This past couple of weeks I’ve noticed a trend at restaurants and at the mall, a general reduction of business at both.   I have various companies take me to lunch at least once or twice per week and normally we’re forced to take lunch at 11:30 in order to get in early enough to get a table without having to wait.

Lately, we’re able to show up at noon or 12:30 and get a table without any problems and my favorite restaurants have various tables empty during peak business lunch hours.   I’m worried that a few of these places are going to end up going bankrupt if this trend continues.

This weekend we went over to the high end mall for dinner and to pick up a couple of iPods for the kids and we encountered the same issue:  low density & business.    Normally, it would be difficult to get a table at a restaurant at the mall but it was pretty easy to go in without a reservation and there were plenty of tables open.   This is Saturday night at a high end mall for dinner and it was fairly sparse!

We walked around the mall and made our way over to the Apple Store and noticed that the density was fairly light and shops were fairly empty.   Much to my surprise, the high end shops were totally empty so I’m not sure what to make of it.

The Apple store wasn’t at full but still had decent traffic.   We’d been trying to find a few 16gb iPod Nano’s and there was plenty in stock now.  We’d been looking for a few weeks and the 16gb hadn’t come in yet.   Unfortunately, my wife requested a RED iPod and ended up getting a PINK one instead.    We found out after we drove home and didn’t feel like going back out to exchange it.   At least Apple goons got the green one right that my son had asked for and he’s loves it!

I know what you’re thinking, “What happened to your boycott?”

Nothing has happened to my boycott, I still refuse to buy a new 52″ LCD TV, iPhone, iMac, mac-mini and other consumer goods  until I get a rebate check OR until the year ends.   Waiting has actually been beneficial in a way as I’ve learned Mitsubishi has a new 65″ Laser LCD called the LaserVue which I’m way more interested in getting than a plain old 52″ LCD now.   Also, Apple keeps updating and improving their products that waiting may actually pay off.

The items I have been purchasing have been for other people and it’s not fair to punish them; besides my son actually bought his iPod with his own money and my wife’s iPod was a gift and someone has to carry this economy before it totally collapses anyway ;)   .

For those of you that haven’t read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, I highly urge you to buy a copy and read it.  It will change your life.