Just the other day watching News Nation it was stated that there are some 5.n million jobs available and 7'n million folks who just don't care work. It's one of the mechanisms that in S. America are being promoted and used by Cartels and then some at our border. The migrants seeking come here are not doing so with goals of damaging America, quite the contrary, they come for a better life in the promise of America wanting to fill those jobs. Interestingly as well, a large swath of those opportunities are in the trades.
America has done such a good job of selling ourselves that college is a must have in order to live well in the land there exists an ever shrinking pool of workers in the skilled trades. The show had a gentlemen who's been establishing funds to help young folks learn the trades having already spent over seven million and another million coming shortly. He said literally every construction company of any size is short skilled tradesman and most of these trades are six figure annual incomes. He'd said more legal immigrants are taking advantage of the situation and within mere years earning more money than a huge swath of college educated jobs such as educators, clerical workers, paralegals on and on. Electrical, plumbing, masonary on and on making great money... He cited a plumber who began some years back and was earning six figures annually and now trained his own staff, runs his business and own's nine home's around the globe.
He'd said that many of these newly legal immigrants send money back home to family and that in itself also encourages others to make the trek to America. Further he cited that American's seem to be blind to the fact that the skilled trades are loosing numbers whilst the demand is not only still there it is escalating. That American's should be happy since they don't seem want to perform jobs such as Electrical, plumbing, masonary, construction, arborists on and on that the migrants are more than willing and happy to take those jobs and earn great livings doing so. I know a fella who's an arborist and he's no problems making $2500-$3500 a week clear and absolutely adores the money when called into natural disasters where he can make one and half to two times that whether actually working or not. That is to say on emergency duty they get paid whether or not they can access the work that need be done. If electrical lines are down for example he get's paid until the power company makes the zone safe sitting in the truck making money hand over fist doing nothing.
Point all being, 5.n millions jobs Americans dont care to do and the trades which literally every American needs are waning in employee's. But we're gonna scream about migrants who want come here for a better life, same as all our ancestors short of those who came here not of free will to take jobs that American's dont care to fill.
As to eBay I tend think it's becoming more of a "Seek a bargain" outlet and hence why most sellers I meet locally tell me they either get offers, give offers or even have people message them about better pricing.
KrazzyKats • Volunteer Community Member • 
