Interesting discussion with an RV salesman on Sat

[Sportsdad60]

Our local "Big" RV lot here in K-town had a nicely priced 2019 Lance 1062 up for sale. We wanted to sell or trade in our current non-A/C truck camper that we use within our state for hunting and fishing trips.

Our salesman offered us $1000 more than we paid for our TC back 3 years ago. And negotiated (A little) down on the price of new rig.

So, discussion was that they (RV lot) cannot get enough inventory to stay open much longer. Apparently demand is the highest he's ever seen in 30+ years as a salesman, no shock there, Covid and all. The problem is supply. RV factories shutting down lines due to "not enough people to come back to work" was his comment as they're essentially being paid to stay at home. Add to that, people are holding onto their RVs, not much trade in going on. (They sell about 80% new and 20% used RVs)

His boss (the owner) said expect the unexpected in about 2 to 3 weeks, (Layoffs, shuttering business, this is one of 5 stores that the owners have)

He said if I ordered an Artic Fox today, it *might* be Feb 2022 before the order even hits the shop floor.

Scary times for RV salesmen this day and age.

[Timmer]

It's across industries. Restaurants that survived the covid closure mandates opened back back only to learn that they can't find servers and are now shutting their doors. Why would someone work when they can get paid to stay home? What exactly is the stimulus money stimulating?

[geotex1]

Yep! Where I live, which is somewhat remote, we have a lot of farm-to-table eateries, craft breweries and cideries that also offered bar service and small food menu. The breweries and cider makers decided to not reopen the bars and food because they cannot get help and have incredible success with pick up sales. The restaurants are only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, limited hours, because they cannot get the staff...

[jakev383]

We lost somewhere around 40% of our local restaurants during our state wide lockdown (ie: they went out of business) from what I read. Now that restraunts can reopen, they are having problems finding staff. I've seen thousand dollar sign on bonuses, free phones being offered, etc. And some of that was for McDonalds! I even saw a sign that advertised no-interview jobs at one of the local McDonald's. I guess you just walk in and they'll put you to work?? But they also have frequent strikes for $15/hr.
I talked with another small manufacturer in Texas when I wanted to order some of their product, and their aluminum distributor had called them the day before and said they cannot get people to come back to work so they can't get orders together for raw materials right now.
But yeah, I have a distant family member who makes $100 more a month sitting at home than Home Depot was offering....

[JM0397]

I don't recall which entity released the report, but I saw yesterday that 1/3 of small businesses in the US are closed over the last 18 months.
Remember to support local and smaller biz when you can!

[WhittleBurner]

This can be a very interesting topic and very relevent to todays economy....

So PLEASE continue to keep any political comments out of it so we don't have to close it....

[openrangeowners]

The Auto industry and RV industry are having problems getting certain components. They are doing their best to continue to produce units, but if there is a shortage of a critical device needed in the RV, they cannot ship it. A reason for the Auto shortage is that certain critical chip makers shut down due to decreased orders a while back (shutting down is fairly quick, bringing production back up takes a long time).

Ford continued to build Super Duty trucks, but had to use one module between trucks to drive them to the Kentucky Speedway to have them sit until they can obtain more of these modules (ie: chip shortage victim).

Many of the things that are manufactured rely on just-in-time delivery of parts. The pandemic severely disrupted this. I believe workers and businesses are doing the best they can right now given the delayed disruption. And remember there are other countries that are currently facing what we (the US) faced back in November-January - before vaccines began to roll out. Countries like Japan, India are really getting hit hard right now - that negatively affects our ability to manufacture items that rely on components/products from these countries.

If someone has the intention of selling a vehicle or an RV, now is a great time to sell it and receive hopefully top dollar. If someone needs to buy something, now is a very tough time to do so. It is in the interest of everyone for this to correct itself over time and it will eventually. The built-up demand is not a bad thing. This is also a good time to find a job - I have a friend that has been out of work for years because he was caring for his elderly dad. His dad passed away recently, so he is now looking for a job and has multiple offers. Wishing him the best.

[attaboy]

We have a friend who wants to buy a small RV.
When do you see things loosening up?
Bob A.

[Ynot4me2]

We have a friend who wants to buy a small RV.
When do you see things loosening up?
Bob A.

My guess is another year. But what do I know about economy 101 during a pandemic. [emoji848] it sure are crazy times. Now that things are starting to open there's a workforce shortage and a backlog in manufacturing. Not a good combo. I guess it could be worse but heart really goes out to mom and pop shops that had to close for such a long time with no revenue but still had to pay bills and rent and so on.

Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk

[Sportsdad60]

The Auto industry and RV industry are having problems getting certain components. They are doing their best to continue to produce units, but if there is a shortage of a critical device needed in the RV, they cannot ship it. A reason for the Auto shortage is that certain critical chip makers shut down due to decreased orders a while back (shutting down is fairly quick, bringing production back up takes a long time).

Ford continued to build Super Duty trucks, but had to use one module between trucks to drive them to the Kentucky Speedway to have them sit until they can obtain more of these modules (ie: chip shortage victim).

Many of the things that are manufactured rely on just-in-time delivery of parts. The pandemic severely disrupted this. I believe workers and businesses are doing the best they can right now given the delayed disruption. And remember there are other countries that are currently facing what we (the US) faced back in November-January - before vaccines began to roll out. Countries like Japan, India are really getting hit hard right now - that negatively affects our ability to manufacture items that rely on components/products from these countries.

If someone has the intention of selling a vehicle or an RV, now is a great time to sell it and receive hopefully top dollar. If someone needs to buy something, now is a very tough time to do so. It is in the interest of everyone for this to correct itself over time and it will eventually. The built-up demand is not a bad thing. This is also a good time to find a job - I have a friend that has been out of work for years because he was caring for his elderly dad. His dad passed away recently, so he is now looking for a job and has multiple offers. Wishing him the best.

Unsourced rumor is....the Japan chip plant will be back online in July. Ford will ship the "parked but no brains" vehicle to dealers when the brains come in. The dealers will be paid by Ford to install, and do the final QC check. This rumor makes sense, Ford is certainly not going to run 40,000+ super duties and F150s back down the assembly line.