The Times They Are A’changin’

COVID-19 has already changed lives radically, but it remains to be seen how much change we’ll see long-term, but some change seems inevitable because it’s happened before.  Its easy to see why people say “bless you” when someone sneezes.

Will table cloths make a comeback in restaurants? The way it has worked is that everyone eats with silverware or plasticware laid on a bare table that is wiped by the same rag for the whole place. Hard to think of a more-effective way to spread germs. Personally, I wouldn’t mind a small surcharge for a fresh tablecloth. What would it cost to launder one? Surely under a dollar. I see a role for government in doing this across the industry.

Will handshakes disappear or make a comeback?

The on-line dating industry will surely have to make adjustments, but just how I’m not sure. (Not my bag.)

Will business travel disappear? The mantra has always been that business is more efficiently done face-to-face, but I never liked business travel when I was in aerospace. I had enough family separation for a lifetime in the Navy.

Will theater disappear? Those are big crowds.  Or might theaters be redesigned to be more spacious, and consequently more exclusive and expensive?

Will general health improve? Restaurant portions are usually unrealistically large. I read today that there is a glut of butter on the market because restaurants were using a lot more of it than people do in their kitchens! (Mashed potatoes have a lot of it!)

I predict that self-checkout stations like those at Walmart will proliferate to other merchants.

Will movie-houses go under? Watching at home is so much better that I don’t understand why they are still operating. At the theater you can’t adjust the volume, you can’t pause the flick, and you have to sit in a usually-dirty area above a sticky floor and amid noisy people. And, you can’t bypass the previews.

The final death-knell of the town mall?

Will gyms and the YMCA’s weather this?

The toilet paper industry will adjust to a different level of production for the two main types, the nice soft stuff for homes and the slick, narrow stuff found in workplaces and restaurants. (Turns out the scarcity was not mostly due to hoarding but to people dining out less.)