The New Economy

The new economy is going to have quite a different face on it in the not too far off future. The old ways will not continue working as they have in the past. High and middle end restaurants may not do as well as they have been at all and we can probably plan on seeing a lot of empty buildings where they once stood. The "dollar menu" type of fast food places will more likely than not still be around, however.

If someone were to be looking to start up a restaurant in the future, there will still be a demand for quality at a reasonable price though. For example, a place known for an excellent steak sandwich at a decent price would probably do OK. The word would get around and people will still need to get out of the house once in awhile.

Bicycle shops are going to do okay when gas starts going back up where it will make last year's highs look like a really good deal. As will auto repair shops and auto parts stores. With all the money going to gas to get to work (if anyone has a job) and food, most people will have to keep their old clunkers running because they won't be able to afford another car.

Another sure-fire winner will be second hand stores for obvious reasons. A lot of the lower cost outlets for new clothes and other items are going to have trouble getting the mostly "made in China" brands that now fill most stores and, even at the low-end for new products, the prices are going to be very high in hyperinflated dollars. Yard sales that are easy for people to get to will probably be picked over in the first few hours of opening and you may see people lining up ahead of time like waiting for tickets at a rock concert.

In the last Depression, products of extremely high quality were still in fairly high demand as common folks would rather scrape and save for a product that was going to last rather than spend a little less on those with failure built-in, like most things these days.