07-12-2024, 10:29 PM
Quote:COVID did a number on the world in so many ways that there's no need to even attempt to recount them all, but one pretty depressing lasting impact it seems to have had at least in the area in which I live is the seemingly permanent worsening of retail and dining experiences. Every aspect of going into any store, restaurant, or similar social space is considerably worse now than it was before COVID. Service pretty much across the board is atrocious due to understaffing and disgruntled workers, actual conditions of the business interiors, food quality, etc. are all abysmal compared to pre-COVID times.
It's like no matter where you go everything is just worse from top to bottom. This feels even more depressing in conjunction with the fact that COVID changed people's habits in lasting ways as well, with more people electing to simply stay at home than go out and shop at retail or dine in restaurants compared to years ago. So it's like this self-sustaining cycle of people not frequenting businesses anymore or going to social events in the same way that they once did, which in turn makes it harder for businesses to even attempt to bounce back and return to their previous quality.
Movie theaters are especially grim these days too, with their disintegrating seat upholstery and skeleton crew staffing. And since COVID wrecked the film industry there's possibly no turning that around anytime soon either. Electronics and gaming stores are also really depressing to browse now with their stock being absolutely anemic. And on top of all of that, due to inflation, all of these significantly worsened experiences cost more than they ever did before too.
But this is just my personal experience living in South Florida, and I'm curious to hear from other people from other areas of the United States as well as around the world to see if things are similar elsewhere. I'd love to know if and how other places have managed to bounce back more effectively than what I've been seeing where I live.
Fuck off doomer