Weekly, What recent changes are going on at your work / local businesses?
Posted by AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit | PrepperIntel | View on Reddit | 255 comments
This could be, but not limited to:
- Local business observations.
- Shortages / Surpluses.
- Work slow downs / much overtime.
- Order cancellations / massive orders.
- Economic Rumors within your industry.
- Layoffs and hiring.
- New tools / expansion.
- Wage issues / working conditions.
- Boss changing work strategy.
- Quality changes.
- New rules.
- Personal view of how you see your job in the near future.
- Bonus points if you have some proof or news, we like that around here.
- News from close friends about their work.
DO NOT DOX YOURSELF. Wording is key.
Thank you all, -Mod Anti
International-Sink64@reddit
Phish is playing at the sphere in Las Vegas---in 2024, demand was so high that tickets were $1000-2400.00 for a single night post market. This week, some are selling for as low as 28.00. Just an example of several years, people had alot more disposable income.
KateMacDonaldArts@reddit
Canadians are also choosing to spend their travel dollars at home.
International-Sink64@reddit
Good, with our insane political situation, the US doesn't deserve your travel dollars. our government sucks.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
https://tucson.com/news/nation-world/crime-courts/article_a9b6d07b-d41a-578c-9c65-2a5415dddb6c.html
okiedokie321@reddit
I usually go yearly but this is the first year we decided not to go. I did notice how dead Vegas was becoming in recent years after the COVID recession but it wasn't that bad. The main thing is that flight prices have gone way up and Spirit Airlines is about to go bankrupt unless they get bailed out. Their low fares were a reason to visit Vegas alone.
happy_appy31@reddit
I had multiple friends in Vegas this weekend. A couple attended this concert and few attending different conferences. Briefly texted with a few of them and they say for Vegas it was dead.
imhereforthepuppies@reddit
I work at a call center for a bank. I am heartbroken seeing more and more regular people ending up with accounts in the negative, missing car payments, trying to save every which way they can.
Then there’s the … customers I loathe. Some old lady screamed at me for 30 minutes because one of her three $50k CDs was short $3 due to a mistake she made.
Oh, and leadership just cut all our incentive pay by making the new call time standards unattainable. Some people where I work have effectively been issued a $4k pay cut and yet senior leadership wants us to hustle hustle hustle.
Suck my butt.
Unhappy_Lifeguard_64@reddit
I can't imagine complaining about $3 missing would be worth anyone's time if they had that kind of money. Gosh. I'm sorry.
okiedokie321@reddit
Old people tend to be retired on fixed incomes and grasping anything they can get ahold of, even if its a penny. Then they get flabbergasted when trying to make a deal (like for a shed or car) because of how high costs are now.
TrickyProfit1369@reddit
What about mortgages, any info there?
imhereforthepuppies@reddit
The group I work with doesn’t offer mortgages right now, so I don’t have much insight into those except to say that somehow everyone working for Google, Microsoft, Apple are all buying houses even though everything is fucked. I only know that because they call me to bitch about wire transfers.
HeavySigh14@reddit
We’re in our 7th straight quarter of record-breaking profits. My company recently(ish) initiated full time RTO. We’ve lost 60% of our team to layoffs/retirements and we’re in another hiring freeze so we can’t get any backup. I’m tired.
Tech in the banking industry/FinTech.
okiedokie321@reddit
You're young and cheap. Companies are trimming the fat and its the old ones ($$$) going out first.
mvb827@reddit
Supply chain shortages have reached Hawaii.
Yesterday I went to the local grocery store and they didn’t have any peas on the shelf so I asked if they had any in the back. They didn’t not. Then I went looking for a pork shoulder or a pork butt and once again I was greeted by empty shelves. I asked the butcher if he had any and he said no. I didn’t ask why, but he told me anyway. He said “as of last week all of our shipments are all screwed up.”
Hopefully it doesn’t stay this way, but I’m not holding my breath to find out.
okiedokie321@reddit
Prep. If you're on an island anywhere in the world, its about to get real difficult. I already saw how bad it was on some Caribbean islands I've visited. I saw protests and fuel rationing.
taseaclaiduaim@reddit
Local cherry farmers appear to be suffering (located in central CA) after a warm winter and very long and intense heat wave that struck in March. A major one that offers u-pick says they have total crop failure in 4 of their ranches with only one that successfully produced cherries, and likely won’t be opening for u-pick at all this year. It’s a small thing… but then again, maybe not.
skirts988@reddit
I deliver mail. It’s tax return season, we should be slammed with parcels, like Christmas volume. It’s nothing like that this year. Many of us are struggling to stay busy for 8 hours each day. Never seen it this light in my 13 years.
V2BM@reddit
In my area it’s normal (high) volume. Today was the only light day I’ve had in a while. A good rule of thumb on my routes (T6) is that you divide the number of deliveries by 3 and that’s the minimum daily package volume.
I do have a lot of retirees and people on (workers comp) disability so they’re not hurting yet. Still lots of new cars and no increase in debt collection mail with one sad exception. (A very young family with a new baby is losing their small home. I feel so bad for them.)
Unhappy_Lifeguard_64@reddit
Well, that checks out. I sell stuff online and it's been a slooooow month. I am up YoY but it feels like things dropped off a cliff the past two weeks.
HeavySigh14@reddit
For the 1st time in my adult life I’ve owed on taxes this year. I usually get a small refund back, but instead I owed a couple hundred. Just another bill increasing and draining my meager paycheck. After taxes and deductions, I’m only taking home 66% of my paycheck.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
It's a good thing all out taxes go toward blowing people up and not any of that commie stuff like making our country better for its citizens /s
Impossible_Range6953@reddit
Interesting post. Thanks.
I have seen conflicting reports about tax refund being different this year with a few headlines saying they are bigger than prior years. However, there is a consensus that people are not using the refunds to buy luxury or big ticket items like they would normally do.
skirts988@reddit
Side note, my husband works at a casino in Vegas. People aren’t spending what they used to, and properties are pretty dead. The consumer confidence just isn’t there right now.
ForYourAwareness@reddit
We recently started having armed security guards in our offices. Not even a public facing role in the building. Because of the Iran threats and specifically one location of ours overseas got threatened we now have guard on our floor. Thankful they protect us but it’s kind of sobering at the same time
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Can you tell us which industry without doxxing yourself
ForYourAwareness@reddit
Financial industry. Shouldn’t take too long to figure out who my employer is but luckily it’s a big company
blt88@reddit
Florida, budget cuts in my district leading to a lot of educators / staff being non-renewed. Even though, the higher district board positions are still making a great salary.
InsideStand7829@reddit
Same thing happening in Massachusetts
Hour-Caregiver-335@reddit
Same thing happening here in Cleveland
blt88@reddit
So terrible. Just found this article that confirms what you’re talking about: https://signalcleveland.org/cleveland-school-board-vote-teacher-layoff-building-brighter-futures-2026/
No-Artichoke-6939@reddit
Multiple pizza shops putting up a notice on social media that no fresh tomatoes are available for toppings due to cost.
Separate_Fold5168@reddit
The Subway near me has temporarily stopped offering pizza due to supply issues from corporate.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Subway selling pizza is new to me.
Separate_Fold5168@reddit
Yeah little personal pizza. Maybe not all do it.
jednaz@reddit
I was at the grocery store yesterday, mid-day as they were stocking produce. There were about eight sad Roma tomatoes at $1.99 a pound; in the past they were less that $1 a pound. That was the only full-size (non cherry or bite-sized) tomatoes they had. No beefsteak, no heirloom, etc. I normally don't but tomatoes that often as I grow them but I did not have any ready to pick. I bought my sad Roma and sliced it up for burgers and told my family we were eating every last slice. I am glad I grow my own but even so, my growing season is limited due to the climate I am in and those tomatoes I do grow probably work out to well over $1.99/pound after my water bill is factored in. But I find it relaxing and enjoyable to grow things so there are benefits that are not as quantifiable.
