Views of a Grumpy Old Man – The Economy and Bread!

Views of a Grumpy Old Man – The Economy and Bread!

I’m really worried about the future of the economy. Not so much for the multi-billion corporations but for the little guys that we called the ‘mom and pop’ stores back when I was in business.

People working from home when they don’t have to be are not helping all the small businesses that exist on their custom. The hair salon, the small cafes and small independents are suffering and many will go bust.

A lot of these people will not be able to get any help as they are self-employed and there is nothing in place for them. The black cab drivers in the UK are in a terrible position right now as are Uber and other official cab drivers. Many depend on ‘airport runs’ which are just not there anymore.

To add to the misery another weapon being used now is the fake reviews. Competitors are now buying fake reviews to damage other peoples’ businesses. Negative reviews can be pretty detrimental to a brand. It can destroy a reputation in a matter of days or hours. It is possible, without a lot of effort via the internet, to find companies that will write fake reviews for a few cents each.

I saw recently a small company in the UK that was doing great until a lot of bad reviews popped up online and with a few weeks they were ruined. They somehow managed to trace them all back to individuals working in India and being paid per review. It is illegal to do this in the USA but I’m not sure if it’s outlawed in the UK. If not, it should be.

OK something a little less serious that makes me very grumpy too. Bread is complicated. I don’t like normal sliced bread that has so many chemicals in it that it seems fresh for ages. Then one day you look at it and it’s now kryptonite green glowing in the cupboard.

I like one we call 5 seedy bread that you can buy in a famous Spanish supermarket chain.  But it has one major problem. It tapers at each end so you can only get two or three decent size sandwiches then a couple of small ones. The rest is useless and finishes up with two massive thick lumps. Why can’t it be made the same size all the way through?

Will be on Talk Radio Europe tomorrow at 11.30 am with Bill Padley being grumpy.

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Written by

Mike Senker

Grumpy Old Man Mike Senker provokes laughter and some groans with his spot on observations of life in the modern age.

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