what our city needs to do

If you have a mortgage and kids, $100K family income isn't going to let you eat out too often.

Much of it is Dean....like I said I'm not saying all well to do Winnipeger's are like this.
I'm only speaking from personal experience, one example is a co-worker of mine. He works a LOT of overtime, averages 90-100K/annually. Has ZERO debt, no mortgage, no credit cards, no car payments etc. ALWAYS has his RRSP maxed out half way through the year. Shops second hand for almost everything, owns a older used car he never drives, walks or cycles to work even in winter because it's cheaper than driving. Doesn't go to restaurants, or bars, probably hasn't been to a movie theater in the last year. One of my best friends parents are in a similar financial situation, have similar spending paterns. Have NEVER been on a vacation in 35 years even though they could clearly afford it, because they consider it frivolous. Never go out, eat all meals at home etc.Yet he tells me they're sitting on around $1,000,000, and both have healthy pensions. Neither are what one would consider "rich", but both put considerably less money back into the local economy than someone with the same income with more liberal spending patterns.

I know many other examples from personal experience and I'm not trying to say it in a negative tone. All I'm saying is that Winnipeger's as a whole tend to be more financially conservative than say people living in Vancouver, Toronto or New York etc. Much of this has to do with the working class roots of many Winnipeger's, so even if they may have the disposable income they still hold a negative view towards spending. I personally think tit's one of the things that holds the city back. Just my opinion.

It's one of the reasons you see a Red Apple as a major anchor in our downtown and not a Holt Renfrew, or Armani etc. as you would see on Robson St. Is it because there aren't enough Winnipeger's in a high enough income bracket to keep a Holt Renfrew in business? Or is it because they have other priorities for their money?

That's all I'm saying, Winnipeger's are different, not better or worse....just different.

I know several people "around" the 100K level. None of them have any significant savings at all other then RRSPs. All the money is spent on living.

Same here. If you had two people with individual incomes over $100K, they would probably have a lot to spend. But not a family income. At least not enough to buy your clothes from Armani.
I think there's still a Holt Renfrew in Portage Place somehow.

ugg.. watching one show on TV last night where this chick spent 100K+ in one furniture store. She paid in cash....

Man, whoever convinced that sucker to pay $100k for funiture is a genius.

chairs for the Table were $1000 each.

Wonder how you get to be a furniture designer who can sell stuff for that price. Guess after you convince one person to pay a crazy amount of money for your products it just goes from there. Like art.

heh.... lets ask Rosen...

Note that Winnipeg reportedly has more restaurants and golf courses per capita than other Canadian city.

Note also that Winnipeggers are reportedly the most generous in Canada for charitable donations.

Maybe Winnipeggers just spend their money in other ways?

But yeah, Winnipeg has a reputation for frugality.

Naww, Winnipeggers are just cheap. People don't like to pay for service. We're satisfied with lack of and outright bad service in places like Wal Mart, Canadian Tire, Stupid Store and the multitude of dollar stores that litter the City.

But I think the issue at the political level, civic and especially provincial, is the lack of support for business and provincially, the anti business attitude. Government has the responsibility to create the environment for business to grow. Need to cut the taxes, red tape and anti business legislation so we can attract business = jobs = more tax revenue = prosperity = more business = more jobs, and so on.

Oh yeah, and a complete overhaul of the community centre system and it consumes massive $$'s with dubious measurable results.

Freeman wrote:But I think the issue at the political level, civic and especially provincial, is the lack of support for business and provincially, the anti business attitude.

You're forgetting the anti-business unions.

I sense a theme....

There are some comments insinuating Winnipeggers are cheap.
I think these "cheap people" are following the lead of some businesses.
Some businesses think Canadian people are "too expensive" so the jobs have been pushed out of the country where they can be done cheaper.
And then they wonder why the country is in a recession.

If I was starting over today, I would go into something where the job can't be pushed off shore. Example: hairdressing, nursing, etc.

Pick a career where people want to see you - rather than need to see you. Your two examples are good ones. Now, start writing your own paycheques.

Outsider wrote:There are some comments insinuating Winnipeggers are cheap.
I think these "cheap people" are following the lead of some businesses.
Some businesses think Canadian people are "too expensive" so the jobs have been pushed out of the country where they can be done cheaper.
And then they wonder why the country is in a recession.

