I feel like this has been a fun game recently…tracking the odd economic indicators. I read somewhere recently that shark attacks are down this year because fewer people are taking vacations to the beach. Time magazine also published a list that I think is a little less outlandish but still just as weird. For example…
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.
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.
3. Men’s Underwear Index. When the economy is stable, the sale of men’s underwear remains flat and strong. But when money is tight, sales drop pretty quickly as men tend to wear their skivvies more times before replacing them. After all, nobody (or not that many people) sees your tightie whities or boxers. In 2009, men’s underwear sales are expected to be down for the first time in years.
More HERE.
3 Responses
Thanks for posting this Becko. It reminded me of all the ridiculous stories the NY Times has run about how the recession has affected one tiny subset of humanity (the French ordering fewer appetizers, fewer shoe shines in Grand Central, hobo-chic stores in Soho).
Any economic indicator that shows that rich people are marginally less rich than they once were are total bullshit. Those Times articles are disgraceful.
good article as usual!