Wetherspoons.

[Smowball]

Teen Smow works in a ram packed busy London Wetherspoons. He got in at 1 am and said it was absolutely dead last night. Actually he was quite upset. He said staff are upset and have lost morale, customers are just keeping away. It’s actually getting quite frightening now...:( so so many businesses are going to be ruined.

[waterboatman]

That's the nature of the beast smow. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

[emmie]

watching the news, some businesses are laying off staff as they can't sustain keeping them on....

[Smowball]

He was so upset. Never seen him like that.

[emmie]

it will get better, but not yet...

[Smowball]

He has a fab new job to start in a months or so but that’s not the point. He just said he’s never seen anything like it - it was just like a ghost town.

[emmie]

watching the news is so depressing, London is like a ghost town.. so strange for such a bustling city

[Smowball]

I’m actually a pretty confident outgoing (gobby ok lol) person but even I can’t watch the news for much longer as it’s so depressing......

[emmie]

think of the families who are struggling with the loss of a loved one, that's just sad.

[Smowball]

I agree emmie x

[Zacs-Master]

No just businesses going bust. The whole economy is at risk and with it the fabric of society. I kid you not.

[emmie]

we have got through a lot worse.. we will get through this.

[Smowball]

It’s still frightening how things can change so much in just 24 Hours

[rowanwitch]

The strange thing is once you get past the fear you have a gift. Time, something we have so little of these days. Time to read, to soak in the bath, to try a few new recipes. To play silly games. Time when because we haven't spent spare hours shopping we can pay full attention to one another. To make long phonecalls and really talk rather than sending quick texts. A small mercy maybe but one to be treasured.

[Smowball]

That’s actually lovely RW. Gave me a bit of hope for today xx

[Zacs-Master]

Huge increase in gun sales in the US, apparently.

[emmie]

i did see that on the news, barmy Americans and they equally barmy gun laws..

[rowanwitch]

Protection against looters apparently...... They need protection from the fruit loop in the White house....

[Old_Geezer]

I've noted that if a friend one meets regularly for a pint opts not to go then one doesn't tend to go on one's own. So it only needs some to decide to be cautious for now, for others to stay away too. Understandable, but for how long ? A business can't order replacement stock for stuff unsold. Perhaps some will just batten down the hatches and cease trading for the duration.

[Zacs-Master]

Many pubs are managed or tenancies who have to pay rent every month. They can't just cease trading. Other freehouses have business loans to pay.

[DTCwordfan]

there was a discussion on R4 40 minutes ago about the need for the Chancellor to support businesses and individuals from now through this by downloading cash - and to the tune probably of over a trillion....The Mountain Warehouse CEO said that business yesterday was a trickle to the normal flow and that he will probably have to lay off 2000 by the end of this week - and he's a successful high street retailer.