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Is anyones business quiet over the christmas period?
Hi all,
How is everyone finding post/xmas business? Things are slow and am searching for ideas on dragging customers through the door. Any ideas? :nag4:
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95 Replies
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Same here, wish I could think of something 😕
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Its quiet everywhere i think, I have several quotes out but no actual work on except a few T shirts etc.
I do however have 3 freelance sales people going out selling shortly so hopefully that will bring work in. -
Every where else has special offers during Jan and Feb………leaflet all your existing customers with a special offer……you never know.
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Its the customers who seem to have no money, I dont think 10% off a sign will do the trick if they havent got money to spend anyway.
high street sales are down internet sales I have no idea about, but round our town has been the same as all over the country for retailers.
Energy prices are rocketing, interest rates are rising, petrol/diesel prices are just plain F…stupid everything now is expensive.
Thats why its quiet. -
My telephone didn’t ring until Tuesday!!!! No calls thursday/friday or Monday whatsoever. But it’s slowly picking up here. Managed to get 2 small jobs completed this week already and got a few others on the go.
Could be doing with more though 😕
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December/January are typically slow times for the sign biz (my 23rd year in it)
Everyone is broke from the holidays, but then people get into that post-New Year’s "Fix Up" mode and some do consider updating their logo or buying new signs.Take this slow period to improve the looks of your own business. Consider lettering/wrapping your shop vehicle. If it is already lettered, change it. Spruce up your exterior signage.
If you don’t yet have a website, get one. Even if it is a cheap GoDaddy one like mine. It brings in a lot of business.
New business cards are not a great expense, so splurge and get some. I put them on every public bulletin board I see. (we have cork boards outside grocery stores and lumber stores, etc.) Keep some with you at all times, too. You never know when someone will ask for one after seeing your vehicle.All of these suggestions are reasonably priced, but something that is FREE is to tidy up and organize your workspace in the slow times.
You know damn well as soon as you are up on a ladder or elbow-deep in a scrub bucket the phone or doorbell will ring!
Love….Jill -
QUIET
You must be joking!75 banners and 5 vans so far
(still printing the banners)
Not to mention the clothing
Ian
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It must be a universal thing…..Oct/Nov 07 were dead for me….. I actually went out and applied for a couple of part time jobs in November, it was so quiet.
Then December just went mad…. did over 20% of my yearly turnover in that one month. January looks like I’ll be kept busy. Got a job today I quoted last May 07. 😮 They took a while to make up their mind apparently 😕
Hope it picks up for you tho, no fun when the phone doesn’t ring…
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Very busy here! Struggling to keep up.
I’m working on 30 display boards which are going out to the far east.Few shops on the go, as well as around 4 vans to be done.
So a good start.
Must say it’s not normally like this in Januaary 😕
And I still get time read this during coffee breaks.
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It’s not seasonal for us. Some Christmases can be quiet and others can be manic. We have no way of telling in advance.
Currently we are experiencing our busiest time ever. Extra bodies everywhere, all beavering away, and still we can’t get the work done quickly enough.
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Quiet here – just a few quotes but no panic – what do you guys expect if you wrapped all your work up before christmas
everything wot Jill said is top advice :clap2:
John
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We are usually quiet from the middle of December until the Middle of January. We had a busy December this year though but January is slow as usual.
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quote :All of these suggestions are reasonably priced, but something that is FREE is to tidy up and organize your workspace in the slow times.
You know damn well as soon as you are up on a ladder or elbow-deep in a scrub bucket the phone or doorbell will ringI have been refitting the shop front the retail section, and just as you say, I was lying down fixing brackets underneath a shelf and the phone goes, they always seem to know when you have just that second started doing something whether its eating dinner, making a cuppa, on the loo or what, they just KNOW, and make sure they ring.
This one rang for advice on a computer, because our old 0845 number is still live. 😕
Im just changing the diverts now :lol1:But agree with what Jill says, good tips.
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Like shane i had a poor, no, abysmal october / november, and a pretty poor aug / sept, doing lots of quotes and non jobs, but nothing that left any money in the bank.
since december i’ve been pretty busy, certainly busy enough to now go out and buy the equipment i’ve wanted for a while! january has been good so far too, already done a recovery truck, a sprinter today, 3 quotes already gone out, 2 corsas to do in a week or so, and two more recovery trucks too !
i was just starting to wonder if i was in the right game in november, now i’m wishing i had a spare pair of hands at times!
no doubt it’ll drop off a bit soon though, the sprinter i did / am doing today, was as a result of a letter and christmas card to all my customers, tanking them for their business, and letting them know what i’ll soon be able to offer, as well as stuff i currently offer but they didn’t know, i also chucked in a 10% off voucher, which works!