No-Artichoke-6939@reddit
Same here! The amount of money I’ve got in my garden with just seeds alone would allow me to buy LOTS of tomatoes at the store. They taste like sadness though, so I’d rather grown my own lol
Puzzled-Berry-2450@reddit
lol you're also prob getting a much more nutrient dense veggie too.
splat-y-chila@reddit
I accidentally started 2 seeds of the double-vitamin-c variety instead of 1, because the seeds must've stuck together. I'm not upset at all.
HIMBO-Art@reddit
Not on the restuarant supply side but consumer produce supply has been all over the place in the midwest.
Material-Habit-4518@reddit
Are you in the south?
No-Artichoke-6939@reddit
Midatlantic region
Commercial_Cat_7722@reddit
As someone who works retail in a rural area, there's daily price changes. Generic no name brand baby formula is now $45 for a small can. People are stocking up, especially the older folks who lived through the Great Depression - some of which are my own coworkers. Produce seeds as well as garden tools and canning materials are nearly gone. Bulk buying candles in case the power goes off.
GreatDanish4534@reddit
If they lived through the Great Depression that would make them around 100 years old. Do you really have coworkers that old?
NetflakesC@reddit
Looks like GD was 1929-1939, so could be 87 and older. Sure they would have been infants, but I’d expect their parents would have reflected their own experiences onto the toddlers, etc.
Tlr321@reddit
Definitely this. My great great grandmother lived from 1916 - 2022. She 100% lived like the Great Depression was still ongoing & that rubbed off on a lot of people in my family, myself included.
msomnipotent@reddit
My father was born a few years after the GD and you would think he lived through it by the way he acted. It scarred my grandparents and rubbed off on him. I think that's where I get my stocking up tendencies, too.
FormerNeighborhood80@reddit
He was brought up that way. And so on. That feeling of not wasting anything runs in my family too.
Sigmund_Six@reddit
Yeah, this is 100% a known thing and an example of generational trauma being passed down.
My grandma lived through the Great Depression and raised my mom according to those habits. As a result, my mom has always stockpiled even before it was known as a pepper thing. It’s a habit she inherited from her mom.
supiesonic42@reddit
Myself as Gen X, I was raised by great-grandparents who married in 1933 and lived through it all. I appreciate them more than I can say right now.
I understand the assignment.
Commercial_Cat_7722@reddit
The Great Depression hit my rural area hard enough that it wasn't till the 1970s that the local economy was better
litreofstarlight@reddit
Could be they mean kids born to parents who lived through it, but were themselves born after the Great Depression ended? Because those kids would have been brought up not to waste anything and probably to set something aside in case of scarcity.
Commercial_Cat_7722@reddit
I did in 2020 but covid 19 hit so most of them passed away.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
100 years old and still can't retire. Crap. That's gonna be some of us too isn't it?
GreatDanish4534@reddit
This is why I didn’t accuse them of lying. I worry that will be me someday
Educational-Desk8758@reddit
The only people that old who “work” are in Congress, definitely not in retail lmfao
IncomingAxofKindness@reddit
I catch your dig on congress... but I see tons of people who should be well into retirement working at my local Publix and Walmart. And tons doing door dash. Often the man and wife are both in the delivery car.
What a way to spend your last years. Stuck in traffic trying to get some Wing Stop across town to a lazy-ass college kid.
International-Sink64@reddit
Lots of seniors working in Publix and walmart here. A friend that is 67 just got a part time job because her retirement pension as a nurse is no longer adequate to keep up with inflation.
ZenorsMom@reddit
Depends on your point of view. When I used to doordash I talked to a lady who did exactly this with her husband. They both had full time jobs but doordashed on Saturday mornings to make their "fun" money, usually for a bottle of wine and steak dinner. They enjoyed getting the time to spend together and talk. It's too easy to get on your phone and miss out on connecting with each other, can't do that while dashing. It's also easier to have conversations in the car for whatever reason.
This was a couple years ago so now it's probably beer and pizza money instead of wine and steak.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Yep, there are probably couples in the same situation but they don't get the chance to spend that time with their loved one
kingofhearts778@reddit
Underrated comment. Spending my last days delivering food is on a top ten dystopian fears for me now.
Straight_Ace@reddit
Maybe that was true a decade ago, but with the prices of everything skyrocketing people can’t afford to retire. The 100 year olds probably aren’t working but I know a lot of 70+ year olds who have taken a part time job to help pay the bills in what was supposed to be retirement
The_Vee_@reddit
Corporations are squeezing blood out of turnips. They're dumping more work on people and functioning with the least personnel possible. CEOs and shareholders aren't the ones feeling the pinch. I think I summed up everyone's current job status. It's too bad we are so divided, we could collectively protest by refusing to go to work until we get what we want from our government who works for the corporations screwing us all over.
Alternative-End-5079@reddit
By design
International-Sink64@reddit
YES!!!! I wish more people could see this
The_Vee_@reddit
I believe it's partially by design. Easier to control a populace when they're so busy working to survive. It's also partially because the economy is sucking wind.
Impossible_Range6953@reddit
as in Unionize? They might call you a communist 😂
The_Vee_@reddit
If we all were on the same page, we would have the power. Unfortunately, they have us vehemently divided and now we are powerless. For example, if we all stopped paying medical insurance premiums today, we'd have Universal Healthcare fairly quickly. We could change things if we were all on the same side.
Impossible_Range6953@reddit
I am with you on that. Healthcare and Education should be free or heavily discounted depending.
The_Vee_@reddit
Personally, I don't think either party really wants to give us Universal Healthcare because the medical insurance companies have too powerful of lobbyists. If a government truly wanted a healthy populace, healthcare and education would be their priorities.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Not sure how many people this is an option for, but my wife has a job that people either can't handle or don't want to do which turns out to be quite helpful for job security.
If anyone works at a place with a similar situation, you might consider getting some experience/knowledge about a skill or position that is important but not a lot of people want to do, maybe it can keep you from getting "down-sized" or something
Any_Needleworker_273@reddit
I'm in a similar position in my field. I can cover most functions so I've become a kind of backfiller when there are staff shortages/hiring freezes. I ended up with more work during covid because of it, and am seeing that happen again now.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
A blessing and a curse
PrairieFire_withwind@reddit
Can you say what kind of work?
Because ehat i cannot handle and what the next person cannot handle is very different.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Its a desk job at a healthcare facility, basically coordinating between doctors and patients and medical suppliers etc to make sure patients don't fall between the cracks. There aren't really any specific technical skills that she needs for that position(other than the stuff everyone else in the office has too), it mostly requires having really good soft skills like time management and being able to talk to people clearly so you get exactly what info you need.
slimpickinsfishin@reddit
A local outdoors store that I frequent just had their end of winter spring sale and previous years it's packed to the gills standing in line around an hour in and out basically a big family event for all ages they bring in free food and a bunch of things for the children really the whole city gets in on it.
Even with stock marked 50-80% off of ammunition firearms outdoor supplies tools lumber clothing basically the whole store it was a ghost town I was in and out in under 30 minutes and they were sending people home and talking about closing up early and since they regularly either sell out of everything wanted or they close a few hours past regular time it's concerning that almost nobody showed up and the few people that did only bought a handful of things the bare necessities by what I could see.
I have a feeling this is gonna be a common occurrence and only the places that really put in the effort are going to survive.
CryptidWorks@reddit
I think people's discretionary spending money has effectively disappeared due to COL increases across the board. Fuel costs are up, energy and water bills in many areas have doubled due to datacenters, health insurance costs have skyrocketed, food costs have gone up, and student loans are coming off pause and are accruing interest for missed payments again.
People are being hit from every angle, and you can't float on credit cards forever. If nothing changes, retail is going to tank due to lack of sales and increased theft - and the related jobs are going to go with it, creating a feedback loop.
