Here’s another thing to blame on the weak economy: The transition of the humble garage sale into an extreme enterprise.
This week at Life Inc., we wrote about communities that were cracking down on extreme garage sales, in which people are hawking goods every weekend or selling so many items the streets are clogged with traffic.
Some readers complained that law enforcement officials who are trying to curtail such extreme yard sales are ruining a good thing.
“That just goes to prove the government is trying to take over our freedoms whichever way they can,” one reader wrote on our Facebook page.
But others lamented that clogged streets and the constant presence of appliances on the front lawn can’t be good for anyone’s property value.
“No one needs to have a yard sale every weekend. I wouldn't want that in my neighborhood. These people are taking advantage of the situation. If they are doing it weekly then they are running a business. … Really, it's the old case of a few morons ruining it for everyone. Don't blame the city governments for actually doing their job,” one commenter said.
Speaking of jobs, here’s yet another thing to pin on the weak economy: The rise of extreme job interviewing.
In another Life Inc. post this week, we wrote about companies that are asking people to interview as many as 10 times for the same job.
Some readers defended multiple job interviews, saying it sometimes takes time for a company to assess whether they’re picking the right person for the job. Others said it shouldn’t take that long.
“10 interviews is just plain stupid- if the company isn't sure by about the 3rd interview then what's the point?” one reader wrote.
The job interview issue may be vexing in part because we all seem to want it all: A successful career, great kids, a strong marriage.
We also reported this week on a survey finding that young women now are more likely than young men to place high importance on a successful, high-paying career. But 18- to 34-year-old women don’t appear to be willing to sacrifice the personal for the professional; they also were more likely than men of the same age to place high value on kids and marriage.
More than half of the nearly 6,500 readers who took our poll said they place equal value on marriage, kids and career.
“To feel complete, I needed all of the above. And I was fortunate enough to achieve them all. Go for it!” one reader wrote.
But some readers noted that having it all sometimes means making sacrifices along the way.
“As a female professional with kids I've made professional and financial sacrifices to be a good parent. Just too much to do both full scale,” another reader wrote.