In "More Indicators to Keep an Eye On," I highlighted some unfamiliar and some quirky methods for keeping tabs on the economy, including monitoring underwear sales, the popularity of home barbering, garbage volumes, and coupon-clipping trends. But that not the end of it. In "Ten Odd Economic Indicators: Hot Waitresses, Men's Underwear, Blacked-Out Football Games, and More," Time's The Cheapskate Blog notes other ways to gauge what's happening on Main Street.
It's hard for the lay person to wrap one's brain around the rise or fall of GDP, new residential sales, money supply, and other traditional economic indicators. What do those numbers really mean? Well, here are some other indicators that do as advertised, truly indicating in simple terms how people are living, what they're doing to keep themselves busy or make ends meet, and what they're buying—or not buying—in today's economic climate.
The signs are everywhere. You know the economy is struggling big time when your underwear is old, the armed forces don't need recruits, there's a hot resale market for cemetery plots, you can't find the local pro football game on TV, your rich neighbors are clipping coupons, and your waitress looks like Megan Fox. That is, if you're eating out at restaurants at all.
1. Appalachian Trail Hikers. When the going gets tough, the tough take a hike. There's been a spike in the number of hikers making the long trek—meaning plenty of people have plenty of free time on their hands.
2. Immigrants in the U.S. After rising for decades, the number of foreign-born residents has stalled. Apparently, immigrants just aren't as attracted to this country as they once were.
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4. The Reselling of Cemetery Plots. When people buy one of these, you gotta assume that the thought never entered their heads that one day they'd want to—or have to—sell before putting them to use. People need the money, and suddenly cremation is cool.
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6. Fewer Babies Born, Fewer Babies Planned. In one survey, 44 percent of women said that they were going to put off having kids or have fewer kids because of the economy.
7. The Toughness of Marine Ads. The Marines have met all of their recruitment goals, as typically occurs when the job market is bad. And so ads on TV are showing the toughest side of being a Marine, with barbed wire and even some dry heaving. Why? Because now they can be picky, and they want to attract the toughest, most highly motivated recruits.
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10. The Hot Waitress Index. Here's the theory: When times are flush, attractive women in big cities have many opportunities to make money through marketing gigs, modeling, hosting parties, and such. When times are less than flush, those opportunities dry up, and then restaurateurs scoop them up to wait tables—and to attract diners who like being served by hot waitresses.
Click here to see the rest.
Mike,
Along the same lines as the hot waitress index is the hot women at bus stops index. When times are good, you NEVER see hot women waiting for buses, they are squirred around or are driving hot cars. Now, here is Los Angles, see a LOT of hot women waiting for buses. Actually, this index has been rising here for almost two years.
Posted by: Market Sniper | September 25, 2009 at 09:09 PM
Now Michael, can you tell me some places where I can see some of these hot waitresses?
Posted by: Grumpy Old Man | September 26, 2009 at 04:03 AM
The big one you left out is teeth, Michael, teeth. Cavities get deeper; crowns
break off and are not repaired; toothlessness is more noticible. This hasn't
hit the outwardly affluent middle class yet, but as stock portfolios go down,
incomes shrink, things start to leak, breakdown, melt down and fall down, it
is getting harder and harder to pay the dentists for the outrageous charges;
such as four thousand dollars for an implant; sixteen hundred for a root canal
and crown (which enevitably falls off), etc. When the mayor's wife shows up
at a cocktail party with two missing front teeth, you will know we have hit
bottom.
Posted by: Marion Shaw | September 26, 2009 at 09:32 AM
Also we are hearing lots of stories of people living permanently in RV parks and the like. Another sign.
Or how about national debt falling for the first time since 1954 despite fed governments best efforts
http://www.fundmymutualfund.com/2009/09/american-debt-falls-for-first-time.html
Posted by: TraderMark | September 27, 2009 at 09:00 PM
"The Streetsweeper Index"
Newly unemployed? The city is likely to greet you with a nice parking ticket your first week home.
Street-sweeping is scheduled twice a week in most downtown urban areas. On my street it is one side Thursday 8-10 AM, next side Friday 8-10 AM.
Parking by the curb is always tight in this neighborhood, built in the era where "commuting" meant streetcar or horse-and-buggy, which means that street-sweeping makes it extra tight for late-risers or out-of-town visitors. But in recent months it has been absolutely packed for blocks around.
Revenues may be on the rise from parking-ticket fees: but when do the people see any trickle-down benefits from that?
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=640132664 | September 28, 2009 at 05:19 PM
I have my own "Hubcap Index". I note of the number and changes in the makeup of car owners that do not immediately replace lost hubcaps. Judging by the number of naked wheels out there on moderately valuable cars, there is serious economic stress going on.
Posted by: Dan | September 28, 2009 at 06:22 PM
Grocery Charge Card Index. I am in the Grocery Business. People that are in good shape will use cash or debit cards to buy their groceries. As money gets tighter, the move to credit cards is pronounced.
Posted by: Kevan | September 28, 2009 at 11:04 PM
Pretty good stuff!
Posted by: Andre Payne | October 05, 2009 at 11:51 PM