More_Potential5539@reddit
Only about 25 percent of Americans are debt free. The other 75 percent are about to understand pain
CryptidWorks@reddit
If things get real ugly, that 25% will too, make no mistake. The kind of jobs that pay well in North America and allow people to be debt free are either specialist professions (who are about to be overworked as hell keeping up with chaos) or management/professional white collar jobs that are already under heavy threat from AI, and largely belong to service or retail companies whose customer base is about to be underwater and unable to actually buy any of their wares.
The first thing that would crumble in an economic collapse would also be the desperate foundation of lower-to-middle income workers, too - the 25%'s municipal service workers, cashiers, warehouse workers (we've all seen that fire in Cali already) etc.
The thing about western society relying on an underpaid worker class is that that work has to be worth doing. If you can't support your family, keep them/yourself fed or keep a roof over your head doing that work anymore, it breaks the social contract of labor - Why even go to work? If the social contract breaks, why wouldn't people just start stealing and refuse to pay back the banks?
The sheriff's office certainly isn't paid enough to deal with desperate, angry people ignoring foreclosures en masse.
You'd see a modern version of the penny auction. But instead of an auction, I imagine people would just start chasing them off.
Anyway, that's my tinfoil rant, at least.
mystery_biscotti@reddit
Literally saw a security guard checking receipts at Value Village thrift store of all places. It's madness.
Calowayyy@reddit
Our workplace hosts a food drive yearly for our traveling workers (horse racing) and in the past years the two tables they set up gets filled fast and would routinely need to be emptied to make more space for all the donations. Canned goods, potted meats, noodles, etc.
This year it’s been out for a week and the pickings are slim. Lots of ramen noodle packets. I’ve never seen it like that. Been here for nearly five years. No overtime still despite the fact we need it, management thinks if we have held on this long ut will be fine despite the incoming busy season. Open positions not getting filled.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Is it empty from more people taking food or less people donating? Or both?
Calowayyy@reddit
Less coming in. They take it straight to the traveling workers because often they struggle. In previous years they would have to routinely empty the table to have more space for donations.
bumbledbeez@reddit
Rural Eastern Ontario.
Noticing many local and local-ish businesses closing and or laying off all workers completely.
SO works in tech. People leaving company they work at because of RTO. Moral low because of RTO. Company knows about low moral and why people are leaving, knows they won’t be able to hire well, still says they are keeping RTO.
More related to my own work, have noticed that hatching eggs and chicks aren’t moving this year. Numerous complaints from other breeders that they can’t sell this year, and will have to downsize their flocks because they won’t be able to keep them at current size.
That said, sheep sales are crazy. Moving as fast as they did in 2020.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
I have seen people talking about how companies are doing RTO as a way of laying people off (through their quitting) without actually having to call it layoffs
bumbledbeez@reddit
This company actually can’t afford to have anyone leave, they panic when it does happen. It’s odd.
Perfect-Gap8377@reddit
Not that odd. You would be surprised how often it happens.
Many times it's a vision mismatch between upper middle management and lower middle management. Upper middle management comes in, see noone in the office, see wage cost, gets upset, proceed to try and make people come in. Lower middle management sees work output going into the gutter, panics (oh, no, my beautiful KPIs!). Upper management happy to see reports with cost decrease short term. Upper middle management happy because lower middle management is discredited and thus less threatening to take their job. Lower middle management in panic and jas to make due by slave-driving employees. Discontent from the workers who actually do something.
(Yes, I work for a multinational enterprise. I have 5 management layers between me and site director. 7 to company CEO. 3 direct bosses. I hate office politics)
HIMBO-Art@reddit
Yeah this has been a thing for awhile. Lots of companies cutting stuff by making remote positions into hybrid or full time in person. Saw how much freedom the wage slaves got and had to pull it back
EastTyne1191@reddit
Interesting, I've been considering getting a sheep myself. Seems like maybe the people who would have gotten chickens have already done so, so the market is saturated. Or people cannot afford to keep them.
SquirrelyMcNutz@reddit
Sheep are just a pain in the ass to deal with. I'd rather get a goat or two, if I had to make the choice.
notuncertainly@reddit
This is why I come to Reddit!
goddessofolympia@reddit
Get an angora goat and you can have a mohair sweater!
helluvastorm@reddit
I second that. Sheep are dumb dumb and dumb. Goats are going to give both meat and dairy
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Goat milk cheese dip is legendary!
EastTyne1191@reddit
From the research I've done, much of the energy spent in sheep husbandry is dedicated to keeping them alive. Because they're so dumb they get themselves in situations where that's at risk.
It's definitely a low priority right now, I keep thinking I'll get a sheep if WWIII starts but we all know it's not like they're going to announce a date for that...
grummanae@reddit
SW Ontario here work for a Third party internet provider, we are one of the last smaller ones in our region and very possibly the Province
Bell has been decomissioning the old POTS lines on copper for some time, putting minimal effort into keeping them running we are loosing a few due to copper tear out soon
Cogeco has unilaterally shut off coax to one neighborhood in our city with extremely short not ( less than 14 days ) and forced TPIA customers to either go back to old DSL that may or may not work or switch to them to be on fibre optic
Third party providers of course are trying to challenge this with the CRTC and will lock this up in the courts for years
The CRTC will play fight it because well most of them are Retired Bell Cogeco or Rogers execs
Im seeing businesses move into smaller footprints to cut costs, some even not pushing RTO and allowing WFH and encouraging it, they are upgrading communications and software to cloud based phone systems etc.
For reference my area is heavily American influenced and also about 10-20 years behind the rest of the province for business technology it feels like
Ive seen alot more careful considerations on what and how many businesses making sure they get the right edge of tech features but at exactly what they need not future proofing
Residential side :
Move orders that come with spring and fall, they happen other times too but seems to be surges spring and fall.
Our residential orders have picked up a bit, again thats partially due to season
Residential upgrades too are picking up ...
The main providers ... the ones we lease the lines from seem to be more and more reluctant to roll a truck for repair unless its clearly a line issue. This Im not attributing to current events or economy... or the previous. Its simple business 101 if you have 20 homes on a block but have to provide lines for 3 other providers ... you want to get the bill direct from that customer not go through a third party to them pay you even though your selling it to the other provider at a 500% markup
Equipment seems to be coming in slower Im not sure if this is a supply chain issue due to rising costs of chips etc but I have noticed it a bit slower this month
Phishing attacks and spam are rising exponentially, and with AI generated slop they are getting more and more believable looking
Crazy_Law_5730@reddit
I work in a luxury “personal services” field. Nobody needs what my business offers. It’s a want. We’re crazy slow, and tax return season is usually a huge boost for us from February through to the start of Summer. We’re surviving, but the only thing I can compare to so far is the Great Recession. I’ve been in this business for 25 years, so I have the books to back that up. Lots of people in my field are quitting or getting a second job. I’ll add that my brick and mortar is in the entertainment district downtown in my state’s biggest city.
Several bars near me have reduced their hours to cut back on payroll. Some are opening at 4pm now instead of 11am. Tourism has dropped and the bars are opening later.
Local breweries have raised their prices about 20% to cover the aluminum tariff that affects their canning costs, and other inflated costs on ingredients. When one does it, they all follow.
Several big construction projects in my area seem to be stalled out. I don’t have facts on this, but I’m keeping an eye on it and will attend a city hall meeting soon. Many abandoned buildings on large properties were demolished last year to build “affordable” housing and all we have are big empty lots and increased wind and dust. I’m guessing the tariffs and anti immigrant policies have changed the outlook for construction.
This feels like the Great Recession, but the causes are so much further reaching and detrimental that it’s going to be much worse than GR was. I see businesses suffering and cutting back in the busiest areas of my city. It’s been a bit of a ghost town this year. People are not spending their money, or have no money to spend.
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Can you tell us more about the field you work in without doxxing yourself?