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Busy here too…..can never predict when things go quiet. Thankfully though I always have something to do.
Handy if you can get some ‘hospital’ jobs, I don’t mean jobs in a hospital, jobs you can put on hold till you are a little quite.
In my 20th year of business now and to be honest I worry if the phone stops ringing and I worry if it gets too busy 😕
For many off the newbies you’ll find that after a few years you start to get repeat work and try to pick up a few dealerships as they’re always pushing vans, trucks,plant etc thru.
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No, I afraid I am quite busy. I am fully booked for the next 4 weeks, but a lot of these are from the end of December. My job list is not getting smaller but not increasing either, cross one job off and another comes along. I must admit though, I do have a ‘feeling in my water’ that this year is going to be a hard one, I think people are going to feel the pinch. So it is tighten your belts time I reckon.
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Had quite a busy december, lots of shop signs and windows getting ready for the sales, spent most of jan just doing quotes however some of them have come back so the next month should be ok.
i am just a one man band so dont need that many jobs to keep me going -
I think that all the talk of a ‘housing crash’ and the share prices falling makes people hold on to the money and maybe some of the projects they were going to do get put on the backburner. I don’t like the talk but I think at the moment its unavoidable
Personally I think it will be a very tight financial year, it wont be like it was in the early 90’s but its been coming and it is the wise operator that heeds the warning and is prepared. -
up to the 2nd week of jan … now busiest jan in our history
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It’s building up nicely here. Done nothing since Christmas but artwork, making signs and running around like a chicken with no head. Everyone wants it yesterday.
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I am so quiet I am going insane *hair* I have spent a small fortune on advertising the last 2 months and doesn’t seem to have made much difference. Word of mouth is obviously slow and the fewer new customers I get the slower word of mouth is going to be. By the sounds of it the opinions are that this is going to be a hard year in general so I am getting more worried.
I can only hope it gets better from here.
Otherwise I may be posting my CV in the employment section :lol1: :lol1: :lol1:
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You are new to the area mate with just moving. You’ve got to re-establish yourself Warren. Scary though when nowts happening. 👿
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Im with Dave…Busiest Jan on record…all that footwork years ago is paying off.
get out cold calling! -
surprised your quiet warren, are you in a place where there scared of opening there wallets, if you want to move to wrexham i can feed you some work, thing is there is loads of signmakers here but all the ones i know are flat out. Do you have a van advertising the company?
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quote Andy Thomas:surprised your quiet warren, are you in a place where there scared of opening there wallets, if you want to move to wrexham i can feed you some work, thing is there is loads of signmakers here but all the ones i know are flat out. Do you have a van advertising the company?
I’m surprised too and hope it is just because it is that time of year (in my area anyway) I have just bought a MWB Transit and have my name on it, when I’m not cold calling and sending out letters to potential clients I park my van in busy places sort of like a mobile billboard 🙄
I do have 1 or 2 good inquires at the moment that I am working on but realistically speaking if those don’t pan out I am in the poop 😕
I did initially get some nice work in from cold calling in and around my area but seems to have dried up a bit, maybe my new name would be a good excuse to go around and do it all again 😉
It sounds like doom and gloom but I am still very optimistic for the future and just hope finances last long enough, although I am looking for a night job to earn a little extra so onwards and upwards as they say 😉 :lol1:
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its been my best month in 4 yrs of trading – since we came back from Lanzarote on the tenth we had an order for 102 bottle bank stickers (weve fitted 40 so far) consisting of 350m of printed vinyl – weve done a least a dozen vans (another 6 booked in) upteen banners and a few shop fronts – posters galore and its not stopping coming in
Theres only 2 of us so its pretty good going for January
(hot) -
We’re fairly quiet. Done a few bits this month, a van, shopfront, a board, banner and the steps inside the shop (Done the risers and it looks really good, will post a pic when I remember) for one customer.
Been flyering(is that even a word?) all the local businesses etc. Had some enquiries a few of them positive but it is slower than I’d like it to be. Got a mondeo to do this week plus a wheelcover and a few odds but more would always be good.
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I’d had nothing this year except a few for sale signs for a mates car he was selling, (and I had the cheek to be asking around for premises), but then last week its picked up.
Got some repeat work, and some grill boards I put up have paid off, I also did the rounds with my cards and leaflets.
