Is it just me, or are the stores empty? Not just food, but people, too??

[Jubilee on Earth]

I live in a busy metro Detroit suburb. It used to be that if you went anywhere on a weekend afternoon, it was packed. Stores especially. Going to the grocery store was an ordeal, because you'd be navigating aisles around people left and right... the wait at the deli counter would take forever... the checkout lines would be long... etc.

These past 3 weeks or so seem to be the opposite. The stores are kind of quiet. This past Sunday, the Meijer's store by us only had two regular lanes open -- the others that were open were the "self-check" ones. But there weren't really any people around that were congesting those lanes.

Last Saturday I was at a different grocery store (one that I usually avoid because it's SO busy) and I walked right up to the deli counter. They didn't even have their ticket machine out. I asked the lady what was going on, and she shrugged. She said things have been slower lately.

I stopped at Home Depot yesterday to buy some vegetable plants, and walked through the store to get to the garden section. It was eerily empty. The garden section only had a few scraggily plants, and the gal out there said that they've cut back on their stock.

Weird!!!! Obviously a sign of the times. Anyone else noticing strange stuff like this in their area???

:thinking

[penbrat]

I haven't really noticed anything, but it would make sense that with gas prices and the uncertain economy that people are thinking twice before they shop and counting their pennies. I know I am thinking twice before I buy anything and trying to stick more carefully to my budget.

[lovinlife4]

My husband went to Home Depot yesterday and said it was like a ghost town. We need a replacement window and he went to several different depts and could find no one. He had to ask a cashier for help to answer questions and all she could do was give him an 800 number to call. This is very weird considering our Home Depot is large and usually pretty busy. He called me to tell me he thought it was very strange. No employees and no shoppers!

[saulteux]

Yep.

Usually, I dread going to the local Wally World or supermarket; the crowds of people congregating in the isles would drive me batty. Lately, however, going to these places hasn't been as bad.

[tygerkittn]

I don't know, I'm one of those people staying home. :)
We'll shop this weekend for groceries, we'll see then.

[Janh7]

1. We own a busy auto repair shop that has always for 20 years been consistently busy. In the last three weeks, business came to a halt. My dh is getting depressed. He probably should let a couple of the mechanics go, but, probably won't.
2. I was in the Marsh grocery store yesterday at noon. It is a very large busy supermarket for those of you who don't have one in your area. Yesterday, the store manager bagged my groceries himself. I asked what was going on. He had let everyone go home except himself and two cashiers. He said they sure didn't see "this" coming. In this grocery store, you usually have to wait in line for about 10 min. at lunch time to pay for your groceries.
3. My son-in-law is a teller in a bank. He went home at noon yesterday and will do so again today.

[Kerusso02]

That hasnt happened here yet. I went to the grocery store on Sunday and it was packed as ever...if trends continue though, I'm sure we wont be far behind.

[Issachar]

Here in the Toledo area, stores have quite a few less people in them. I told my wife the other day that I don't know how the Home Depot stores in Perrysburg and Toledo stay open as there is hardly ever anyone in there. Then there is a new store called Menard's that just opened. Another "home improvement" store. It has quite a few folks in it ... we'll see if that lasts or if it is just the newness thing.

Issachar

[rdy4takeoff]

Everything here in NW Ohio is about the same where I live

[Glory]

Definite ghost town here! But it's been that way for 2 months now. There's so few people in our Publix grocery store when I go on Fridays, that every cashier person is just standing out in the aisle waiting for someone to possible check out. They see me heading to check out and ALL SAY, "I'll take you right here!" It's kind of hard to decide who to choose! :twitch

On Saturday we took one of our daughter's for her eye exam because she can't drive afer her eyes are dialated. While her eyes were dialating we went into some big stores right there to pass time just walking around. Once again, a slew of sales people all at once asked, "Can I help you?" The stores was DEAD. EMPTY.

The good part of all of this is, we always find a good parking spot.:twitch