If I was starting over today, I would go into something where the job can't be pushed off shore. Example: hairdressing, nursing, etc.

This is not unique to Canada. Hell now some third world countries are sending jobs elsewhere due to rising labour costs... Ironic as hell eh?

Canada is not in a recession due to the practise of off-shoring jobs. Canada is in a recession because the whole world is right-sizing their economies after too many years of super-heated consumerism.

Canada is in a recession due to the unions.

Spoiler:

Jondo wrote:Pick a career where people want to see you - rather than need to see you. Your two examples are good ones. Now, start writing your own paycheques.

Now you're talking. But if you decide to work for yourself, then you become a business.

That's fine. The real world revolves around small-business.

Jondo wrote:That's fine. The real world revolves around small-business.

Exactly, thats why government should create a business friendly environment.

Freeman wrote:

Jondo wrote:That's fine. The real world revolves around small-business.

Exactly, thats why government should create a business friendly environment, free of unions.

Fixed it fer ya. 'welcome.

Damn, there's that theme again.

No, we don't wait for, or expect the government to do anything. They've done enough. They need to be neutered. All that's missing is a mechanism that unifies the strength of the masses. Elections are not that anymore - despite the old bullshit adage. The whole system needs to be killed.

Or just elect DeanK mayor.

I don't think there is anything wrong with not wanting to spend money!
There are those that will spend for quality, and those that have "other" priorities.
I believe that Winnipeg has only a very small percentage that will spend, far smaller than is "normal", whatever normal means.
In the furniture and clothing business that is why Holt's sells the discontinued or left overs from the Holt Renfrew chain. That is why all the high end furniture stores are gone leaving Winnipegers with only the lower end qualities, and with Wpgers thinking that they bought an expensive sofa when they spend $1000 on a sofa instead of the sofa, loveseat and chair that one of the warehouse outlets had on for $999 a short time ago.
That $1000 chair is not particularly expensive, dining room chair out of real wood , that is!
There is a company in Vancouver that cuts dining room chairs out of real wood that sells the chairs for around $1500 each!
In the U.S. most of the manufactureres have closed because of cheap knock offs from China that haven't got the quality, but have the "cheap" price ticket that many consumers want.
The market will decide.
In the 1960' in Wpg, population appx 250,000, had Steek's Fine Furniture, Wilson's, Brick's, Eaton's Fine Furniture, The Penthouse, There was a modern furniture store across from Eaton's, and now with Wpg at 650,000 still has Brick's and our little store.
Our clients spend less money over time than you will spend for a sofa that is comfortable from day 1, because after 10 years our sofa is still looking good and is still comfortable, that is if you use it a lot. Most people either do not care, or do not want to spend more for a better quality , because they cannot see the differance.
In todays market those that want inexpensive, can get the cheapest furniture ever made, and are laughing at how inexpensive it is.
We are working on promoting to that market a $1299, contemporary sofa, that is the best value on the market! It has the quality and an incredible value. We started advertising (we don't advertise our $2000 -$4000 sofas) in Novenber and had our 1st sales in early December, and delivered the orders before Xmas!
In the middle of December, one of our "repeat" clients, came in and purchased over $30,000 for one or 2 cottages. We get our clients coming back after 12 years changing the material because they are tired of the material, and the sofa foam does not have to be replaced because of wear!
Quality is comfortable from day one and continues after day 3,650! Cheaper over 10 years! More comfortable! Looks better!

grumpy old man wrote:

Outsider wrote:There are some comments insinuating Winnipeggers are cheap.
I think these "cheap people" are following the lead of some businesses.
Some businesses think Canadian people are "too expensive" so the jobs have been pushed out of the country where they can be done cheaper.
And then they wonder why the country is in a recession.

If I was starting over today, I would go into something where the job can't be pushed off shore. Example: hairdressing, nursing, etc.

This is not unique to Canada. Hell now some third world countries are sending jobs elsewhere due to rising labour costs... Ironic as hell eh?

Canada is not in a recession due to the practise of off-shoring jobs. Canada is in a recession because the whole world is right-sizing their economies after too many years of super-heated consumerism.

Canada is in a recession due to the unions.

IMHO Canada is in a recession due to GREED.