As the tidalwaves of the recession keep smashing onto the shores of the middle-class...
1. In Northridge, CA, a Wells Fargo bank displayed a group of photos of foreclosed houses for resale (at least a couple of them in the suburb where my wife and I used to live--Granada Hills). There was also a realtor, eager to nab potential customers, in the bank lobby.
2. In the lobby of the Regal Cinemas in Simi Valley, CA, there is a replica of a gasoline pump--offering "free" gasoline for a year to the lucky winner of the drawing (I didn't notice whether or not this is connected to time-share vacation lodgings).
3. Furniture stores are closing. People can't afford to buy "nice" furniture.
4. Sharper Image stores are closing. People can't afford to buy overpriced gadgets and radios with access to High Definition stations anymore. And they're still costly, even with the Going Out of Business sales.
5. In Glendale, CA, there is a pricey shopping center/affluent housing community called Americana (on the stretch of Brand Boulevard going north, with the venerable Glendale Galleria a few blocks away) which opened two days ago. It's a sort of sick joke to expect people to travel across greater Los Angeles to Glendale to buy overpriced Ed Hardy clothing after, say, the Grand Opening weekend. And, remembering the 13 years I lived in Glendale, it's unlikely that the majority of local residents will be shopping at Americana--because they can't afford to buy more than a bargain matinee ticket at the Pacific Theaters 18-plex on the property.
Feel free to use the comment section to add more to the list above.
No comments:
Post a Comment