this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2025
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Had a beer with a friend this weekend who works in car rentals. Says numbers are way down. Auto manufacturers don't want to sell cars to rental fleets because they're already having trouble moving inventory to new buyers and don't want a flood of late model second hand cars.

Clean energy, one of the few growth sectors in the US, was unceremoniously shot as part of BBB. They're cutting huge chunks from the government.

Inflation looks like shit. 12 pack of coke is 10 fucking dollars (who cares I'll keep drinking that garbage). My household has certainly pulled back as have many others. And tariffs haven't started to bite yet.

Housing markets are frozen in the south. saw a piece out there this morning that AI capital investment contributed more to GDP than consumer spending.

BLS numbers were so bad Trump shot the messenger. This is only the beginning as well, three and a half more years to go. And then we get Buttigieg I guess? There's no way out.

What are you folks seeing out there? Lets gather up our anecdata

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[–] SuperZutsuki@hexbear.net 86 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Shipping volume is drying the fuck up.

Every drop-shipping business is going to be at death's door pretty soon thanks to tariffs.

Shelves are empty as fuck (this is like communism)

Morale at work is at an all-time low (logistics industry).

Mass layoffs are coming for everyone. There's just not enough economic activity to sustain the level of employment that we're at. And it's only going downhill from there. Spiking unemployment is just going to lower consumption even more, resulting in more unemployment.

But it's okay, we have anti-woke AI to guide us toward a post-woke future with big booba and no minorities.

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 66 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

The setup is so fucking bleak I haven't felt this pessimistic since 2009

And I was just a wee lad with only myself to worry about

[–] SuperZutsuki@hexbear.net 61 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It really sucks shit to see the collapse so clearly and be unable to do anything about it. Like I'm strapped to a table and a circular saw is moving towards me at 1cm per day. I just see death and destruction in the future and nobody will give a shit until their specific treat stops flowing.

[–] Beaver@hexbear.net 46 points 1 week ago

I don't have the heart to tell my SO that I'm learning to garden in earnest because I'm worried about our long-term food security.

[–] kotak_doost@hexbear.net 52 points 1 week ago

At least inflation was low in 2009, so if you kept your job somehow you could keep your head above water. I graduated in 2009 so I decided to do a PhD to upskill until the job market improved. I was making barely any money during that time on my stipend but I could survive, I have no idea how anybody is doing that now when the cost of living so high.

[–] kotak_doost@hexbear.net 30 points 1 week ago

So the MAGA communists were right all along.