Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

[aussiebuggaa Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close aussiebuggaa]

Hi,

I am interested to find out how the recession has changed your coffee consumption, or equipment purchase decision within the past 6 to 12 months.  I presume when the money is tight, coffee and other non-necessity like fine dinning can be easily substituted (ie. from café coffee to instant coffee / from fine dinning to dine at home etc).

Please tick only once for each of the sub category:
 - Café visit
 - (Coffee) Equipments (Coffee cups and tea spoons doesnt fit in this category)
 - In general


Thank you for your participation.  
- Hopefully there is enough interest to get a meaningful result ;D

[Guest Close mwatt]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

Third hand information, but I was actually told recently by a friend (who read it somewhere or other) that café-coffee consumption in Australia has actually gone up during this GFC. No idea where they read/heard it though.

Some of the pro-baristas that hang out around here might be able to confirm/discredit that from their own experience?

[Martial_Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Martial_Monkey]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

Yeah I heard the same thing. Seems to be linked to the fact that coffee is a cheap luxury and as people give up things like going out for dinner they increase the cheaper coffee. I believe movie ticket sales have also increased (escapism?)

[redzone121 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close redzone121]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

Seems to be linked to the fact that coffee is a cheap luxury

Apparently chocolate sales get a boost also

CB

[NewToEspresso Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close NewToEspresso]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

The talk of gloom and doom doesnt seem to translate to the retail world it seems. Leaving the house at 3pm yesterday (Sat), one lane of the 3 lane main road I was one was chockers because the left lane leads to a shopping centre. The shopping centre car parks were full and cars were lined up on the main road trying to get in. Granted it was the eve to Mothers Day, the last time I saw this sort of activity in the shopping centre was the Boxing Day sales 2 years ago. Even last years boxing day sale wasnt this crazy (with the stimulus handout and all). You couldnt tell there was a recession on going by what you saw yesterday.

[greenman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close greenman]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

The recession actually aided me in getting my Mazzer Mini as KRudd kindly gave me the $$ to do so--"thanks uncle Kev!!"

[aussiebuggaa Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close aussiebuggaa]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

Personally I believe recession have made things cheaper for consumers.  Unless you recently lost your job, you will have more money than ever for discretionary spending.  For example, Petrol is now around $1.10 comparing to $1.90 before the recession started.  Interest rates are now at all time low etc. (although rent is still quite high , and public tranport is still rising  :-/)

The only reason that would stop an average consumer from spending (ie. on going to café, new purchases etc) is in my opinion, Job Security.  I was quite worried at the beginning of the recession that I’d be made redundant, and my spending mode was pretty much on frozen, “Saving money”.  But after my company assured us, we will keep the job, it was back to the usual spending spree….and also thanks to Mr.Rudd’s $900, new coffee machine is on the way. LOL

[yeeza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close yeeza]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

Some of the pro-baristas that hang out around here might be able to confirm/discredit that from their own experience?  

Where I work, consumption has grown steadily since the GFC hit... we are across the road from 5000 CommBank employees though... dont know what that implies  

Though generally I think its an affordable luxury(debatable "necessity"), that people arent willing to give up.  Which makes total sense to me  8-)

[Andy CoffeeSnobs Owner Find all posts View Profile Close Andy]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

The important 11th option is missing... What recession?



If you didnt read the newspapers, watch the TV news and still had a job would you even know there was (I hate using this term) an economic crisis?

We dont have food stamps at the supermarket or restrictions on the availabilty of anything. We might all make more sensible decisions on what we buy and with any luck that translates to buying more local produced products but I think we are a long way, a very long way from the times that our grandparents lived through.

Super fund going south? I dunno, I have 25 years before I can touch it so knowing that I spread it across a few different markets means that I dont need to see a statement for 15 years odd. At that time I can make decisions about what I should be doing with it.

So my advice is spend less time talking/stressing about doom and gloom and enjoy the wonderful life that we have in this lucky country.

Oh, just to get back on topic, coffee is one of the last things Ill drop!

[yeeza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close yeeza]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

Oh, just to get back on topic, coffee is one of the last things Ill drop!

amen. ;D

[Thundergod Sleep is overrated Find all posts View Profile Close Thundergod]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

Ive been out of work now since the end of November.
My conspiracy theory is that companies are using the "recession" as an excuse to downsize and reduce costs by hiring back (eventually) at lower rates.
If you dont have a job right now...it IS tough.

But as Andy said...

coffee is one of the last things Ill drop!

[redzone121 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close redzone121]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

amen

Amen to your Amen Yeeza, we have it pretty sweet alright. Have not had to stand in line with a shovel looking for half a days work yet to feed the family or wait in line for a monthly hand out of meat. Friends have told me they had NO coffee or tea either. Now thats a recession

[Koffee_Kosmo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

The important 11th option is missing... What recession?

Wink

If you didnt read the newspapers, watch the TV news and still had a job would you even know there was (I hate using this term) an economic crisis?

Yep I totally agree with this

Having said that it is a man made greed & growth cycle that repeats itself regularly

This is a list of recession cycles from 1797 to the present

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions

KK

[Javaphile Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Javaphile]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?

I didnt do cafes before and still dont home is better and far cheaper.

As to reducing home consumption. Unless it lasts for more than 3 years its not gonna happen. Some people saw the hard times and higher prices coming and stocked up before they hit.


Java "Sitting on 400kg of greens" phile

[TEPIN Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close TEPIN]

Re: Recession: How did it affect your coffee consumption?


Super fund going south? [ch65533]I dunno, I have 25 years before I can touch it so knowing that I spread it across a few different markets

Couple of Guys I Know have lost 4-500K ages 59 and 61, not happy chappies, They need the money shortly..