Now I’m behind again on design work already so expect loads of questions everyone. :lol1:
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We have been super busy this month up until this week. But all of a sudden everything is super quiet, and the phone as barely even rung all morning. But I think its only because of the -41°C weather :thumbdown: which will be continuing all of this week. So a lot of places are closed or just not leaving their shops and for good reason.
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Imagine trying to fit vinyl outdoors to a van at -41.
I bet you dont work in your driveway Stephanie.
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quote Stephanie Peterson:We have been super busy this month up until this week. But all of a sudden everything is super quiet, and the phone as barely even rung all morning. But I think its only because of the -41°C weather :thumbdown: which will be continuing all of this week. So a lot of places are closed or just not leaving their shops and for good reason.Oh -41, remember those days well…….shopping freezing before you get it home!!!
Anyhoo……… its been a strange month with quite a few brass signs and plaques coming in with the bulk of the work in graphics set up fees, plus with engraving Ive got Valentines day round the corner………..
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quote James Martin:Imagine trying to fit vinyl outdoors to a van at -41.
I bet you dont work in your driveway Stephanie.
Oh that would be hell. I would be frozen before I had even fitted half of the van. Luckily we have 2 bays that can fit pretty large vehicles and they are heated. Otherwise I don’t think we would be fitting vehicles with decals in the winter time. And if we did I would refuse to do it.
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Being that cold doesn’t bear thinking about. 😮
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hi Warren
dont give into Media Bullshithere it comes hold the front page! there is an obvious credit crunch, but have you ever noticed how the media have a great way of talking us all into a recession, maybe people are getting bored of watching wars at ten or watching the BBC digging up old rotweiler stories. my idea of this recession is 10% substance and the rest 90% media hype.
after working in nothing but the printing industry for the last 25 years. history suggests that the first thing people stop spending on is Advertising and printing during the lead up to a recession.
i have been in several ruts since starting on my own 5 years ago, but what i have learned, when things go dead, i dont sit there and feel sorry for myself i go do and other work, painting decorating, plumbing, bar work anything I can get my hands on and never give in to giving up.
If i was you Warren, I would going knocking on doors introducing yourself to local businesses – small factory estates are good have a small well marketed campaign list all the things you do and drop off a few hundred leaflets locally face to face with a business card (most companies hang onto business cards!) a couple of hours a day over a few days I will guarantee you come back with something! another thing customers like is you saying that just starting a new business, becuase they have all been there. all my best customers are victims I have pimped personally off the streets or factory trading estates, I have never advertised and I have sign writing business with 2 vans with no writing on them.
Keep Your head up, stop watching the news and and get your bum out in the van tomorrow.
if you do, please let me know how it goes.
simon
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Hi Simon
I agree with what you are saying and trust me I am out there, as mentioned above I have canvassed all my local areas but do need to do it again. I would also like to share an experience I have had recently. When I first cold called in my area I handed out business cards to local companies, a few months later I dropped off leaflets, a week ago one company I have called on twice contacted me, not from either of the times I called in there but from a large 2"x3" window graphic I stuck on an empty window shop in a busy street 😮 It seems both other times my card or leaflet did not get to the correct person and he now just happened to drive past my window ad and thought he would like a new supplier and somebody local would be great. Already done 2 small small jobs for him and soon to do 2 box trucks with digital graphics, or maybe it’s just because of my new name and company image 🙄
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thats the toughie, knowing whether your card is going to get to the right person in charge of buying. i have gone into places dressed smart only to be greated to a very "sorry we dont buy anything off the streets" but they often come back to you.
the greatest feeling in the world for me is when someone says you come in to see me about a year ago and I kept your card/
what is your means of getting work, do you have a shop front with passing trade, premisies or work from home.
have you ever thought of running your business part time and turning your hand to other things as well. that little boy in your mugshot has got to be your biggest priority!
cheers
simon
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Warren also don’t forget people don’t always need signage immediately, but if you stick at it they do remember 🙄
Lynn
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You’re right Lynn
Simon, I work from home as I am not in the position yet to afford premised, I have only been in my area now 8 months so have started from scratch with zero client base and nobody knowing who I am. I have distributed my cards and flyers, yell.com, thomsons directory, local directories, and my latest is first page google listing which seems to be working OK (only 2nd month now)
I understand it is going to be slow and the first few years are the hardest and blah blah blah and I don’t know what to expect but I am just venting steam as I am frustrated, if I fail it won’t be for lack of trying or cash investment. I suppose I am just worried of running out of cash and that is why I will get a night job, I don’t really want to do 2 jobs during the day simply because I want to be able to visit clients any time and not be bound to other duties during the day, I’m a sign maker by day and will do what ever it takes during off time to make ends meet, just my opinion.
