Tattooing In Tough Times, Recession, Deppression, call it what you will |
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 Oct 9 2008, 12:16 AM
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#1
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for those that have worked the industry in brick and mortar shops... how would you describe the resiliency of the tattooing industry (on a customer level) during times of financial duress? serious question here... I am curious what the general trend seems to be... I know I have been inked in times when I was prosperous and times when I was not doing so well...
input... thoughts? |
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Oct 9 2008, 01:13 AM
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#2
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is this just for pros to answer?... Anyway, i personally think a slow down is inevitable... when it comes to " shall i pay the bills " or " shall i get my ink finished " i think the majority will pay the bills..
-------------------- Nosferatu1812@yahoo.com
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Oct 9 2008, 06:42 AM
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#3
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QUOTE (Noz187 @ Oct 9 2008, 01:13 AM)  is this just for pros to answer?... Anyway, i personally think a slow down is inevitable... when it comes to " shall i pay the bills " or " shall i get my ink finished " i think the majority will pay the bills.. x2 -------------------- |
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Oct 9 2008, 09:37 PM
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#4
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I don't know but it sucks. I just switched over to tattooing full time at the beginning of this summer. It was so busy then we were turning people away. It seems like ever since this stupid ass "economical hardship" shit has been all over the news the last couple weeks, our business was cut in half. I'm still working, but I got a little more drawing time than I need now.
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Oct 10 2008, 09:33 AM
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#5
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Yeah. Business has been ridiculously slow at my shop. Our business is like a quarter of what it was a couple months ago. I can barely keep food on the table. Seems like no one has extra cash to blow on tattoos right now.
This post has been edited by EDD: Oct 10 2008, 09:41 AM |
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Oct 10 2008, 10:05 AM
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#6
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even the slow days are a blessing ..
takes some adjusting to . i'm booked all next week ..so is bubba . been steady..extremely steady ..  peace & blessings A. -------------------- damn it ...i just sat on my nutz !!!!
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Oct 10 2008, 10:50 AM
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#7
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thanks for all the responses... and I am sorry to hear some of you are not fairing well with the economy in its current state. its going to get worse before it gets better.... best wishes to everyone who is struggling... which seems to be everyone these days regardless of what industry you make your paper in.
I traded commodities, precious metals to be exact but had to liquidate my inventory due to overwhelming expenses about 7 or 8 months ago. it ended up being a mixed blessing of sorts, as metals such as silver, platinum, and palladium have all taken a serious hit, in some cases well over 50% loss compared to when I had to bail out... I know a lot of people who were heavily invested in them as it is a tangible means of wealth, but have lost massive amounts of money, and its going to take some serious time to gain back what was lost. for any of you that may have any spare savings and you are worried about your finances, one thing I would recommend is physical holding of gold, not paper contracts. gold is volatile but it is staying in the 850-950/oz region. I recommend pamp suisse bars, credit suisse bars, and gold american eagles. even if its 1 fractional coin a month, like a 1/10th oz eagle, you can for the most part count on gold as a hedge. it wont make you much money, but it is useful for preserving wealth. if you want to know where to buy, the best prices I have ever seen that will sell any amount and don't have minimums is apmex.com, I used to use them a lot. I would stay away from the other metals at the moment besides gold as the premiums are so high, in some cases over 100% because no one wants to sell off when they just took a major financial hit. just a few tips I figured I would share, might do some people good but as always... read up and do your own research, don't just take my word for it. kitco.com forums are a great place to get a taste of what the climate is like but I wouldn't listen to anyone in particular's forecasts... too much market manipulation and vested interests out there to make an educated guess at this moment. |
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Oct 10 2008, 11:34 AM
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#8
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Business always slows down at the shop I work in once the kids go back to school. It has slowed a bit more lately.
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Oct 11 2008, 05:25 AM
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#9
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I think thats what gives us who tattoo out of our homes a advanatage with the econmey the way it is because overhead is extermely lower and most of us do it more as a hobby then such right now which also benifits us sure were not getting rich off it but even the most experianced artists in the industry dont get exteremly wealthy just able to live a little more comfy then the rest of us is all. like someone previously mentioned its going to get worse before it gets better yup as with anything else but the good thing is this is one way to weed out the peoeple only getting into the industry to make a quick buck verses those of us who are in it for the long haul. just my .02 cents
Aaron -------------------- |
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Oct 11 2008, 11:37 PM
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#10
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I'm actually working another job as well
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Oct 12 2008, 05:47 PM
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#11
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You would be surprised how creative you tend to get when times get tough.....Im seeing a lot of 200 dollars all the tattooing you can take ads around here.
-------------------- Just my 2 cents
Rob |
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Oct 12 2008, 08:12 PM
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#12
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Yeah I'm drawing our ad for the new times. It's gonna be sick I may post it when it's done. I got some tricks up my sleeve for this one. I also promote alot on my down time. I'll never go back to a real job.
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Oct 13 2008, 04:35 AM
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#13
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Yeah, on a personal level, I put off getting my next tat til Xmas time when i get my bonus. I can't justify $200-300 at a time when our electric rates just went up 20%, etc..
(I think one of the hardest things to learn in life is the difference between necessities and luxuries.) -------------------- I'm only here because I'm not all there.
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