Crazy_Law_5730@reddit
Tattoos.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Way more people are being admitted to hospitals for mental health issues and they’re in far worse condition like have to have restraints condition.
Practical_Hippo6289@reddit
Does anyone think residual effects from repeated Covid infections might have something to do with this? Brain damage from Covid?
Collapse_is_underway@reddit
Surely it has an effect but there are so many factors, you know. You could add the accumulation of non-biodegradable molecules in the water cycle, the social medias addictions, doomscroll addictions, reduced socialization, no or few physical contacts, the ongoing recession with most people starting to lose money every year, and so so many other factors.
But no one knows which one has the biggest impact. It's a vast panel of entshittification :o
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Sure but why make this comment unless the point was to de-emphasize and downplay the effect long-covid is having?
People are much more aware of and willing to acknowledge the other factors you mentioned, but until people can start being honest with themselves about how long-covid is affecting our population we can't do anything to stop it. And this ongoing refusal to accept reality has actually been preventing people from fixing the issue for years. We can't fix it until people can admit that it's happening. We already have the tools to fix it, but the stigma is so heavy that, as a society, we're cutting off our noses to spite our faces.
Collapse_is_underway@reddit
It's not about downplaying long covid, it was about how we don't know about the gravity of each factor. Long covid is crippling more and more people but at the same time the 50% drop in spermcount the last 50 years is more likely due to various pollution accumulated in the environment and our bodies.
There are plenty of stuff we can no longer fix and we need to adapt the best we can.
I don't think we're truly acknowledging our situation. I don't see a massive revolution to stop the fluxs of material and energy that are destroying the ecosystems we depend on.
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Sure, but the difference is that it takes a lot more research to even figure out who to call or where to put pressure for stuff like microplastics (for example). With covid it's legit as simple as: - Creating ventilation in indoor spaces (opening doors & windows) - Using air filtration devices in indoor spaces (which we need for pollution and wildfires anyway) - Wearing a well-fitting (over nose& mouth, no gaps between face & mask) N95 (not surgical!) mask in spaces that people cannot avoid going (medical offices, public transit, veterinary offices, etc.)
We have these phenomenal tools, and people are still mostly refusing to even open doors & windows.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
It’s financial. People are losing everything.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Why would that cause need for restraint though, are we talking like self-harm situations?
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Because repeat covid infections damage the part of your brain responsible for impulse control. It's one I'd the reasons people are so much more dangerous on the road these days and also ons of the reasons folks have a much shorter fuse. Obviously, there are other factors, but it's a heavily contributing factor, unfortunately.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Yes, like pull out their IV and try to stab themselves(it wouldn’t work anyway since the needle doesn’t stay in your arm, it’s just a soft plastic tube) sort of situation.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Feeling very grateful that I was finally able to get my mental health mostly sorted out after having a particularly difficult time handling the covid situation. I so bad for everyone that has basically been blindsided by all of this and don't already have access to mental health care professionals. It can take so long to find the right therapists and medicines
dolcememory@reddit
Now imagine intersecting the financial rammifications with an an infection that sometimes (other times asyomptomatic) has acute respiratory (cold-like) symptoms that most people get around 1 - 2x a year that has profound downstream effects, one being neurologically - inflammatory damage to the brain.
Case study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2023/9792099?msockid=3b31a3c21fff6ca90d86b7511e906da0
GridDown55@reddit
Yup
Then_Ad7822@reddit
This. We have so many peds patients with mental health issues and we’re regularly having to restrain them at least once during their stay. Not because of them, but more of them are lashing out at us than I’ve seen before. I thought it was related to the type of self ingestions we were seeing, but you make a good point about potential covid interaction.
HIMBO-Art@reddit
I dont have actual evidence of this but my general take on the mental vibe/health of our general society is not good as a whole. I see way more angry and impatient people in traffic and interacting with businesses. I think theres just a baseline frustration or stress in everyone that, like all things, gets pushed the worst onto the vulnerable.
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
There's definitely a baseline level of frustration. And also, covid infections affect the part of the brain responsible for impulse control
HIMBO-Art@reddit
Well that sounds bad but can it be as bad as that gat dayum vaccine?!
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Covid infections affect the part of the brain responsible for impulse control, for whatever that's worth to you
uber_cast@reddit
I work at an inpatient psych hospital and we’ve been full for weeks. There just isn’t capacity to mange the increase in mental health issues, and staff are burning out fast.
working-mama-@reddit
I work for a health insurer. I am in a different area, but I heard our BH (Behavioral Health) costs are off the rails.
hera-fawcett@reddit
autism has a v large genetic component (like nearly all other longterm/chronic, developmental, and neurological things).
if anyone thought autism was going to trend downward then they dont understand how basic ass genetics works. the more ppl w autism who have kids, the more likely theres an increase of kids w autism. theres like an 80% inheritance rate for autism (https://medschool.ucla.edu/news-article/is-autism-genetic).
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
It’s always been around. People forget about their grandpa that collected stamps and would scream if anyone touched them, the aunt that kept the same schedule for 75 years, the cousin that said three words a week…
angrytetchy@reddit
Exactly - we've always been here, it's just the "modern" world sees it as a "problem" for the first time. Pretty sure mine traveled via my maternal side but I have no way of knowing (extremely small family, paternal side I am the only surviving one of my entire generation and maternal side I have 1 first cousin - who was diagnosed when he was 8.) for sure.
It's just previously you just went to whatever occupation fascinated you or what you were good at... with far less noise. (I say as someone just rolled by my apartment with a thumping bass system and an airplane flew overhead...) I'm guessing the loudness of the world is a major factor here.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
And a lot more simple jobs for people higher support needs. Dig a hole, put seeds in, cover them up. Non-verbal? You don’t need to talk to herd goats. Love routines? The monastery and abbey are that way!
angrytetchy@reddit
Exactly! Damn I would have both loved and hated the abbey life - professional student and a half decent routine and food? Sign my ass up! On the other hand, the lack of sex and a lack of belief. Meh.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
I’m sure plenty of people were there because it was most stable option. If you were lucky/your family was rich you could even get your own room.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
That stability is a big reason why so many young Americans join the military too
Dazzling-Treacle1092@reddit
Read a post on the autism sub the other day of a therapist who told their client that autistic people don't have sex. Therefore their client couldn't be autistic. I asked how he explained all the new autistic people being born. I know that many people are both ignorant and prejudiced about autistic people but some levels of ignorance are difficult to believe. Yet I know they're out there.
When I went for an assessment, the neurologist who was a memory expert kept trying to test my memory. I finally got pissed and said stridently..."I am here for an autism assessment!" To which he waved his hand in the air and said..."Oh you can't be autistic, you're too intelligent!" Unfortunately there are still far too many who believe autism is still mainly something that hits boys. We still have thousand upon thousands of undiagnosed girls and women because we don't present like boys and we learn to mask at a much earlier age... often subconsciously before we even have recall.
PerformerTop699@reddit
This is a bad time to have an autism diagnosis. Do your research. There are states that keep lists. Why. If you are in a state that keeps lists do you want to be in it ? During Covid when respirators were short autism was considered a comorbid condition and was a considering factor. I’m not joking. I am on the spectrum , female, and went down a rabbit hole that a healthcare provider warned me about. If you don’t need the diagnosis for anything - consider going without it. There aren’t a lot of resources for us anyways so the diagnosis wasn’t going to help me.
Dazzling-Treacle1092@reddit
The diagnosis wouldn't help me either except when I first started to realize I was autistic I wasn't confident in my own judgment on the subject. That's changed. Not a person in the world could convince me I'm not autistic now. I no longer feel the need for a professional confirmation. My situation is set as I'm over 70 years old.
