How bad is the economy?

[John D]

Saws are investments in your future heating needs,IMO. I bought 2 new saws this yr,and I wouldnt hesitate to buy another if needed. Ill skimp somewhere else,not on a chain saw,its too important. Ive got a handful of old saws,but 2 good ones I know i can count on.I never go out with less than 3 running saws,just in case.

 

[ropensaddle]

I don't think too many in here are poor so this is a poor example
for economy health. I feel the economy never recovered from the
1981 recession as that is when most of the companies started cutting
benefits and that has never regained. In the good years when republicans
took care of their employees company's had good benefits at
least, pay still stunk!

 

[retired redneck]

Where i live the depression is already here,what little business i have is old barn saws, yard sale saws,fle emarket saws,they buy them for $5.00 and think i can fix them for $2.00 When i tell them $**.** per hr they through them back in their trucks.most are using their plastic buying poulan and chi com junk, the next bubble is plastic...

 

[mtfallsmikey]

My job is fairly secure, although I found out yesterday no 401K match for all of next year!

 

[belgian]

belgian

My grandfather came over from Belgium about 100 years ago and we still have family over there. I know it's unlikely, but do you know any Grymonprez'? I'm not sure where he was from exactly.

Chris,

Grymonprez is quite a familiar name in Belgium, especially in the western part of Belgium. I live in the east of Belgium but unfortunately don't know anybody with that name in my area. The western part of belgium, called west flanders, was a tough farmer region in the old days, and quite some people moved to Canada or the US seeking better future.

Nowadays, west flanders is a strong economic region with close to zero unemployment. Flemish people in general are hard workers who know the value of money, because of the hard times they had to face in the past. They are among the toughest people I know. If your grandfather was one of them, you really can be proud of the man.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Perfect response. I was really moved by the poignant reference to hearth and home before you threw in the zinger about the four collector saws. You should move to the U.S. and run for president.

You have to understand, normally he would be going out to buy EIGHT collector saws.

 

[avalancher]

Our area has been hit pretty hard by the economy.Our two biggest companies have layed off most of their workers, and the timber industry has come almost to a standstill. The mills are operating only two days a week now due to the poor demand for lumber. Mostly they mill oak, poplar, and hickory.
Tourism has been very slow this year compared to previous years, the Smokey Mountain National Park has always been a getaway destination for anyone in the south for the Christmas season, but this year it looks kind of bleak.
Bought one new saw this year, and that looks like about it for this year.
I know personally my income was less than half this year from last year.

 

[lawnmowertech37]

High fuel prices are always good for saw sales.
More people are cutting and burning wood so it's good for our bottom line.
People are buying more "firewood cutting" saws over the typical trim and light duty saws.

One trend I did notice this summer was that people were staying home due to high fuel price. And since they were at home a lot of people took on big project like hedge row clearing, and other landscaping and home improvement job.

fuel here cost $ 1.98 a gallon now

 

[stihl only]

This thread is a little funny when you think about what site it is on. Like asking at an AA meeting if the members had been drinking less due to the economy!!

When does no money keep you from buying a new saw?

 

[danrclem]

I have three very good saws which will probably last me the rest of my cutting days. I have bought two new saws this year. I have thought about adding a new 346XP to my collection but I doubt if I do it. It's more of a want than need thing.

Firewood cutters don't need to buy very many saws if they buy good ones.

If a new saw is the difference between burning wood and having to heat with oil, gas or electricity I'd say that a person couldn't afford not to buy one.

 

[Jonny Quest]

My industry(ies) are somewhat recession-proof. I expect that we will move forward without too much upset.

JQ

 

[Vibes]

I just made a pretty good score on a large lot of saws at an estate sale and at an auction. All will be cleaned up and sold om E-bay when I get the time. They are older Crafstmens and Poulans , what appear to be Homelite parts saws. I got 4 of them cutting. I'll tell You what I think of the economy after I sell.

Right now in the Pgh area comercial construction is booming. But just like any boom it could turn around in a real hurry. The scary part is, we have travelers in our area from states that traditionally we would go to work at. Texans Alabamans guys even from Florida. Their all freezan their cahonys to.

I'm just glad I moved my investments around last year.

 

[Saw Dr.]

It is nice to see that over 12% of the respondents think that their wives might read this. 12% not planning on buying a saw in the forseeable future..... Whatever.

 

[Lakeside53]

Bad? Depends.

If you have a job (and can keep it), your mortgage isn't "junk", and your bank doesn't fold, these are not bad times...

If you loose your job, heath insurance or house etc, it's pretty bad... and no easy way out.

