<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.100" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>You might be laid off more gradually as = each "employer" discontinues hiring your services for the time being.  = It might depend on who all those "employers" are.  If your customer base is = all livingrooms, and in an area where there are large = corporations</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>indulging in massive job-cuts, you = might eventually find yourself with too little to do when all is said and done.  If = your customer base also includes churches and theatres, you might be a little = luckier, depending on how their budgets respond to ticket sales or donations.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We're lucky.  Since our income = doesn't respond as rapidly as having a single employer deliver a job-cut, we have time = to adjust our lifestyles and shore up our resources as our income declines.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial = size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I hate to admit, we might not = be lucky for awhile yet.  All I hope for now is that things don't get as bad all = around as they did in Boston in '88-91 ....  Christmas of 1990 was a year = when the stores were laying off people at Thanksgiving rather than hiring on = seasonal help.  The "help wanted" pages in the Sunday Boston Globe went = from a packet as thick as the daily paper to a single sheet of newsprint.  = With jobs for the general public being that scarce, I knew that we piano = technicians didn't have a chance, especially those who were new to the = market.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Z! Reinhardt  RPT<BR>Ann = Arbor  MI<BR><A href="mailto:diskladame@provide.net">diskladame@provide.net</A></FONT><= /DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: "Clyde Hollinger" <</FONT><A href="mailto:cedel@supernet.com"><FONT face=Arial size=2>cedel@supernet.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial = size=2>></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: <</FONT><A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><FONT face=Arial size=2>pianotech@ptg.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial = size=2>></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2001 = 10:45 PM</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: Re: = Recession-proof?</FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT = face=Arial size=2>Phil,<BR><BR>I wouldn't expect piano service to be totally = recession proof, but it is still a<BR>lot different from a number of other = occupations, in that, since I have eight<BR>hundred "employers" I am not likely to get = laid off by all of them.  I think I<BR>would always have enough income to = pay the bills.<BR><BR>Regards, Clyde<BR><BR>Phil Bondi wrote:<BR><BR>> In the = US, with the advent of all the posibilities, it would be my opinion<BR>> = that 'new' piano sales are bound to take a hit. I feel used pianos between = 2<BR>> parties and used from dealerships should maintain.<BR>><BR>> but service...<BR>><BR>> I'm the admitted rook in the business, and = seeing company after company<BR>> laying off thoussands of people, I still = feel pretty safe being in a<BR>> service-based business.<BR>><BR>> = Is this a false sense of security? The activity of my phone tells me no, = but<BR>> I would like to hear the comments from those who have been through what = I<BR>> believe we are headed towards.<BR>><BR>> roo(k)<BR><BR><BR></FONT></BODY></HTML>