Blog 1

My article is from the New York Times and is entitled Working Hard to Look Busy (Link at bottom of entry). This article discusses how worker in a variety of professions are doing everything possible to look busy, even if they are not. With the downturn the economy has taken in the past months many businesses are doing anything to cut down cost. One way is lay off workers who are unproductive or spend a majority of time idle. I found the length and ways that some of the employees did to look busy interesting. One example is a portfolio manager. When he leaves for lunch, he leaves his cell phone behind on purpose. The he has friends from other offices call his phone to give the appearance of him being in the office and busy. Another example which I found well thought out and extravagant is the example of the New York lawyer who wanted it to appear that he was in the office working late at night. He brought in an oscillating fan which would keep the motion sensor lights on, long after he left the office. The example given for the retail store employees included refolding clothes and writing letters to customers thanking them for visiting the store.
This can affect the retailing and fashion industry in a number of ways. In retail stores laying off employees can lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction. While having less workers in the store will keep cost down, it can make it difficult for customers to find an employee to help them shop. Many retailers are closing down whole stores which they find to be unproductive or not busy enough. These changes can frustrate the customer and possibly steer them away from the specific retailer. This article also discusses employees holding positions in real estate firms, law firms, and other professional careers. Retail stores depend on their customers to keep them in business. If companies lay off thousands of workers, there will be less people with the disposable income available to spend on non necessity items. This will have a direct effect on the amount of revenue generated by retailers.
This has affected my life and those of people I know. Several of my friends have had their parents laid off from work. I also know several people who work at companies which are letting thousands of people go. Several store have been forced to shut their doors due to deceases in sales. I often enjoyed shopping at Circuit City and Linens'n'Things, which are two of the many retailers which have closer or are in the process of closing.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/fashion/25busy.html?pagewanted=1&sq=retail&st=cse&scp=10