I can see your concern about diagnoses in some places. I don't believe that is where we are at where I live...yet. Who can say what the future will hold? When the money stops coming everything goes tits up.
hera-fawcett@reddit
no, ur right--- its just annoying bc, at least to me, its p obvious that a dominant genetic inheritable diagnosis would pass on and continue to flourish. like theres no way for it to lessen or go away lmao
and, even then- theres emerging evidence that screens can worsen some of the symptoms/categories of autism (the autism pie chart 🧡) like emotional regulation skills, time blindness, repetitive activities (visual scrolling/stimming), etc.
so insurers or drs acting/thinking that autism is idefk, fad-ish? only for boys? presents specifically in certain ways? will fade? etc etc etc-- is just insaneo bananas to me.
that not even talking about the links autism has to adhd--- and those links to things like pmdd, mcas, elhers danlos/hypermobility, etc etc.; or any other chronic mental illnesses (depression, bipolar, etc).
its here. its going to be here. theres no going back. we should be focusing on trying to teach kids about this shit when theyre young, helping them regulate, get them used to generalizing skills across variable instances. and focusing on adults who have autism but were late diagnosed-- how to support them, what they need, etc. and the impact that autism plays on all other disabilities.
CartographerBest419@reddit
I will preface this - it is my opinion, but this is my view on behavior health, specifically autism:
Autism is a spectrum and if you can get an official diagnosis it opens up a world of benefits for the child especially at a young age no matter the severity. I would urge any parent to instantly get on a wait list for a diagnosis no matter where they think their child is developmentally BUT, because it is a spectrum you see very articulate and smart children that will throw chairs through windows in rage because they didn't get their youtube time and also non verbal children that can't do basic motor movement... its very fascinating and I think ABA therapy (when implemented properly) can do wonders for child development and most, if not all of the cost, is covered by insurance which is awesome! That being said though -
The low entry point to be a "Behavior Technician" means the person working with your child could have barely any experience teaching or working with children. The low entry point for a diagnosis means that parents who just suck at parenting and their child just has behavior issues can also get these services.
ABA has grown so large that the actual checks and balances between the board, the case managers, the behavior plan implementors, and insurance companies has gone wiggity whack. Not to mention all the mental health issues within the family of the child that has the diagnosis because of how hard it is to deal with. Lots of children are also just suffering from being raised by endless scrolling on youtube and being neglected by their parents (its more common than anyone thinks). There is rampant insurance fraud in the industry as well. It is very easy to find a BCBA and collect money from insurance for services provided, not pay employees then just make a new LLC and even get the same clients again and just call it "rebranding". Behavior therapy has turned into a crap shoot of untrained people that don't know what they are doing, implementing behavior plans that WOULD work if they were trained. The pay grade for a behavior technician which will be the person that works with the child the most frequently can be as low as minimum wage.
TLDR:
Behavior therapy for autism has moved from an actual data driven science into a field of crisis intervention and is more of a business model now than science. BUT - I think (most) insurance companies suck and every penny that can be leeched from them and put towards behavior therapy is actually helpful as well. It is a double edged sword, unfortunately.
working-mama-@reddit
On your last point, that’s something I think people don’t understand well. Insurances, in aggregate and ultimately, do not pay for this. Most of autism members we have are on Medicaid, so ultimately paid by taxpayers. About 90 - 95 cents per every Medicaid dollar we receive goes to medical benefits, with the rest mostly used up by administrative costs, paying people like myself to run and support those programs. Even in commercial business, the higher therapy costs will just translate into higher premiums, which are ultimately paid by policyholders and/or their employers.
GreatDanish4534@reddit
I am an autistic person and ABA is incredibly harmful. ABA is for autism what conversion therapy is for gay people. Ask autistic adults their opinion on ABA and nearly all will tell you it’s damaging as it encourages neurotypical behavior versus letting the person feel they are ok being “weird”. My wife is a mental health therapist for autistic people and her patients back up what I am saying.
Do not push this if you actually care about autistic people. Maybe the world should conform to us and not the other way around?
CartographerBest419@reddit
Chill out. You sound like an anti-vaxxer. Like everything in life ABA is also a spectrum as well. ABA can be as simple as just asking someone to recite safety questions like "what is your address" "what is your moms phone number" - wouldn't you want a child to be able to get home safetly if they wander away from there home? It can also be useful to chain behavior patterns so that someone can put their shirt on them self without assistance.
But, if you think NOT being able to get dressed without assitance and NOT being able to tell an adult where you live to get home safetly because you have a tendency to ELOPE from your house and your parents can't find you and that is OK and should be embraced, then by all means undress yourself at a public playground.
I think ABA has its pros and cons like anything else. I was simply stating something that correlated with health insurance and behavior health that the OP mentioned.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
So you’re going to ignore thousands of autistic people who tell you it’s abusive. Just sweep it under the rug to make you comfortable. Gross.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Autism seems to have a huge spectrum of severity and what people can or can't do, how can society as a whole conform to such a wide variety of needs?
(Not trying to be rude of course, just curious if there are any viable options for making things easier for autistic people)
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Anything other than ABA is a start.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Thank you. I wanted to say the same thing but I couldn’t figure out how to word it without being super rude 😅
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Is the "better awareness and diagnostics" explanation not cutting it based on how she feels or is there some sort of metric to tell the rate of new cases compared to the amount of diagnostic improvements? I feel like it would be helpful if I had an education in statistics 😅
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
The severity is the really scary part.
Puzzled-Berry-2450@reddit
I went to sprouts (so cal area) and everything in the store was at least $7 and up. only one little thing of pretzels and cheese (the to go boxes) was under $5.
Then_Ad7822@reddit
Lots of random stuff out in our hospital stock, including a necessary lab ingredient. We’re making do, but the shortage was unexpected.
Some of my coworkers aren’t putting stuff away properly, which is making us run behind during the day. I’ve started recording and noting it, and if it continues I’m going to try gently asking them about it. This specific coworker is new like me, and I don’t want it to be like I’m attacking them.
Weather’s been stereotypically rainy.
More coworkers are asking about how to get various things like books and stuff for free, I’m wondering if that’s related to money or just a desire to get free stuff.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Somebody should invent a system that allows people to borrow books and read them for free!
FormerNeighborhood80@reddit
If you have a library card you can sign up on the Libby app. The have books to read and ebooks if that’s what you want and magazines
HIMBO-Art@reddit
Idk that sounds kind of woke and dumb. It would be better if people had to pay per page and were showed an ad between chapters
No_Possible_7108@reddit
We can really stick it to the lefties if we put the ads directly in the text of the book itself!
https://www.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/1ryauzj/theyre_editing_digital_books_to_contain_ads_now/
torquil@reddit
Florida local self storage, just walked through one of the buildings and the majority of units are now vacant...used to be majority were occupied. I noticed this during a necessary upgrade to a much larger unit, which cost far less than anticipated...same company, building, indoor, climate controlled, went from $2.18/sqft to $0.56/sqft. Drastic reduction in presence of onsite management, as well...don't want to be too specific.
crumblednewman@reddit
On the other side of the country. Our units are mostly full but our parking has had tons of availability going on a year now because of waves of people selling their toys. Interestingly, we frequently get calls from people wanting to store heaps that don't run or vehicles without registration, which we won't accept.
HIMBO-Art@reddit
People holding onto items that dont run and they dont have the money to fix/run, but hope they will again
crumblednewman@reddit
Oh for sure but 9 times out of 10 they end up realizing they've been smoking dreams and instead of paying to deal with it themselves they just abandon them and make it our problem. Dreamers and hoarders, man, the worst customers.
iloveschnauzers@reddit
What does this indicate?
SquirrelyMcNutz@reddit
That people are getting rid of stuff that they'd otherwise spend a sub fee on storing?
KateMacDonaldArts@reddit
A) because they can no longer afford storage or B) they’re selling it for additional funds
Usernamenotdetermin@reddit
C) the owner is finally realizing that the cost of storage exceeds their need for stuff
No_Farm_2076@reddit
I'm a nanny for 3 families, the moms in all 3 are currently decluttering and reorganizing their houses. It seems like rage cleaning and trying to control what can be controlled.... I wonder if more people are doing this.
