Coronavirus - effects on business

[BRGtshirts]

Being in the mid atlantic, new cases are popping up all over. Our two largest segments is the local university and annual events (races, etc. nationwide). We thought we were pretty diversified in we've got races all over the place, but they are dropping like flies. Probably just lost 50-60% of our open orders in the last 48 hours. Met with employees yesterday afternoon to announce hours being cut back.. Knew we had to do it before the weekend and couldn't do it today (as today is my production manager's 25th anniversary here and I just couldn't make that announcement on the same day).

Needless to say, we are watching very close and not making plans more than two weeks out. Reaching out to customers as best we can to ask how we can help and if they still want to proceed. Here's hoping. Take care fellow ink slingers.

[GoWestRob]

We have decided to close for the next week, we are sending everyone home today with 3 rolls of toilet paper and a bottle of Corona.  Things seem to be progressing at an alarming rate, and if we follow the trends of other countries of going on lockdown 21 days after the first person-to-person contact, the USA will be going on lockdown sometime towards the end of next week.  We have a lot of work in the queue, however we are going to take the week to lay back and see what transpires.  Hope to be back in the office on the 23rd and catching up!

[GraphicDisorder]

We have decided to close for the next week, we are sending everyone home today with 3 rolls of toilet paper and a bottle of Corona.  Things seem to be progressing at an alarming rate, and if we follow the trends of other countries of going on lockdown 21 days after the first person-to-person contact, the USA will be going on lockdown sometime towards the end of next week.  We have a lot of work in the queue, however we are going to take the week to lay back and see what transpires.  Hope to be back in the office on the 23rd and catching up!

If you have work in the que why wouldn't you work and finish that? There are shops already out of work. Id be trying ot ride whatever wave of work you have until you can't.

[3Deep]

they just announced today Alabama has it's first case (announced case that is), right now people here aren't taking it to serious, as some think it's a plot to get Trump out of office, but I think we are going to be in a little trouble here soon. We are trying to print all we can before it stops cold turkey.

[Doug S]

Right now, we have baseball, tball and softball to get knocked out and glad of it because our normal walk-ins have come to a screeching halt and the phone has been pretty quiet.  I just hope this isn't a long lasting deal. 

[mk162]

Just about everything here is cancelled.  I think it will snap back just as fast as it tanked.

We are going to try and keep folks busy for as long as possible, but at some point we'll have to cut hours. 

[Frog]

Right now, we have baseball, tball and softball to get knocked out and glad of it because our normal walk-ins have come to a screeching halt and the phone has been pretty quiet.  I just hope this isn't a long lasting deal.

I'm expecting any day now to see that the local youth leagues have cancelled or postponed their seasons. Every day here brings news of one more school district shutting their doors.

[Pangea]

We have a retail side to our business (city themed apparel, hats, glassware) that does vending at local festivals and all of them are getting cancelled. I've been wanting to take up golf so this is the perfect time.

[Maxie]

One thing about TSB is that there are a lot of different business represented here.
If you are a basement printer and it's second job then what's happening is less of a problem.
If you are a larger printer with lots of expenses you have to work out how to stay alive until things pick up again and nobody knows when this will be.
A lot of Chinese firms are back at work so it could be a few months.
Personally I have high rent, local taxes, leased cars, bank loans, wages etc.     I'm not sure how to survive this, it's evolving so fast.    Our schools are now closed and they want to close all non essential business.
It's a crazy time but as long as we stay healthy the rest is bullshit.

[farmboygraphics]

One thing about TSB is that there are a lot of different business represented here.
If you are a basement printer and it's second job then what's happening is less of a problem.
If you are a larger printer with lots of expenses you have to work out how to stay alive until things pick up again and nobody knows when this will be.
A lot of Chinese firms are back at work so it could be a few months.
Personally I have high rent, local taxes, leased cars, bank loans, wages etc.     I'm not sure how to survive this, it's evolving so fast.    Our schools are now closed and they want to close all non essential business.
It's a crazy time but as long as we stay healthy the rest is bullshit.

Ditto

[Gabe]

The truth is that this industry is at the bottom of the food chain.

[Rockers]

One thing about TSB is that there are a lot of different business represented here.
If you are a basement printer and it's second job then what's happening is less of a problem.
If you are a larger printer with lots of expenses you have to work out how to stay alive until things pick up again and nobody knows when this will be.
A lot of Chinese firms are back at work so it could be a few months.
Personally I have high rent, local taxes, leased cars, bank loans, wages etc.     I'm not sure how to survive this, it's evolving so fast.    Our schools are now closed and they want to close all non essential business.
It's a crazy time but as long as we stay healthy the rest is bullshit.

How is your government helping in this situation?  Are they offering any support for small businesses? We are in the same boat as you are. If this carries on like this for more then 4 month then it will become a real issue for us which means we would have to take on another loan which I don`t want to.

[Maxie]

Today we are closing down, I have arranged to film some video footage tomorrow so we can prepare a short clip about our place.
Other than that we have no work.       Schools and pre schools are closed, no sport, no public places are open.   Restaurants, gyms, coffee shops etc are closed.
They want to stop public transport as well.
Our government is giving loans to small businesses, this can keep you afloat for a while but then you'll owe a lot of money.   No hand outs.
We've been there before.
We also have a thing called holiday without pay, you don't fire a person and have to pay them compensation but put them on forced holiday.
They will get up to 70% of their gross monthly pay from the government for up to 6 months, we fired two and put the rest on forced holiday.
Keeping the main printer and accounts, we still need to collect money owed.
It's a crazy time, I heard of people stuck in Pananma and India that cannot get flights home.
We don't really know enough about this visus, how long will it last, how many people will be affected.     So far nobody has died in Israel.     They are doing everything they can to stop it spreading.
Lots of jokes around, I like this one.    Why are they selling so much toilet paper?     Every time one person sneezes 100 people crap themselves.
On my Facebook I posted: 137 million Indians don't shake hands and don't use toilet paper.
Good luck, hope we all get out of this healthy and with out businesses intact.

[inkman996]

Today I am assisting all our employees in setting up for unemployment claims. After today we are closed for two weeks or longer. Yes there is a small amount of work but none of it is enough to pay the high over head it costs to run a business in CT, so I will finish out what is in que but we will no longer be taking any new orders. The hope is once we come back we will enjoy a boom in jobs and can put in some good over time to help off set the loss while collecting.

I will use the time to continue on restoring a 1945 south bend lathe I bought this winter. Nothing is more satisfying than coming here on the weekend when no one is around, turning up the stereo and doing what I enjoy, now I get to do it for two or more weeks straight.

[GraphicDisorder]

We still remain busy up until today. The email looks light today though, so I guess this could be the beginning for us.