Welcome to Thunderdome

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:51 am Dollar tree prices going up $.25.

They should be forced to rename themselves.

Dollarish Tree

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:40 am One question I do have about the car shortage caused by that mass selloff is "Where did they all go?"

People left cities, needed cars. New car production tanked, cars break.

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:40 am That's the right move for Target. Is one day's sales worth the shitty PR and bad relations with your employees?

Also, with so much online now, who even cares.

Inflation slowing some

A key measure of inflation grew at annualized rate of 5.3% in the third quarter, data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed Wednesday. That compares with an increase of 6.5% in the second quarter.

obless claims are super low.

New filings totaled 199,000, a number not seen since Nov. 15, 1969, when claims totaled 197,000. The report easily beat Dow Jones estimates of 260,000 and was well below the previous week’s 270,000.

Like abnormally so.

The decline appeared at least in part to be due to seasonal adjustments. Unadjusted claims totaled 258,622, which actually was an increase of 7.6% from the previous week.

OK...

Paid $30 for two combo meals at Popeyes, two days ago. I had to make sure I was paying for the correct order.

GORDON wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 5:41 pm Paid $30 for two combo meals at Popeyes, two days ago. I had to make sure I was paying for the correct order.

Holy fuck.

Another great month for jobs, over 500k added

Somewhere in one of these threads I predicted a big uptick in robot labor, by the end of 2022.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/12/ ... utomation/

I feel like “more robots hired than ever before” is an inevitable truism. Like “computers 25% faster than ever before.” I mean, duh, we’re always increasing the amount of robotic automation in production and processes.

I still think that somewhere, by the end of 2022, will be tested a McD's with a single employee, just keeping the frozen food hoppers fed while everything else is automated.

Maybe another guy to manage that one guy.

McD's already has touchscreen drive thru menus/cashiers they've been testing.

Leisher wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 12:02 am McD's already has touchscreen drive thru menus/cashiers they've been testing.

I went to one of those, and there were NO CLEAR SIGNS that you were supposed to use the fucking things instead of talking to the humans behind the desk.

Fucking Fayettenam

I went to one and the last step was "take a number and enter it here.". The number dispenser was empty.

Retailers are making port and pollution issues worse.

The real report I need to read is the list of people who needed this explained to them.

Last night, Penn Station sammitch shop.

Medium sandwich.
Large fry (was tired after 12 hours driving, made poor choice, and only ate half).
Large drink.

$17.

This was AFTER I made a mobile order at Burger King, paid in advance, got there, and they were closing. "Sorry we're having staffing issues."

8.5 years until normality, and a new wrinkle, high prices are here to stay.

GORDON wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 6:34 am high prices are here to stay

Fuck yes they are. Prices never go down. Costs may drop, but prices don't because that's more profit!

I was in a nearby Circle K and they have installed checkout scanners! At a fucking convenience store! Ok, well maybe since they're going to save on staffing costs, they'll reduce the price of their goods. Nope.

Take a look at the gaming industry. Publishers and distributors don't have to pay for shipping, shelf space, and so on anymore, but game prices haven't dropped a single cent.

1 - Deflation is bad. Very bad. It's better to go from moderate inflation to low inflation, than to deflation.

2 - Prices have gone down. But look at real prices (adjusted for inflation), not nominal ones. Video game prices have gone down significantly, while quality has increased as well. Much less the consoles/computers themselves. Nominal prices are meaningless.

Also - who buys fries + drinks at fast food? Those are terrible deals.

Yeah be smart and eat that road sandwich dry.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 10:26 am 2 - Prices have gone down. But look at real prices (adjusted for inflation), not nominal ones. Video game prices have gone down significantly, while quality has increased as well. Much less the consoles/computers themselves. Nominal prices are meaningless.

Oh horsepussy.

Steam and its competitors expose how prices do not drop even if the distributor's costs do. Games are routinely released for both consoles and digital distribution platforms at the same time and at the same price point.

Leisher wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:20 am

TheCatt wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 10:26 am 2 - Prices have gone down. But look at real prices (adjusted for inflation), not nominal ones. Video game prices have gone down significantly, while quality has increased as well. Much less the consoles/computers themselves. Nominal prices are meaningless.

Games are routinely released for both consoles and digital distribution platforms at the same time and at the same price point.

That still doesn't impact the macro trend of declining real prices of video games. They probably have to have the same price to not upset the other side of the distribution channel.