Usernamenotdetermin@reddit
Floridian also, the other thing to note is the crazy amount of new self storage facilities. Not sure I’d worry about a self storage facility with vacancies. Cost to maintain means they should be a temp solution, not a long term one. What trade? If a lot of your work is at those buildings, there are a ton of new ones who may not need work done, so you may be doing work at different types of facilities
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
I swear like 3/4 of new buildings I see going up here are storage places
TopSignificance1034@reddit
News from healthcare, Unity point is laying off 200 IT positions later this year to outsource
https://www.kwqc.com/2026/04/15/unitypoint-outsource-it-revenue-cycle-services/
Bastilleinstructor@reddit
I teach. Our school district is reducing staff, not hiring, etc. They cite a decline in enrollment, some due to immigration policies. Also the area is filling up with new townhomes and apartments. So we are all kinda shocked to see fewer kids enrolling.
We are seeing lower reading scores across all levels of students. (I teach high school) and an uptick in mental health issues, fighting and drug use (the vapes).
dkstr419@reddit
Also in K-12 education, declining enrollment, extracurricular activity funding cuts, administrative cuts/freeze. Summer JROTC program was cancelled due to lack of funding. Students have said they are returning to Mexico/South America due to ICE fears . (Families are mixed status - US born, green card, DACA, asylum)
Serious_Yard4262@reddit
This exact situation is happening in my small/mid-sized city, like to the point I wonder if we're in the same one. I know we likely aren't, which is really wild
Sigmund_Six@reddit
There is overall a nationwide trend in decline in enrollment in districts. I guess due to declining birth rate? Not sure.
Bastilleinstructor@reddit
That is part of it, but not all.
NoTerm3078@reddit
The declining birthrate means this trend will continue.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Fewer births for a trend. From a report:
Shifts in childbearing and fertility patterns have resulted in 11.8 million fewer babies in the past 17 years.
This will affect all agencies and businesses serving children/families. I bet many of those homes are for DINKs (double income, no kids)
Link: https://carsey.unh.edu/publication/factors-contributing-demographic-cliff-more-us-women-childbearing-age-fewer-have-given-birth
hera-fawcett@reddit
more ppl are choosing to 'homeschool' their kids as well. or put them in private school--- esp if ur a red state, like mine, that offers vouchers (aka free tuition w a disability diagnosis).
its p fucked how many kids get free 10k tuition bc theyve got speech syntax disability.
INFINIFATLAW@reddit
EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO FREE EDUCATION, especially people living with disabilities who could benefit enormously from one on one attention.
When will you understand that widespread freely available education is a cornerstone of a stable, safe and free society? Isn’t this sub to educate people to prepare themselves for independance in extreme situations? EDUCATION EMPOWERS THIS.
mystery_biscotti@reddit
I think it's important citizens get a great education, regardless of dis/ability. At the same time, if you have money, it's easy to game the system.
I'm hoping the person you commented to was thinking along those lines. (AuDHD is not easy in our society and will be a potentially worse liability in shtf situations.)
hera-fawcett@reddit
as someone who worked in sped for pub k12 and set up disability services for private and homeschool students--- and who lives in a heavily 'send ur kid to private if u want a 'good' education' (due to decades of racism and redlining)--- everyone is entitled to a good free education as well as disability service access.
ppl choosing to send their kids to a 10k/yr private school in k12 bc they feel like public school doesnt align w their values, the curriculum is lax (it isnt), their student will be brought up 'right' (read: usually privileged and white)---- thats not something taxpayers should be paying for via voucher.
many of the private schools we work w didnt/dont have sped teams at all. they have small 'plans' (their version of accomodations) that they can stick to as they like.
at private, they arent legally obligated to give ur student accomodations. they arent legally obligated to give that 1:1 time (vs public). they can easily dismiss ur student if they feel that ur student is too 'hard' for them (just had this happen in october to a kid).
theres no reason taxpayers money should go to bankrolling private school. esp when public education and sped, specifically, are being defunded on a federal and state level.
happy_appy31@reddit
And the church says, "Amen!"
blackcatwizard@reddit
Same. Not teaching but presenting to high school students across the province (Canada). In the fall 14 students would have been considered a small class size. I've only had one with more than that so far this semester.
catzzzzzzzzzz@reddit
I teach in an elementary school. Same here
vintage_neurotic@reddit
Great Lakes region. Double the rainfall we normally get for both March and April combined with record snowpack has led to intense flooding (governor has declared a state of emergency). Very early season tornados downstate. All of this has brought sudden infrastructure damage/collapse and evacuations, power outages, road closures + detours, businessss/nonprofits and residential houses underwater, loss of income, livelihoods, assets, plus unknown environmental impacts are things are likely contaminated.
Last year we had a historic ice storm that cost the region upwards of $300 million minimum, year before that was record droughts/frosts and wildfires....it just seems like it's always something, can't catch a break. Climate change is hitting us hard, while many of us thought we'd feel a little more protected from the Great Lakes...
All of this is compounding with the rise of COL, gas, diesel for local family farms, price increases (restaurants with newly printed menus already writing over their prices with +15% increases).
Nearly every job I've applied and interviewed for has been filled with internal applicants, which is whatever/natural but to me indicates people aren't satisfied and are seeking pay increases. Good jobs are tight and hard to find.
Many people I've talked to want to leave the area, but they don't know where to go or how to afford it.
chicagotodetroit@reddit
Several dams are on the verge of overflowing, and "Evacuate NOW" orders are in at least one county. The effects of this particular dam breaking are far reaching, like many miles away from the dam would be affected.
Hailsabrina@reddit
Ya I live UP north too and I keep seeing all the dams that are in danger of failing. Scary shit stay safe everyone if you live in Northern Michigan. Doesn't help that the dams are really old. Obviously climate change is contributing too 😢
No_Possible_7108@reddit
It seems that in the US pretty much all of our major infrastructure is from the 60s and is in danger of failing at any moment but nobody seems concerned enough to put in the time and money to update stuff. Not sure what the lifespan of a modern dam is, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have been getting the same amount of neglect.
I have heard people call America a third world country with a Gucci belt and honestly, that doesn't seem completely inaccurate
Hailsabrina@reddit
Agreed, oh the Gucci saying is true. I hadn't heard that before but that's a good way to describe it.
Intrepid_Advice4411@reddit
It's terrible. There is no stopping all that water. I was just in Cheyboygen last summer. I can't imagine having to leave my home and business and starting over. If the dam collapses the landscape won't even be the same once it's done.
hera-fawcett@reddit
could u elaborate on this?
the great lakes naturally have large weather events (even if we normalize them)... its inevitable that theyll get insaneo wild ass climate change weather as a result.
same w all the places w shit like tornadoes or hurricanes or mudslides or fires or strong winter freezes.
not a lot of places thatll end up w limited climate impact
Serious_Yard4262@reddit
I live in the Great Lakes region, specifically Wisconsin, and it being landlocked with lots of fresh water and historically a mild to cold climate has made a lot of people feel very safe from climate change. Even if it gets pretty hot in large parts of the world, our temperatures would be hot but survivable levels from most reports I've seen. The threat of rising oceans and severe hurricanes seems far off and our worries seem easier to swallow.
hera-fawcett@reddit
thats a shame fr-- bc the midwest (including the lakes region) are 'less' effected by climate change. the houses wont fall into the oceans or be burned away in the fires--- but theyll still be afflicted by tornadoes (which happen bc hot air meets cold air at a high speed, smth thats going to continue), freezes, storms, ungodly humidity and heat (the wet-bulb temperature kind), droughts, etc.
the midwest isnt in the immediate line of fire like the coasts--- but they catch the residuals. and those hit hard.
dalek_999@reddit
Yeah...I moved to the state you're talking about a few years ago, and am seriously wondering if it was a smart idea.
