Wall Street Merchants Say Spreading Protests Throttle Sales, Threaten Jobs

[dkf]

Occupy Wall Street protests assailing income inequality, joblessness and big banks may have some unintended consequences. They’re hurting nearby merchants as police barricades deter shoppers.

“If this doesn’t stop soon I will be out of business,” said Marc Epstein, 53, president of Milk Street Cafe on Wall Street, less than a block from the New York Stock Exchange.

Sales have dropped about 20 percent since the protests began last month and the 103 jobs created by the cafe’s opening in June are now at risk, said Epstein, who’s not alone. Caroline Anderson, general manager of Boutique Tourbillon, a Wall Street jewelry store, said customer traffic is down about 20 percent, and Vincent Alessi, a managing partner at Bobby Van’s Steakhouse on Broad Street, said his lunch business has been cut in half.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-25/wall-street-merchants-say-spreading-protests-throttle-sales-threaten-jobs.html

[NutmegYankee]

1. Why blame the protesters? They didn't put up the barricades. nt

[Fumesucker]

2. I don't recall the Tea Party protests getting barricades..

I wonder what the difference might be?

[JI7]

5. tea party didn't have many people

[2pooped2pop]

3. Yes, please have the police remove those barricades

for you. Open your bathrooms to the protesters and business will increase 10 fold. Unless you're selling coffee for 4 and 5 bucks a pop. Then, you can just keep your bathrooms and your coffee and I would suggest it's not the protesters running you out of business but your masters of wall street who have made sure that they are the only ones left that can afford your coffee.

[Skittles]

4. 2pooped2pop NAILS IT

yes INDEED

[htuttle]

8. Exactly

Coffee shops and restaurants near the Capitol in Madison made a mint this winter during the protests against Walker. In fact, nearly all of the downtown businesses did.

[flobee1]

6. something does not add up

"and the 103 jobs created by the cafe’s opening in June"

is this cafe the size of a damn walmart?

and if its a block away? I've seen NYC "blocks" and thats a good distance!

[drm604]

7. So people are buying less food and coffee because of the protests?

That doesn't sound right to me. People still eat breakfast. People still eat lunch. They're probably just patronizing different businesses and creating more jobs at those businesses. There's probably little, if any, net job losses.

I understand that some innocent businesses are suffering but, as the article states, this is due to police barricades. Remove the barricades and you remove the problem.

If the city insists on blocking access to certain businesses then they should compensate those businesses for any losses they cause.

[sendero]

9. He means..

.. out of McJobs in the food service business.

Sorry, if you want an omelette some eggs are going to get broken. We're supposed to ignore the collateral damage to millions of Americans because any action might hurt tens. Nope.

[no_hypocrisy]

10. Hopefully their jobs when the numbers for the Quarter don't rise to the predictions.

[ShockediSay]

11. And democracy kills the jobs

of slaves

[bowens43]

12. too fucking bad....... nt