Nashville

Firewood for sale, but not moving, outside Nashville.

Andrew Visser
 

Awhile back, a listener named Andrew Visser wrote in from the Nashville area to say he'd noticed a lot of new folks selling firewood from pickups by the side of the road. Andrew said he'd stop by and ask if the newcomers were searching for extra cash in the recession.

Andrew talked to two of them. He reports:

I talked to Jack and Mike. Jack told me he has been selling firewood to make ends meet since he lost his job about 3 months ago, the indefinite lay-off. He said he drives from 45 minutes away to the location (just outside downtown Nashville) to sell his goods. Mike drives from 45 miles out to get here, and has been doing this business for 5-6 years. He (Mike) was selling firewood for the same reasons. No job. He told me that there were a lot of people selling firewood here this year as compared to previous seasons.
As he was telling me this a car pulled up.
Two guys were in it asking how the day was going. Mike talked to them for a minute while I snapped a couple pictures of the firewood in his truck. After they drove away Mike told me that the guys in the car had just lost their jobs also and were looking for a good place to sell their firewood.
Let me back up a bit in the story now. When I pulled up to the trucks with my vehicle I drove past Mike then Jack. They were parked on the side of the road as shown in the two photos I attached. I got out of my vehicle and Jack approached me with the typical salesman aura. I took the time to explain the reason for my visit. After we had talked a few minutes (Jack, Mike and myself) Jack revisited the way he first approached me when I arrived. He noted that Mike had not made a move towards us until I approached Mike. Jack then described the ultra competitive mentality of the new guys who were out there selling. Jack told me they will run up to you to get you to buy from their truck. No etiquette. Mike nodded in agreement adding that the sales have been drastically down this season because there are so many more people selling, not more buying. Mike then pointed to the pile of wood on his truck saying "this load has been on my truck for nearly one month."
After talking to these guys, my original suspicion of there being more trucks out here in relation to the hurting economy has been quite strengthened.

categories: Economic Scene

1:33 - February 11, 2009

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