Like I said it is not all doom and gloom just a bit worried at the moment for the reason you mentioned, my 18 month old son is always my no1 priority.
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Warren – January is always a quiet month generally. Those that are busy just now probably have a few good contracts ongoing. Even when I’m busy I’m aware of the level of new enquiries that are coming in – and I can honestly say that January is usually a quiet time- So use the time productively and get out there and market yourself. (If you go taking on a part time job you will not have the time you need to promote your own business – my advice is don’t do it but spend the time promoting your own business).
Set yourself a target to contact 15 new businesses each day. Out of those 15 you will get at least one positive response asking for a quotation. The best piece of advice I heard when I started out was "it’s a numbers game – tell enough people about what you do and you will get the work". You need to console yourself with the fact you have a product and service that is in demand – you just have to get word out to the right people.
The second piece of good advice I heard was "it gets easier as time goes on" – eventually there is a snowball effect and the work eventually starts coming in of its own accord so be assured it will get easier and don’t give up.
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I have a friend who does some design for me great guy, been in business for 5 years and he has now recently gone dead,
he said to me a few days ago, I have been in business for 5 years and now it is just like starting again. thats exactly what your business is going to be like.
you dont have a sweet shop a veg shop or newsagents or even a premises where you are selling on commodities every day. until the day you start getting regular orders you are always going to be worried.
getting a night job is like giving into failure, why not work part time 3 days a week for a while and devote the rest of your week to the business, this way one day when the big job comes in you can then say goodbye to the part time job and feel proud that you kept on going.
I actually feel humble that i once had things so bad a few years ago, when my little girl was born nearly 5 years ago, i didnt have a penny to my name, I was a nervous wreck, plagued with IBS and really low. my lovely wife has supported all the way throughout my business, but she also appreciates i have worked my way up marketing the business whilst driving Vans, working in Bars Stacking shelves and to be honest in reflection I loved every minute of it, becuase all the time I was living the dream of running my own business
55% of all new businesses go through in the first 12 months, becuase they only stick to the one thing and cant keep going financially long enought to get established.
in year 3 i was given one job out of the blue by a company from the middle east settting up in england.
in year 5 they are now spending £150,000 a year with me
dont give up, just simply diversife for a while.
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big boy for 18 months, have you tried him out,
on any weeding out yet? 😀 -
I will never give up Simon and will do what ever it takes to keep going, thanks for the pep talk though 😉 It’s the running out of money you suggested that is my only worry :lol1:
Yes my son is big for his age but luckily his brain is also big, he scores higher than the 2 year olds at nursery school with words and identifying things, must take after his dad :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: hope that’s me 😉 :lol1:
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It happens to the best of us warren. Been in business 15 years, still have dreadfully quiet months. October/November for me last year was the worst I’ve ever experienced. We had an election in the wind, and no one wanted to spend any money until they’d heard all the promises.
The election was over in late November, and my December was my best month ever. I had to employ the services of 2 extra sign shops just to get through to meet the deadlines…
Now, January is dead again, but I expected a quiet month anyway, because most businesses here closed until the 7th, but some didn’t come back until the 15th. Few companies gear up quick enough in the new year to think about promotion in January.
Got a few quotes out there, so hopefully February will see some brisk trade again.
The joys of being self employed….
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Hi Warren
I sold my motorbike and MG (boys toys from when i was a single man in the print industry) raised 7 GRAND spent it quick, borrowed another 10 grand and went over 3 grand personally overdawn, all before i started showing a profit, pound for pound over the first 3 years of my business i would have been a lot richer cleaning tables in McDonald’s. So Warren I think you can safely class all that has running out of money.
my motto in business is
[right]if it was easy everyone would be doing it[/right]
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quote SIMON JAMES:if it was easy everyone would be doing it
so true.
thankfully Jnauary has been fairly busy for me. Not invoicing vast amounts but plodding along. Still got a good few jobs on the go so I hope it stays that way.
Things will pick up, they always do. I was dead as a dodo around November and December ………… swings and roundabouts. 😉
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I’ve just had an extremely busy January but I’ve noticed a slight decline in phone calls but I generally have a backlog of work so it gives me time to get things completed…..
Also the current economic jitters could be affecting things but that said I hope that I’m established enough to get through any downturn.
Maybe it’s up to the media/economists to talk things up and get some confidence back….
