What's going to happen when the lock down gets lifted?

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Not your average framer
Posts: 11013
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

What's going to happen when the lock down gets lifted?

Post by Not your average framer »

What's going to happen when the lock down gets lifted? Well, my guess is that lots of high street stores will start having sales and the discounts could make life very hard for everybody else. For myself, being based in a small town, I know what usually happens when the sales are on and usually every one has gone to the bigger towns looking for the bargains and our town is empty. If this is what is going to happen and who are to some degree expecting it, at least it won't come as a big shock and maybe we might be able to prepare for it.

It's part of people's physcoilogy to like to spend money to make them feel better at down times. People feel down after Christmas and go to the January sales often to buy things that they only realise they don't need after they have got things home. The next phase is everybody is skint and some of the stuff that they bought in the sales goes on eBay to try and get some of the money back, but everyone else is skint too, so prices on ebay are really bad too and people are still skint.

Will people do the same after the shut down gets lifted? It would not be a big surprise to some of us if they did! We may need to get through a hard time after the lock down is lifted and it's good to be ready for that possibility, before it happens. Our landlords won't be in too much hurry to insist that we pay on time, if times are hard. After all there won't be lots of others, lining up to rent their premises, it they chuck us out. Deals will be done to keep us going, if need be. They need us too!

Shipping lot of cheap junk from China, to sell in stores that are having trouble selling all the cheap junk that they are still stuck with, won't be happening any time soon either. So where does that leave us? Customers won't be in any hurry to buy anything, which is not good value for money any they won't be so interested in the cheap junk, so much as before. Anything that us framers are likely to be able to sell, will have to sell on it's own merit as value for money and something that is still desirable in hard times when money is tight.

How many of us realise how many narrow black a brown frames, we have seen that came originally from previous periods of austerity. Well businesses survived then, why can't we? How many of us are willing to fight to stay in businss? It may come down to that! We are not just run of the mill business people, we are very creative and we have a lot going for us. I hope that most of us can recognise this fact and understand that most of us have what it takes to be winners and not losers. A lot of us will come through this, if we really wants to.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
fusionframer
Posts: 600
Joined: Thu 02 Sep, 2010 8:16 pm
Location: Badminton
Organisation: Fusion Picture Framing
Interests: framing
Location: Badminton

Re: What's going to happen when the lock down gets lifted?

Post by fusionframer »

I think the lockdown is going to clearly effect the economy, but i am currently not seeing anything too worrying. Last week, i had a customer agree a price for a bespoke kitchen close to £25k and another oak framed extension given the go ahead.

I know this is not framing, but my 3 main framing customers are still selling paintings and needing them framed, so people still seem to be spending their money.

There are plenty of people with money to spend in any economy. Yes, some will have less disposable income after this, and unemployment will be higher, but plenty will still be wanting framing. Remember also that pubs and restaurants, along with travel industry will be last to reopen, so people not be spending their income on those things may have more disposable income to spend on other non essential items like decent frames.

Just thought i would share my (so far) positive experiences that the economy may not be as bad a feared. I am always a glass half full person, so i am remaining positive.

Nick
www.fusionframing.co.uk

Never trust a dog with orange eyebrows.
Not your average framer
Posts: 11013
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: What's going to happen when the lock down gets lifted?

Post by Not your average framer »

Hi Nick,

I am remaining positive too! What point is there is being negative, that is tantamount to setting your self up to fail. There are likely to be some difficulties ahead, but if we recognise that they are there for us to overcome them, we don't have to be discouraged when they come our way. We saw then coming and are not surprised, when they come, but they are not here to stay.

In general, we need to remember that we are some of the most creative and most adaptable business people that are around. We are not only capable of making all manner of things from wood, but we know how to make things that look special and to finish them to the very highest standard, but too many people are not sounding as confident as they should be.

I am quietly confident that I am reasonably well prepared to ride out the storm and I'm trying to stir up some of the rest of us, to be ready to go for it too! It may be a bit tough for a while, but there is a saying "that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Why should not that be us? Every crisis has it's winners, they are the one's who believe it will be them. Well, this is what this forum is already about, we share our knowledge and help each other along. We are already doing that, it's just keep on doing what we are already doing.

All the best,
Mark
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
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