ALittleEtomidate@reddit
Hello fellow same-stater.
I don’t know how anyone can dispute climate change at this juncture. It’s so obvious that something big has changed.
Present-Opinion1561@reddit
6am run to the grocery before work and found 6 nice looking chuck roasts on clearance for $4.5/lb. Grabbed them ALL, ran home to stick them in the fridge. Yes - I am at the point of being a tad late to work for a deal at the grocery.
SushiAndKetamine@reddit
YES!! Nobody is buying beef, been picking up so many deals.
TomatoWitty4170@reddit
Lucky for me ,I work next to a grocery store and shop deals when it’s slow
autoaspiemome3@reddit
Grocery stores are sending out discount coupons. Wegmans is going on 3 weeks now where they have sent out 10% off and now Harris Teeter sending out discounts. Was surprised to see these and I'm taking advantage on stocking up on deals. I'm in a highly competitive grocery market; easily 10+ chains for me to choose from.
dakotamidnight@reddit
That last line definitely is a factor. I'm in a no competition area and they aren't doing that here at all, just some price cuts.
We're actually seeing less store coupons than in the past.
SpacemanLost@reddit
Same here. Kroger stores dominate our area, and store coupons have been getting steadily stingier.
OldStretch84@reddit
I am disabled and have executive function issues, so I buy some food items pre-packaged when I buy groceries (and I do eat out some). There is a salad kit I like because the lettuce is shredded super fine, I like the dressing, and the croutons are little crumbles. Could I put in the extra work to make it, yes, but again, EF issues.
I went to place a grocery order today from the store that carries the salad, haven't gotten an order in about 2 months. The salad went from about $4.00/bag to $7.50/bag in that time, which I refuse to pay. Why? WHY!?!?!
No-Presentation6300@reddit
Do you have access to a food processor? Or another tool that could help you with EF? Just thinking there has to be something out there!
OBotB@reddit
Knowing it is a bit different but is an available option at various local places for relatively cheap - if you are OK with cabbage instead of lettuce they have either "Coleslaw kits" which is just green and red cabbage and carrots in decent siced pieces or "Angel hair coleslaw" which is like shredded lettuce in size. Cabbage lasts longer than than most lettuces (had a few Romaine that lasted surprisingly long) and shredded cabbage definitely lasts longer than shredded lettuce so you could stash a few in your fridge or meal prep some kits each weekend (large Mason jars - there are lots of images online just dump it out into a large bowl or plate to eat, or portable containers you can eat out of).
It is a bit tougher but the finer the shred the less difference. I use both as salads, on sandwiches, in eggroll in a bowl, as a vehicle for sauce that is healthier than noodles.
Because cabbage is super cheap these tend to only be about $2/bag. If you shred some yourself...start with the smallest head of cabbage you can find, they result in much more volume than you would think.
PromotionStill45@reddit
Yes! Have been using shredded cabbage or coleslaw as my salad base for a while now. Really love red cabbage so when I find it already shredded, that's my first choice.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Do you have any friends or relatives that could make your salads for you? You might be able to save money by giving them money for supplies and maybe a bit extra for the work and have them make a bunch of servings of your salad for you
OldStretch84@reddit
I think I'm going to try weekend prepping multiples for the week - success, tbd.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
You can chop lettuce with a food processor too
EndSweet9974@reddit
If you’re able and not a cost issue I strongly suggest something called a chop box. It makes dicing veggies so much easier.
mystery_biscotti@reddit
This. I tried with cabbage and it works really well! Just make sure you have a shredding blade.
The croutons can probably be crumbled in there too, but not at the same time, 😅 I'd use the normal cutting blade on mine, but I only have "shred, slice, cut".
BeeComprehensive5234@reddit
“AI will be implemented in 2027.” Who knows what this means for my job.
No-Presentation6300@reddit
At least you have til 2027! Our company implemented it years ago. There has to be some interesting insights there
Moochingaround@reddit
Farmers here are using cow manure in stead of chemical fertilizers. This squeeze is going to have a giant impact on coffee production.
MsCalendarsPlayaArt@reddit
Shouldn't manure still work okay as a fertilizer? Is it just less effective?
Moochingaround@reddit
Less effective, more work (higher in volume) and limited availability. Chemical fertilizers are basically endless, as long as the Cheeto Mussolini doesn't start wars. There aren't enough cows to fill that gap.
SquirrelyMcNutz@reddit
And isn't there also the various antibiotics and other chems that get pumped into the livestock? There could also be restrictions on where it can be spread if there's a chance of runoff into the water table or waterways.
Around these parts, they like to spread it in the winter or after harvest, so that it gets broken up and such by the rain/snow and it has time to 'mature' in the field before crops are planted.
Moochingaround@reddit
This is Vietnam, there are no such rules haha. Nobody cares about runoff or chemicals. Cow manure is dried and transported in bags here. The bags are hauled manually to a coffee tree where it's ripped open and left.
mystery_biscotti@reddit
Chickens? I know their leavings can take longer to turn into "brown gold"...
Boring-Philosophy-46@reddit
Fresh chicken manure is like roundup on plants, burns away everything.
mystery_biscotti@reddit
Oh yeah. I know that one from experience in my youth. But with cattle being at such low levels lately, it might be a good idea to try to age that chicken manure into compost. Or rabbit leavings. :)
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
It is 'hot' when fresh, so needs aged, turned, spread. It has it's own benefits and drawbacks. If you use it fresh it can 'burn' the plants. I cannot imagine the manure tonnage needed for large scale farming but driving through farming land at certain times of the year I have smelled those manure-spreading efforts for miles.
EscapeCharming2624@reddit
It takes a lot more time and effort to spread a load of manure than chemical fertilizer. Plus some farms are just crop farms no animals.
Boring-Philosophy-46@reddit
Depends on what you want. For carrots and other ground vegetables it's actually a transmission risk and can't be used. So it's not a 1 on 1 replacement.
Availability: Europe is drowning in manure but I think there are rules against export?
alex_bit_@reddit
Brazil?
Moochingaround@reddit
Vietnam
Elsavagio@reddit
I work in the produce industry and buy loads of produce and bring them over to the Great Lakes region for resale. We have seen truck freight rates in the past 3 months go from $7,000 to hire a truck to to nearly $10,500 because of the drivers being taken off the road in California. This basically translates to the end user at the grocery store paying more
CannyGardener@reddit
Ya, my LA to Houston rates on reefer shipments went from \~$3000/tl up to \~$6000/tl in the last 2 months. Makes me a bit sick to my stomach.
Elsavagio@reddit
The scary part is it’s not even peak summer demand yet. I think we could see another 2-3k on top of this easy. This translate for me to an extra $5 a case in freight so freight would be FOb + $15
CannyGardener@reddit
Heh, Ya, I'm estimating the same. I mean, I'm not quite seeing covid numbers yet, but almost there...
symplton@reddit
Drove cross country Sunday/Monday and saw the fewest number of semis in my lifetime. Hotels were packed, restaurants and malls too.
Other things:
Gas in Texas was same price as rest of midwestern states but has half the pumps in service.
Saw Diesel prices of 5.99 in spots for the first time and spots with no DEF signs.
Summer travel is gonna be spicy.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
What is a DEF sign?
lustforrust@reddit
DEF is an acronym for diesel exhaust fluid. It is sprayed into the engine exhaust to reduce nitrogen oxides, thereby making the engine less polluting.
What they were seeing were signs saying that places had no DEF available.
symplton@reddit
Yes - this! Great explanation!
BJntheRV@reddit
In Alabama, and have been seeing diesel at $6 or even higher. It's wild.
TeaPuzzleheaded4745@reddit
Diesel is $6.50 here on the Oregon coast. Basic is $5.79.