But that said I never get used to the uncertainties of self employment, perhaps that’s why it’s so exciting. 😕
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Well if any sign maker in the Winchester, Weeke area reading this and you got too much on, you wont find a better lad then Warren to give you a hand :lol1:
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Dead up until mid January. Been flat out the last week. Finished work 1am last night back in at 8am. I really need a nap or need to take up coffee or something.
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Warren
Things do get easier as you establish yourself. Although it has been a busy month for me, at the moment I am not booking in for 2 weeks ahead. Thing do go quiet in Jan. My phone has only just started ringing again. I usually find this problem in August as well.
I must put some blame on the media though. As mentioned above… The media has such an important role to play in our country/countries that, if you publicly say that we are in recession then everyone will shut up shop and not spend. The media controls the way the public feel and even will dictate a change of Government Policy or even the Government itself.
Roll on the next election, when, whoever wins, we might get some stability in the media which will filter down to the sheep!
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quote Dave Rowland:Well if any sign maker in the Winchester, Weeke area reading this and you got too much on, you wont find a better lad then Warren to give you a hand :lol1:
:thumbup2:
cheers all, I am very optimistic for the future and you won’t be seeing the back of me any time soon 😉
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On my third dead week here – was busy Nov, Dec and Jan.
Has anyone else gone dead work wise after a busy Christmas?
I’m spending some time creating a mailer and getting pics together for another website etc. Even had the welder out last week making some vinyl holders.
So quite I’ve been doing various practical jobs for a client who just doesn’t have the time at his retail shops.
Tim.
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Busy with quotes, just waiting for go ahead on some work which will all come at once as usual.
But going on feedback from some customers there are some people quoting silly prices just to get the work Ive decided if they are that desperate they can have it..
Hope it picks up for you soon.Regards
Roy.
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Have thing’s started to pick up yet Warren? Start of the new financial year soon so that may help with sales.
As others have said once you become established and build up your customer base with people looking for repeat orders then things get a bit easier and as Simon said it can sometimes be a bit seasonal where you always seem to get quieter moments at the same time each year.For me business at the moment is non existent but thats because I’m not working at the moment, I speak to people at a couple of localish sign companies and they seem to have enough to keep them going.
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I’m looking forward to the recession, so I can have a bit of time off 😉
Peter
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Not to much time off Peter or you will be like me, Bored to tears most of the time.
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Martin mate,
I love my work, but put it this way, should I ever win a few mill on the lottery, I would never be bored by not working, there are far more things to do, than work for a living,But its the funds available that decide if you need to work, or do what makes you happy.
I am in no position to stop working, just wish I was.
Peter
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Peter, I envy you at the moment, wish I was able to work. Think you would probably get a bit bored as well if you couldn’t work and didn’t have the finances to do what ever else you wanted to.
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All anyone needs to do is have 5 kids, register as a drug addict so you’re classed as disabled and unfit to work, start smoking, drinking, get sky TV for Jeremy kyle and Rikki Lake shows in the daytime, and get the government to give you 30 grand a year for sitting on your fat lazy ass, you have loads of time spare and get to take 2 foreign holidays a year, who needs to work eh?
Ill pay for it don’t worry about me, have a good time. 😉Vote labor 😕
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Where did that come from Steve?
Martin, Thats what I said didnt I?
Peter
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Oh it was in the paper yesterday, showing you the areas where most people are out of work and on benefits, and how much they can claim.
made me quite sick.
there are areas where 70% of people of working age are unemployed and on benefits, but the job centres are full of jobs.
Sorry just a little take on the "if I had enough money not to work" thing.
more of a joke really, what else can you do but laugh. -
Steve, I’ve actually only got 4 kids, looks like I should have had another one because I don’t get anything like 30 grand a year. The disabled bit I didn’t need to class myself as a drug addict for.
Oh and I don’t have sky either, mind you I don’t watch a lot of telly and I can’t remember the last time I had a Holiday never mind went abroad.Peter, not sure if you said that or not, you said you wouldn’t be bored not working if you had loads of money but you didn’t say you might get bored if you couldn’t work and didn’t have any money !!
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I have enough money not to work ever again.
I just have to live in a forest, and drink from a stream and catch wild animals to eat.
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quote Steve Underhill:I have enough money not to work ever again.
I just have to live in a forest, and drink from a stream and catch wild animals to eat.
Calm down mate. 😮
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quote Karl Williams:quote Steve Underhill:I have enough money not to work ever again.
I just have to live in a forest, and drink from a stream and catch wild animals to eat.
