So, we're in recession - it's time to revel in it

It's official: the economy's bust. Look on the bright side - this is a good time to be a customer, writes Brian O'Connell

A FEW WEEKS BACK I went to buy some carpets. I visited a store in a large retail unit, and was offered a 70 per cent discount. Not only that, but the usual vagueness associated with delivery times was non-existent. The attitude was more: "When does it suit you, sir?" The sales staff couldn't have been nicer and seemed genuinely pleased to have made a sale. "Things are slack," said the sales representative, "it's a good time to be a customer right now."

Later in the week, I was having a kitchen fitted and got a very competitive price through a local builder. Because I work from home, the workers agreed to start at 5pm every evening, and stayed until 10pm on Friday night to finish the job. "We're just glad to have the work at the moment," the carpenter said.

When I noticed a tap dripping after the kitchen had been installed, I texted the plumber. He swung by on Saturday afternoon, on his day off, and gave the tap a quick squeeze. "Give me a call if that persists and I'll be up," he said.

Anyone who has tried to get a tradesman in recent months will know that the ball is back in the customer's court. And it doesn't stop there.

Have you tried getting a table at a restaurant lately? You probably found it decidedly less difficult. What about an overnight in a hotel? A week in the sun? Jewellery? New or second-hand car?

With all the doom-and-gloom talk of credit crunches and economic downturns, and with the recession official as of yesterday, now is a good time to talk up its good points. Leaner businesses, more grateful sales staff, and less customer cash has led to an upswing from the downswing.

Businessman Ben Dunne says anyone starting a business right now will need to work harder than at any time in the last decade to ensure the customer is king. Those who manage to stay afloat through the lean times should reap the rewards, he says, when the economy bounces back.

"My own father started Dunnes Stores in the 1940s at a time of economic difficulty. Over the last 10 years people could start businesses and didn't really have to work all that hard. In the current climate, you need a good business ethic from the off. I remember not long ago seeing people going around with huge sums of cash and all the talk was of 'flipping it'. But the opposite to flip is flop."

Dunne says the current good value for customers will continue, with large retail stores slow to notice changes in consumer trends.

"Aer Lingus woke up one day almost out of business before they took Ryanair seriously," he says. "It was the same when my father started with Dunnes - Roches didn't take him seriously. With Lidl and Aldi, everyone was saying they would only attract the lower end of the market - but I know a lot of people in south Dublin buying their wines and jams and frozen foods there now. We see that Dunnes have slashed prices in line with other retailers. The consumer is calling the shots at the moment."

Martina Carroll, a jeweller in Douglas, Co Cork, is also noticing a rise in consumer value. She says that in a time of turbulent stock markets, and economic uncertainty, precious metals are remaining popular for those with spare cash, but customers are being more careful with their purchases and buying patterns are shifting. "We're seeing a lot more people coming in and putting goods away, buying them over time, perhaps in advance of Christmas," she says. "Over the last few years it was no big deal to buy a gift any time of the year, but now people are taking more time with the presents."

If you are the recipient of a diamond ring, then Carroll says you should be extra grateful. "A diamond ring is always special, but when there is less money to go around, and at a time when people have to tighten their belts, then it might mean that little bit more. Of course, that also makes it harder to hand it back."

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times