The gray zone is you thought you'd live off your stock investments and/or are about to retire.. hmmmm.... and now you have half of what your had a year ago...

And then there's the extended family. Your may have the job, but your brother or kids may not. My brother is in real estate in NZ. He co-owns the office (just the two of them), has been doing his job well for 25 years. Hasn't sold a single listing in two months. Does he want "charity" - nope, but I won't sit and are watch him go down.

As bad as it's getting for any one of us, there are others much worse off. Check your the local food banks - ours are basically empty at a time of the year when they'd normally be full for thanksgiving. Dig deep... give a little to someone else.

Saws? Lol... No plans to buy. Might even lighten up a bit (NO, I'm not selling my 056Mag2). The OPE business? Without disclosing numbers from the store I work... local sales are very thin... so thin I doubt we covered the power bill in October/Nov, and this is supposed to be a high demand time of year. Even service work is way down which points to consumers hunkering down. The local pro tree business seems OK. They still have work, but most are only booked out a week or two.

 

[046]

purchased 3 this week for a total of 6 saws this month. most were dead or not running right. almost all Stihl and huskys...

just scored a mint MS170 from a 75 year old man (used twice), that's probably a keeper. sold my 017 awhile back and kind of missed that little guy.

will end up selling most of them to pay for what I keep. fuels your chainsaw addiction with a bit of sweat equity.

 

[Metals406]

Construction is almost completely dead here, as well as logging and mills. Plum Creek is planning on kicking all the loggers out'a the woods soon--and shutting down all three of the big mills here.

The ripple effect from their decision will be catastrophic locally. Several thousand families will be without an income, and I foresee them selling their property, and moving to Wyoming (or a like state) where the jobs are still plentiful. When they sell out, realestate will tank (and the jobs of the local real estate people will suffer).

Think about who will be effected by the rest of our mills, and logging companies going under: Diversified Electric (they rebuild electric motors, their largest customer is Plum Creek), Les Swab, Tire Rama, Albertsons, Smiths, Super 1, Northwest Parts and rigging (logging and equipment supplier), Tripple W Equipment, etc, etc, etc, etc....

Some bad things coming down the pike here...

 

[coog]

Construction is almost completely dead here, as well as logging and mills. Plum Creek is planning on kicking all the loggers out'a the woods soon--and shutting down all three of the big mills here.

The ripple effect from their decision will be catastrophic locally. Several thousand families will be without an income, and I foresee them selling their property, and moving to Wyoming (or a like state) where the jobs are still plentiful. When they sell out, realestate will tank (and the jobs of the local real estate people will suffer).

Think about who will be effected by the rest of our mills, and logging companies going under: Diversified Electric (they rebuild electric motors, their largest customer is Plum Creek), Les Swab, Tire Rama, Albertsons, Smiths, Super 1, Northwest Parts and rigging (logging and equipment supplier), Tripple W Equipment, etc, etc, etc, etc....

Some bad things coming down the pike here...

The states with jobs are(were) largely dependent on oil and gas exploration.Not a lot of that will continue with prices being depressed.I don't think you can move your way out of this downturn;it is world-wide.Watch the states that try to raise taxes as a response to rising deficits, as these will be the last to recover.

 

[stihl only]

My last customer came in needing a chain for an old 020T and an oil cap for the same saw. Left with the new chain and said he would have to come back for the oil cap later....................................

Paid for the chain with a credit card so I'm not making money on that sale......

Another trend that I've noticed WAY more than ever. Folks buying things for $5 or $10 dollars on plastic. I've been very nice about it but I don't cover the costs of taking the card when you use it for a three pack of files!!!

I do know that as a company, Stihls numbers are us but they somehow rise every year and I think it is more weather related than economy??

 

[avalancher]

With the economy being the way that it is, what does everyone think about Congress bailing out the auto industry? Aint trying to start a political thread here, just curious what everyone thinks.
Me?In a real mix up on this one.Bail em out, maybe save a whole industry and a whole lot of jobs along with it.Dont bail em out, teach big corporation something about responsilblity.
Dunno myself. glad I dont have to make that decision.

 

[Kennygee]

State of Economy

Here in North Texas Home foreclosures are at an all time High, yet I still see new homes buing built Most all the City budgets are facing a defecit and the City of Dallas retirement fund lost ONE BILLON this past year, I sure hope it wasn't mine the:censored: :censored: lost! I can retire in 18 months and I hope the market is back close to where it was last year by then. I don't think I suffer from CAD yet just AVS ( Arborsite Viewing Syndrome) Now if the dude with the Echo 500vl would just give me a call I might lucky and come out with a brand new saw!! Read about the recall here ,Thanks