Calm down mate. 😮
Steve’s calm,
if he wasnt, he wouldnt catch the food, just live from roadkill…
Peter
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LOL
dont worry, Im calm
when Im not I eat people, not animals. -
I once quoted on this site that the media were good at talking us all into a recession as they did in the early 1990,s when the print industry bombed out and has been on it ar*e ever since.
I never predicted though that they would be able to collapse a couple of major world banks since I made my rogue quote. should we all be stock piling tins of food, i now for one beleive that there are some very tough times ahead especially in this country, where we are nation that just puts up with things and shuts up.
Petrol prices are effecting everything we buy in this trade at the moment, they would hang President Bush in the streets if Petrol went up to 10 dollars a gallon in the usa, which it is in this country (its still only 3 dollars 33 cents at the pumps in america – about £1.70 in our money
I for one running my own business am slightly worried about about the tough times ahead.
you guys are right labour allows far to many people to sponge in this country.
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quote Steve Underhill:Oh it was in the paper yesterday, showing you the areas where most people are out of work and on benefits, and how much they can claim.
made me quite sick.
there are areas where 70% of people of working age are unemployed and on benefits, but the job centres are full of jobs.
Sorry just a little take on the “if I had enough money not to work” thing.
more of a joke really, what else can you do but laugh.Tis sad, there are a couple of families in this street, too lazy to work and have higher disposable income than me. But they are ill and on incapacity.
Then a very good friend of mine, her husband is on incapacity, can’t work after 12+ ops on his arms, was half paralised for a few years, and he would love to be able to work without extreme pain. He’s currently trying to find something he can do that won’t be agony.
You’re right. If you didn’t laugh, you would cry.
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quote Simon James:I once quoted on this site that the media were good at talking us all into a recession as they did in the early 1990,s when the print industry bombed out and has been on it ar*e ever since.
I never predicted though that they would be able to collapse a couple of major world banks since I made my rogue quote. should we all be stock piling tins of food, i now for one beleive that there are some very tough times ahead especially in this country, where we are nation that just puts up with things and shuts up.
Petrol prices are effecting everything we buy in this trade at the moment, they would hang President Bush in the streets if Petrol went up to 10 dollars a gallon in the usa, which it is in this country (its still only 3 dollars 33 cents at the pumps in america – about £1.70 in our money
I for one running my own business am slightly worried about about the tough times ahead.
you guys are right labour allows far to many people to sponge in this country.
So good you said it three times 😀
It’s not just labour, it’s succesive governments. (Also remember an american gallon is smaller than a european one though their fuel is still vastly cheaper)
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quote Lee Ballard:It’s not just labour, it’s succesive governments. (Also remember an american gallon is smaller than a european one though their fuel is still vastly cheaper)
Yes, quite right.
Its the 2 successive labour governments.
That have shafted this country right up the bracket! -
Steve hope you are back with no broken bones 🙄 sorry if I have Hi-Jacked
Lynn
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hi lee
i didn’t know that about the petrol
! i still believe that we are in the pickle cos to many people and big companies have been allowed to coin it in over the last 3 or is it 4 terms of goverment.
theres this thing about inflation having to be low, but petrol goes up above inflation several times a year gas 17% electric 8% rated 6.5% water rates 13%. so how does that work out????
another thing that gets to me, is that running a legitimate business, if we paid the goverment every tax they asked for it equates to 48% of our revenue.
i really wish that the mortgage rates had stayed to a medium level as everytime it goes down, it never ever really benefits normal poeple,
why becuase the banks lend silly amounts of money to would be buy to let landlords who put deposits for numerous house purchases on to credit cards.
then take 100% interest only mortgages off the bank, thus keeping property prices inflated making it impossible for a whole generation of kids to now afford housing in this country.
all this low inflation b*llocks and low interest rates has just b*ggered up the economy and promoted a vey unfair and get rich quick very greedy society.
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Hi Lynn,
Im back, no broken bones,
(still none after 13 years boarding)Back to the grindstone now, printing placemats all day tomorrow. 😕
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I have a theory.
The labour governments policy is to create employment by creating "non productive" jobs. Thus in this country with have a vast workforce of civil servants and council employees. Allied to that is the huge bureaucracy that is the NHS. Then we have spin off industries such as H&S consultancy services and entire industries that have evolved due to legislation Accountancy services, Financial advisors and so on – all who exist in order to interprate complex rules and legislation.
Without all these people employed in the service industry we would have massive unemployment. So by creating all these "non" jobs the government have reduced unemployment and created a new generation of tax payers to feed back into the system.
Many years ago a countrys wealth was governed by its gold reserves. Thus we could not print more pound notes than we had gold reserves enough to "pay the bearer on demand".
