We are closing our pet store to customers on Friday. If for some reason the state deems us to be ‘essential’ we will reopen.

We will still do home delivery and curbside pickup as long as we can.

Out suppliers only filled 50% of our orders last week. It’s only going to get worse. We are keeping everyone on the payroll.... until we can’t.

Hoping for the best along with everyone else.

Good luck Sir.

Jeff, good luck, hopefully we'll go back to business as usual, I'm fearful of the number of small businesses that won't survive this debacle..

empire state, good luck with the job hunt

Thanks guys. We are pretty well positioned to hang on for a while.

We started preparing when the virus hit the press, reducing inventory to raise cash, focusing buying on products essential to life: Food and supplements mostly.

Unfortunately many businesses in our town are in serious jeopardy. Half our population is from Appalachian State University and they closed down completely. The bars and restaurants are especially vulnerable.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
Out suppliers only filled 50% of our orders last week. It’s only going to get worse.

Why do you think that is, exactly? Supply chain? Shipping? DIverted resources? Probably different reasons for different vendors, but I'd be interested in hearing more.

Hang in there, Jeff.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
Out suppliers only filled 50% of our orders last week. It’s only going to get worse.

Why do you think that is, exactly? Supply chain? Shipping? DIverted resources? Probably different reasons for different vendors, but I'd be interested in hearing more.

Hang in there, Jeff.

Thanks! Supply chain stress. Customers panicked and stocked up wiping out everyone’s inventory. Store followed and stocked up so there isn’t enough food in the supply chain for everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
I know two people in the car business that lost their job today. Both were laid off indefinitely due to COVID but were told that likely this will hurt the business so bad that they won’t be rehired.

The jackals that keep repeating how this is worth it can’t seem to grasp the basic concept that this “OMG not the flu that most people will survive” is wrecking people’s lives and some will either take a lot to recover or possibly never recover. They love to lecture people how they just don’t get it, but the fact is they are so panicked that they don’t care the impact. If it saves one life.......

Hear! Hear!

quote:

Originally posted by lopezp:
If any of the dealerships would have seemed to be halfway interested in selling a truck, I would have bought. They were both still acting as though there's absolutely no room to negotiate off of MSRP.

If you go back a few days from now, or next week, I would be really interested in hearing if they budge then. While there is not the wiggle room on new cars, hence the 0% rates, my guess is that used car prices are going to tank. A used truck that would have been $30k last week will be $25k in 3 weeks.

Not just small companies... I expect to get my layoff notice at some point soon and I work for a rather large corporation

quote:

Originally posted by lopezp:
Local dealerships around me in central Florida are also laying off staff due to lack of business. I have been shopping for a new truck to pull my travel trailer, Chevy, Ford Dodge...I'm looking at them all. I was in a Chevy and a Dodge dealer yesterday and they were ghost towns. Oddly, the remaining sales force didnt really seem interested in negotiating. Everyone is offering 0 percent for 72 or 84, but Im a cash buyer. Not really desirable to a dealership, I know.

If any of the dealerships would have seemed to be halfway interested in selling a truck, I would have bought. They were both still acting as though there's absolutely no room to negotiate off of MSRP.

If its 0% why not use their money??

My aunt and uncle both lost their jobs this weekend.
My aunt worked at a high scale salon/spa and my uncle was the parts department manager of a huge GM dealership. He was there for 38 years and he was layed off over email.

quote:

He was there for 38 years and he was layed off over email.

Assholes

I'm of the opinion that Fortunes 500 Companies find themselves in a different sort of test than the financial crisis. There will be those those that go to layoffs quickly, and those that refuse to. I see a corporate battle shaping up where they are painted as either good or evil, and it will be interesting to watch. Most have painted themselves into a bit of a corner. Are they suddenly convenient capitalists, and not the socially aware corporate citizens they claimed to be?

There are companies, for instance, that preach to their employees "we have your back!" Do they? Do they really? Employees, unless they're drinking the kool-aid, know it's HR BS, but if large well known corporations lead the way and say nope, not this time and successfully defend the position in spite of or maybe because of their stockholders, then it makes it harder for other companies to choose to be one of the bad guys.