Tlr321@reddit
$6.57 in the Valley today for Diesel. Paid $4.92 for Regular.
My wife and I are talking about trying to find a way to carpool together, but our schedules are skewed by a few hours, so I’m not sure if we can make it work.
She works 7:00 - 3:15, but I work 8:30 - 5:00 (most days). We both work about a mile apart in the same city about half an hour from where we live, so it’s in our best interests to figure it out.
KateMacDonaldArts@reddit
Can either of you slightly adjust your hours? Is there a public amenity - community center, library, art gallery, museum, mall, etc. in the vicinity to chill out and wait before/after?
Tlr321@reddit
We’re trying to work that out. My wife works at a school, so she really can’t. I could, however part of my job requires me to communicate information to swing shift, which starts at 4:30pm, so that makes it hard for me to change my hours. In my experience, working remotely has caused some small problems when it comes to the shift change. We have a ton of people at my work who don’t speak a lot of English, especially during swing shift. And I don’t speak very good Spanish. So I try to be in office during shift-change to help make sure everyone is all on the same page.
We also have a daughter who gets out of school at 3:00.
And days where they stay in town until I’m off, we typically aren’t eating dinner until 7:00, or even later, which makes the evening shorter as my daughter’s bedtime is at 8:00. So she eats dinner, then immediately has to go shower, brush teeth, and put on pajamas. Which really sucks because she’s rushed & feeling frustrated, making bedtime a more negative experience.
It’s a whole thing & the logistics are annoying and messy, which is frustrating.
BJntheRV@reddit
I'm surprised it's not much higher. Alabama, like TX, tends to have the cheapest fuel in the country.
nasnedigonyat@reddit
I work in ecommerce, predominately amazon for b2c, and then b2b wholesale direct from our warehouse. Our sales are down 20% off 2023, and dropping. At the same time our costs have gone up 35% due to tariffs. We've cut back on all software and are arguing and renegotiating any services we can't eliminate to lower plans or free tiers of the plans. We have stalled plans to launch two new products bc of the uncertainty. Now fuel surcharges are being applied at every level of the supply chain ranging from 10-16%. Our expenses are up about 56% more and sales down 20%.
Alvintergeise@reddit
Selling to small businesses in the Seattle area. I was told 2 days so by an owner that the last month has been the slowest she's ever seen over the course of 3 years
Impossible_Range6953@reddit
It's perf bonus time at my former employer:
Standard bonus payout but
1- No salary increase 2- Bottom performers got fired 3- Team leads are being asked to do more including cover more analysts each
And still nobody knows how to use Ai to boost productivity.
Boring-Philosophy-46@reddit
Still very little cheap washing powder at the stores (please don't suggest borax diy, it's not widely available here and expensive to order from lab suppliers), NW Europe somewhere. Can buy the multiple times more expensive one lol.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Probably a dumb idea, but could you get some of the more expensive brand and then mix it in with the cheap stuff? It would make the cheap stuff last longer and you would have to buy the expensive stuff up front which does suck but it will keep you from having to purchase more when the price goes up even higher
Boring-Philosophy-46@reddit
I mean might as well use the expensive one pure, same amount is needed. But I use the cheap stuff because that perfume does not give me a reaction, if it even has a perfume. I'm fine for now, glad to have some stores.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
I have always used baking soda (really helps for odors) but am going to add Washing Soda because my local box store has it and I would like to try it for rags/washcloths. Thanks for this.
PrairieFire_withwind@reddit
If you really want to be grossed out, wash your sheets, yhen put them in a pot with a quater to half cup of baking soda. Boil/simmer.
It will be the grossest water ever. Basically it the ph change pulls out oils.
Boring-Philosophy-46@reddit
Imho washing soda works but also bleaches or damages the cotton structure or something, black jeans fade.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Yes, I was reading on it and which is why I think rags/basement rugs kind of usage.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Washing soda works better than borax anyway.
Tlr321@reddit
I’ve been getting the bucket of Nellie’s Detergent from Costco for a few years now. By far the cheapest laundry detergent. 400 loads for like $50, which is the price with delivery. I always buy it when it goes on sale.
VariousFalcon7466@reddit
Nellies gives me a rash. I just make my own most of the time.
Tlr321@reddit
Skin is such a weird thing! We switched to Nellie’s because my wife has super sensitive skin & it doesn’t give her a rash since there’s not any additional scents or additives in it.
GridDown55@reddit
Plus it's much much less plastic than other options. 👍🏻
inknglitter@reddit
Churches in my hometown rotate hosting a free hot lunch 5 days a week, open to anyone. One of them can't afford to do it anymore, so it's down to 4 days (which is still pretty good, but I'm worried anyway)
Last_Owl3457@reddit
It's so amazing that they coordinate this! They must have helped so many people.
inknglitter@reddit
It's a really nice thing! They encourage people to attend even if they're not food insecure, because it's the only social outlet for some elderly folks, & new faces/convos are good.
ThisIsAbuse@reddit
Construction related industry. Layoffs have taken place early this year, some folks are leaving on their own, sensing a downward trend at the company. These are not huge layoffs, but notable and we have not had any of these since Covid. I suspect another round of modest layoffs in the summer.
I can't tell if this is industry wide, based on the economy about to crash, or just where my firm is with work and projects. I am upreared nearly 6 months of emergency savings and will hit 9-12 months savings by fall. My wife's income is bullet proof which is helpful.
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
I tried to book a block of rooms at a large chain hotel (Hampton) and I did not get a local person answering their local phone number, they insisted I use the AI Text process to run the booking, and this after I learned it was over twice the room cost I would pay walking in today AND I had to pay for the block of rooms upfront! Unheard of. Called another hotel in the same chain (Hilton Garden Inn) and got a live person locally and booked the rooms there with ease as normal. Hampton is reasonable in price, clean and breakfast so I like it for business travel as it is dependable but that was so weird. I thought I might have to resort driving to the hotels to make these arrangements for a minute. I was most certainly not going to trust some AI text message process for thousands of dollars.
No_Possible_7108@reddit
Not sure if it is very common but I had heard if you get shouty with an AI telephone system it will redirect you to a real person. I thankfully haven't run into stuff like that too often but there was one time I got stuck with AI voice system and every time it would ask a question I would loudly say "I want to speak with a real person!" and after about five questions it redirected me to an actual person. I wonder if ai texting systems in customer service are set up to do the same.
Also, I realized I am dumb because I felt guilty about raising my voice to a program lol
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
I tried asking exactly that way. Got the person who asked me to process it through the text message process. And couldn't answer my questions about room lists, etc.
symplton@reddit
You can’t call your local Best Buy either! I bought a refurbished phone and w as noted to tell the technician I’d found my DL (he left it in the case) but couldn’t. The representative said I’d have to visit the store!
Boring-Philosophy-46@reddit
NW Europe, you can't call anyone directly anymore. Even my doctor uses an online system that has you jumping hoops. Enshittification.
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
in prep for fuel crisis/lockdown, stopped hiring of temps and new positions, laying off some folks.
other businesses looking into wfh/reduced workdays
funke75@reddit
what region and field of work?
Serious-Ad2573@reddit
Philippines, but also SEA in general. govt/office work. checking into that whole non essential thing if the fuel/supply chain sitch gets worse
ManufacturerOk7236@reddit
Rural rust belt Canada-Great Lakes. As another posted, record rainfall this spring, following higher than usual snowfall, contrast with an ice storm late March last year. Drought last summer wiped out corn crops.
FB Marketplace seems to be moving alot of lower priced items lately, thrift stores also. Seems used vehicle sales still good but fewer trades. Used ATVs & camper trailers & recreational purchases not selling fast & being discounted from original prices.
Fentynal still a huge problem, seems to be concentrated where services are available.
K shaped economy ongoing.
ambular1018@reddit
I work for a small city in SoCal. Got an email yesterday saying we are now in an hiring freeze. We were already understaffed across the board.