All that changed a many years ago when gold reserves were no longer used to guage a nations wealth. So now we are in the situation whereby if a country needs more money we just print more pound notes.
So where does this lead us to now…
I haven’t a fucking clue.. and don’t understand any of it 😕
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quote Phill:I haven’t a (oh, im a bad boy!) clue.. and don’t understand any of it 😕
Maybe you don’t understand any of it Phill, but you’re not far off the mark.
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Phil, don’t worry mate, at your age, you are just a grumpy old git, and don’t need to understand. I don’t and haven’t done for some time.
All you need to know, is the Americans never landed on the Moon…Peter
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So that must be why god invented senility!
You get to a certain age where you question everything you see around you. All the injustices and absurdities that you come up against but are powerless to do anything about.
Then you turn senile and consequently are no longer compus mentus enough to be bothered about it all!!
Roll on senility 😕
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Oh Peter don’t start Phil off about the conspiracy theories again, yer know what he gets like. 😮
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quote Steve Underhill:quote Lee Ballard:It’s not just labour, it’s succesive governments. (Also remember an american gallon is smaller than a european one though their fuel is still vastly cheaper)Yes, quite right.
Its the 2 successive labour governments.
That have shafted this country right up the bracket!Steve, are you too young to remember Thatcher? 😀 I think all the faults now all stem back to her. Granted, this ‘Labour’ Government is following in the Tory footsteps.
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No I remember Thatcher, I was a teenager in the 80’s
how fair the poll tax was compared to my £1200 a year council tax,
Or the way she ordered the sinking of the Belgrano, without any of this Nanny state bullsh!t, Labour would have welcomed Argentina into the Falklands with milk and cookies and gave them away, just like they have given most of Britain to Europe along with all of our rights.
bring her back I say.
I remember Thatcher.
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Hijacked – Now there’s something from the Thatcher era :lol1:
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Hi Steve,
Most political observers and politicians of all persuasion will admit privately that Thatcher’s government was behind the good financial state the country was in when Labour came to power in ’97, and that they have reaped the benefits for 10 years and now don’t know what to do.
Unfortunately, many ordinary people in many concentrated parts of the country also remember the way she went about obtaining that. You are perfectly right, she didn’t mess about, but I and many others over here were on the receiving end, and, 25 years later, still are.
My ma in law (86), hand on my heart, when faced with a pic of Maggie in any newspaper or magazine, will get a pen and scribble all over her face.Feelings still run high over here and I honestly think the Labour government could turn up with flame throwers and torch all our homes and possessions and still I think folk would say that it’s better than it was under the tories…
I would like an end to so much Nannying, but I wouldn’t swap what I have now for homelessness.
Gareth
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quote Steve Underhill:bring her back I say.
Oh dear… 😥 Well I won’t rise to the bait, this is a signs forum, we have gone OT 😀
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No idea how you work out the poll tax was fair Steve.
I had mates who lived with their parents along with their other siblings – all were liable for poll tax, what was coming from them in total then was about 3 times what that household now pays.
More job cuts have started again here in the SE, Vodafone just dumping another load after the government screwed them for 3G licenses a few years back costing silly money.
Autotrader…spending a fortune on a B*llshit TV advert……and dumping staff, give it time their call centre will be in India for you car advert…… 🙄
Definitely a fun year ahead……
If ya can’t beat them join them…. :lol1:
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I would say a £300 per year poll tax for everyone was fairer than penalising homeowners for thousands in council tax, it was means related and one year mine was about £30 as I was unemployed, however in the 80s nobody down here seemed to be doing badly under that government, it comes down to one side v the other Labour fans will always hate her, then we could drag back up the crap labour did in the 70s, where does it end
they’re pretty much as bad as each other, It just seems that this labour travesty seems to want to give all of our rights, money and freedom to Europe and people who don’t deserve it.
Talk about fair, an asylum seeker getting a free house dole money and a car, and even a mobile phone in some cases or my nan on 65 quid a week after working since she was 16.
Whats fair?anyway lets maybe close this discussion as I shall maybe throw my monitor through my own window if I discuss this hypocritical, spineless government any longer.
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quote Tim Painter:No idea how you work out the poll tax was fair Steve.
I had mates who lived with their parents along with their other siblings – all were liable for poll tax, what was coming from them in total then was about 3 times what that household now pays.
I had mates who lived with their parents too. They had good jobs earning reasonable money but, before poll tax, did not contribute one brass farthing towards the local services. My, how they squealed when they had to pay, and how I laughed.
