Where have all the people gone...?

LeilaniOtter

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2025
Messages
1,205
Points
113
My housemate and I have gone to five different places this week, a grocery store, a department store, a well-loved Thai place, a hardware store and the library. In every single one of these places, I don't think we saw more than 20 people in any of them. Is everyone really just going online/delivery for everything now? Are we about to become those fat, blobby mounds of flesh on floating chairs like "Wall-E" predicted?
For the love of gods, GO OUT, PEOPLE! ???
 

LeilaniOtter

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2025
Messages
1,205
Points
113
It depends. We are overpopulated here, so... yeah, lots of people around...
I live in a big city, nearly a million people strong. They're out and about in downtown, sure, but hardly any of them are shopping or going "out", you know?
 

Alfir

The Inventor of Words
Joined
Aug 11, 2021
Messages
554
Points
133
I live in a big city, nearly a million people strong. They're out and about in downtown, sure, but hardly any of them are shopping or going "out", you know?
Creepy. Scary. And weird.

I can't say for sure. I am an indoors person, but while in the capital, I've been out and about for some time and felt it was quite suffocating. Returning to the province, there could still be quite a lot of people, even with so little population. It depends on where you are going, I suppose. Fast food chains here are always packed, except KFC. KFC does poorly here in my province.
Edit: The country is overpopulated, but most people were in the major cities. i don't live in a major city. My city was surrounded by the sea and the mountain.
 
Last edited:

Representing_Tromba

Sleep deprived mess of an author begging for feedb
Joined
Jan 29, 2020
Messages
5,987
Points
233
I live in the middle of nowhere and there are tons of people. We shun the repeat delivery users for their poor spending habits.
 

LeilaniOtter

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2025
Messages
1,205
Points
113
Creepy. Scary. And weird.

I can't say for sure. I am an indoors person, but while in the capital, I've been out and about for some time and felt it was quite suffocating. Returning to the province, there could still be quite a lot of people, even with so little population. It depends on where you are going, I suppose. Fast food chains here are always packed, except KFC. KFC does poorly here in my province.
Edit: The country is overpopulated, but most people were in the major cities. i don't live in a major city. My city was surrounded by the sea and the mountain.
I'm seeing a lot of to-go orders from fast food places too. I don't think anyone actually eats in a fast food place anymore. McDonalds used to be teaming with people who would eat indoors at the place. Not anymore. This could all be part of the Covid aftermath,.
 

AstreiaNyx

Or Asa
Joined
Jan 2, 2024
Messages
274
Points
133
Maybe delivery. And in this economy, eating out might be a luxury for some. I’ve noticed shops/ restaurants in less affluent areas are often empty, while in more affluent areas they’re bursting with activity.
 

LeilaniOtter

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2025
Messages
1,205
Points
113
Maybe delivery. And in this economy, eating out might be a luxury for some. I’ve noticed shops/ restaurants in less affluent areas are often empty, while in more affluent areas they’re bursting with activity.
It could very well be an income issue. I do know groceries in our area are up roughly 30%. A package of cereal I usually got at $4.99 is now $7.99. Kelloggss might be an American company but I'm guessing a lot of the ingredients come from overseas. ?
 

AstreiaNyx

Or Asa
Joined
Jan 2, 2024
Messages
274
Points
133
It could very well be an income issue. I do know groceries in our area are up roughly 30%. A package of cereal I usually got at $4.99 is now $7.99. Kelloggss might be an American company but I'm guessing a lot of the ingredients come from overseas. ?
Oh you’re American? Ngl, when I was there, having to work my brain harder to add up tips and GST was a real brain teaser :blob_blank:. I wonder if delivery ends up cheaper since you don’t have to tip? Not sure.
 

LeilaniOtter

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2025
Messages
1,205
Points
113
Oh you’re American? Ngl, when I was there, having to work my brain harder to add up tips and GST was a real brain teaser :blob_blank:. I wonder if delivery ends up cheaper since you don’t have to tip? Not sure.
We're trying to pass some kind of legislation where tipping is no longer taxable but I doubt it will fly.

I apologize for being American. (Gods, I get sick of saying that ?)
 

AstreiaNyx

Or Asa
Joined
Jan 2, 2024
Messages
274
Points
133
We're trying to pass some kind of legislation where tipping is no longer taxable but I doubt it will fly.

I apologize for being American. (Gods, I get sick of saying that ?)
Noo, it wasn’t about that. It was more my speculation on why delivery might be preferred or even home cooking lately. Inflation in my own country is very real too, but I heard from a friend who recently visited Miami that a cup of latte in the US is now 8 USD? Not sure how true that is though.
 

LeilaniOtter

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2025
Messages
1,205
Points
113
Noo, it wasn’t about that. It was more my speculation on why delivery might be preferred or even home cooking lately. Inflation in my own country is very real too, but I heard from a friend who recently visited Miami that a cup of latte in the US is now 8 USD? Not sure how true that is though.
Hmm, might depend on where in Miami they went. Here in Ohio, cup of latte at Starbucks is about $5.00 USD. Actually, I applaud them. Their prices have stayed pretty much the same through all this mess.
 

MarikoRawralton

New member
Joined
Jul 16, 2025
Messages
18
Points
3
I think it depends on where you live and what the relative temperature is. If it's hot out, you might just have a lot of people inside with the AC on or something. People are just generally less willing to go outside these days with stuff like food delivery and streaming and stuff like that. Some folks are more introverted than we give them credit for.
 

Prince_Azmiran_Myrian

🐉Religious zealot exhorting Dragons for Jesus🐉
Joined
Aug 23, 2022
Messages
2,837
Points
153
My housemate and I have gone to five different places this week, a grocery store, a department store, a well-loved Thai place, a hardware store and the library. In every single one of these places, I don't think we saw more than 20 people in any of them. Is everyone really just going online/delivery for everything now? Are we about to become those fat, blobby mounds of flesh on floating chairs like "Wall-E" predicted?
For the love of gods, GO OUT, PEOPLE! ???
Not-sorry, I put them all inside of my hoard.
 
Joined
Jun 26, 2025
Messages
27
Points
13
I read everything and still don't know how to respond I hardly go outside. Number crunching pages munching.
 
Top