The recession has it all for the ladies of Australia -romance, racy thigh sweating, chocolate, champagne and tradies in uniform. One man’s global financial crisis is another woman’s gold mine, apparently.
Take online dating for example, which — according to Time and The Business Sheet — is quickly on the rise amongst recession hit westerners. The laid off worker wants a mate this holiday season to ease the chilly realities of a financially poorer life, and online dating is cheaper than your regular dating rituals – all those drinks, flowers and chocolate cost money you know:
Julian Glasser, 32, a real estate broker in Chicago, was forced to make financial sacrifices after the declining housing market took a toll on his formerly ample commissions. Among them was a shift in his dating habits. “I was spending less time at bars and clubs meeting girls and more time at home trying to find girls on the Internet,” he says. “I used to spend hundreds of dollars a week on my various dating efforts, whereas now, I only spend $50 a month on online dating, and I’m pretty much guaranteed success.”
Great for Julian, Crikey can only hope he does a little wining and dining of said internet girls in step two of online dating which is…
The part where you ditch the avatar and meet the dude/lady in real life. Part two may be unduly assisted though the recession by Australians becoming a fitter (and thus more attractive) nation as we cut petrol costs by leaving cars in driveways and pedal to work (hoorah!). Do you like your online date in lycra? According to the Cycling Promotion Fund Australian bike sales are continuing to outstrip car sales, “Australians are not just buying bikes, they are using them increasingly frequently. Census figures show a 28% increase in riding to work across Australian capital cities.”
And forget lipstick economics, what we’re really buying is chocolate and champagne. Exercise on bikes may be necessary to combat credit crunch induced blubber because chocolate, according to The Australian, is recession proof and bottle shop sales, according to the ABC, were through the roof this Christmas. That’s right, while other products flat line as the children of consumerism curb spending elsewhere, confectionary and alcohol are in, in, in. The Australian National Retail Association’s chief exec Margy Osborne told the ABC “it’s almost like people are having that last celebration before they bunker down to what could be quite a tough year.”
It is important here to point out that it is the good stuff that is doing well, rising bubbly sales were for fancy French champagne while apparently in the land of chocolate “Smaller specialty premium manufacturers have a better chance at staying afloat during tough economic times because they have less competition than large manufacturers.” Note to online dating fiend Julian: If you’re going to gorge, gorge in style. Take the lady out for some Max Brenner chocolate shakes.
If online dating for longer periods is more your thing, then the recession again provides. Looking to the silver lining of the minerals boom subsiding, we may not have as much cash as before but we will have more tradies in military uniform (hello!) and much less bombardment from ADF advertising on the teevee. Uncle Kevin and Cousin Joel are reaping the benefits of the recession according to the Sydney Morning Herald. That’s right, the Australian Defence Force isn’t having so many problems recruiting these days since the mines are slowing down production — plenty of fit young tradies just lining up to don that hot camouflage ensemble. Hot.
But this is no big surprise apparently, The SMH said “The Defence Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, had forecast late last year the economic slowdown was likely to provide a boost to military recruiters.” This means more long distance relationships from Oz to Timor and Afghanistan – enter the interwebs. Julien might be on to something with the online dating thing.