No, it’s people that consume local services, not houses, so that’s the basis on which taxes should be applied.
Those of you just old enough to remember Mrs. Thatcher may not be quite old enough to remember just how diabolical life was before her.
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Well said Steve & John :appl:
People should contribute more, instead of just expecting more.
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quote John Childs:No, it’s people that consume local services, not houses, so that’s the basis on which taxes should be applied.
Those of you just old enough to remember Mrs. Thatcher may not be quite old enough to remember just how diabolical life was before her.
Nicely put John.
My Dads here, and he remembers every government since 1948 some good some bad, but under Thatcher he managed to buy a 5 bed roomed guest house, 4 flats and rent them out and some years later another house and is now mortgage free in a 2 bedroom bungalow with a nice few assets to his name.
All while working as a self employed electrician under Thatcher.
I seem to remember she encouraged house buying, and working for your money, In fact a friend said yesterday a girl at the dole office the other day actually said to someone they would be better off not working, as they would receive more in benefits.
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quote Steve Underhill:My Dads here, and he remembers every government since 1948
Bit of a youngster then. 😀
My old dad can remember every government since 1923 and he places the start of moral decline firmly with Lady Nancy Astor. The first of the do-gooders he calls her, and hates her with a vengeance that later generations reserve for Mrs. T.
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What I did find funny was when the poll tax riots were on TV,
was the amount of dreadlocks, leather boots, long khaki jackets and scruffiness in general throwing bottles and hoardings at the police,
seemed to far outweigh the numbers of smartly/casually dressed workers with full time jobs assaulting people and wrecking Mcdonalds.
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quote John Childs:quote Tim Painter:No idea how you work out the poll tax was fair Steve.
I had mates who lived with their parents along with their other siblings – all were liable for poll tax, what was coming from them in total then was about 3 times what that household now pays.
I had mates who lived with their parents too. They had good jobs earning reasonable money but, before poll tax, did not contribute one brass farthing towards the local services. My, how they squealed when they had to pay, and how I laughed.
No, it’s people that consume local services, not houses, so that’s the basis on which taxes should be applied.
Those of you just old enough to remember Mrs. Thatcher may not be quite old enough to remember just how diabolical life was before her.
well said John,
i may have only been a nipper before thatcher came in, but i can vaguely remember the piles of rubbish from the bin strikes, the power outages, etc. the fact my dad was always skint. the 80’s were good times for us. ok, we were never ‘well off’, but we at least took holidays, days out, and put good food on the table!
i’d love to see another thatcher in the hot seat. no messing, no bull taken from europe, a LEADER.
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Despite the good Thatcher may have done I can’t help but blame her for the ‘greed’ culture that started with her government and still exists today. Everybody assumes that if anybody does a favour they must be after something. A sad state of affairs for society and one I can’t see an end to.
I think I am like most of us, working harder and harder, trying to earn more and more just so I can stand still.
Alan D -
quote Steve Underhill:but under Thatcher he managed to buy a 5 bed roomed guest house, 4 flats and rent them out and some years later another house and is now mortgage free in a 2 bedroom bungalow with a nice few assets to his name.
Lucky for your Dad then, don’t forget about inheritance tax though, the government will take it all back!
It’s all ‘me me me’ culture now, no-one gives a damn about anyone else. In my mum and dads day you saved up for everything and waited and built steadily upwards. Now everyone wants everything now and won’t wait. Not buy a little 2 up 2 down first when married and move up when you can afford to. They want the big 4 bed detached with all the trimmings and they have borrowed plenty for it. I wonder what will happen to them all with the ‘credit crunch’. I just hope my taxes don’t help bail them out like Northern Rock.
God knows how they can claim inflation is only 2%! What is in that shopping basket!!
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I think Thatcher was an amazing lady is lot’s of ways. I don’t have a problem about contributing, neither did my mates in the days of the poll tax it was just in some cases not assessed very well.
Anyway it’s all corrupt just like the Church…………..how do wars start.lol
🙄 🙄 🙄
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Whilst I’ll aviod the main anti-Tory discussion and what they cost my parents and their business I will agree how fair the poll tax was.
My parents had worked hard and we had a nice house during the 80’s but our rates were something like £7 per DAY for a house with four people in it. Poll tax was a great idea.
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quote martin:Have thing’s started to pick up yet Warren?
Back to topic me thinks 😉
Thanks for asking Martin, yes it has picked up well and am set to have my best month so far and looks like I will actually break even for the first time too 😛 I will be turning over more this month than I did for the 4 previous months combined 😕
Lets hope it keeps going this way.
cheers
Warren
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