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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-01-25, Page 46 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, January 25, 2006 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 tionary income to afford this pastime. Gardening for example is already blossoming spectac- ularly and will continue to do so. Gardening is an excel- lent business because gardeners need a constant supply of things, bulbs, seeds, fertilizers, tools, and books. Home fitness will continue to enjoy growth, but the hey- day of the fitness club is over. Older people can save time by buying their own equipment, and they can afford it. Professional sports in Canada are a mature industry. The days of rapid growth and sold -out seasons are over. If funds are available for new sporting facilities, they should be devoted to recreational swimming, curling rinks, and walking trails, because an older population continues to engage in these activities. Making or selling binoculars for birdwatchers and concert goers will be a faster -growing business in the years to come than mak- ing or selling most kinds of sporting equipment. Hockey rinks should be built sparingly and selectively, and they should be easily adapts to curling, which increases in popularity for older people. Retailing The older customer is more interested in quality and service. Storekeepers will increasingly have to rely on margin, rather than volume, to find their profits. But customers will accept high margins only if the retailer is delivering added value. They will look for that added value in a smaller store, either independent or fran- chised. The big store is likely to become increasingly alienating to the older customer who prefers careful ser- vice in a calm atmosphere. Stores that compete on the basis of quality and service will have a much better chance of success than stores that compete solely on the basis of price. Older customers mean that retailers offer- ing quality and service will have an edge in the market- place for many years to come. Since stores sell goods obtained from manufacturers, the makers of goods must also place -renewed emphasis on quality if they wish to maintain their market share in an ageing population. The demographic shift will favour a revival of neigh- bourhood specialty stores supported by loyal customers for whom price is no longer the most important factor in a purchase decision. Stores that can deliver good products and good ser- vice will dominate this new marketplace, while stores that waste customers' time and treat them rudely will disappear. Rather than shopping at Wal-Mart, she might place an order that she can pick up on her way home from work. She might also eagerly patronize the first hard- ware store in her area that offers to assemble unassem- bled products at a small extra charge. Retailers are going to have to work hard to come up with ways like these to adapt to the changing marketplace if they wish to make the transition successfully. Jobs & Employment Imaginative transitory workers are finding ways to sell some of that valuable commodity, time, to older cus- tomers. Life Insurance agents have always visited clients at their homes at their convenience. Successful service providers such as travel agents, lawyers and doctors and professional health care workers and car salespeo- ple will find themselves making house calls. Tourism Older people have the time, money, and inclination to travel. Tour guides, interpreters, airline personal, and bed and breakfast operators are just some of wide vari- ety of jobs the tourist industry creates. Eyeglasses Eighty per cent of people over 40 need glasses. Making this field even more enticing is the emergence of glasses as a fashion accessory, so that many people will want several pairs. Education Continuing education for the pleasure and enlighten- ment of the individual is already a growth industry and, as the retired and early- retired population grows, will get bigger still in the years to come. The Future of Retirement Older workers are the masters of "high touch" – those fields of sales and service where human contact, empa- thy, and experience count most. Given longer life expectancy and the changing nature of work, it is not surprising that many people would choose to remain productive members of society past the age of 65. But in a knowledge economy, workers wear out more slowly, and the older ones are among the most productive because they know the most. Canada Pension Plan already allows for flexible retire- ment. But it doesn't allow a partial pension who is only partially retired. It should. Food As they get older, people eat less and they eat better. Older people are aware of mortality and thus more like- ly to consider the health implications of what they eat. The Revival of Main Street In the 21st century, the resurgence of the small local specialty store is underway. An older affluent consumer wants to shop at the neighbourhood bakery, butcher shop, or clothing boutique where the staff knows her name, her likes and her dislikes. The revival of the local shopping strip is good news for older people. After 2 decades in which malls and mega- stores dominated the retail marketplace, the idiosyn- cratic specialty retailer is poised to make a comeback. Because of favourable demographics, Canada's retail landscape is going to become more interesting. Many people would never think of going shopping without a car, and so neighbourhood -shopping districts that make parking available have the best chance for success. Incentives to improve traffic flow by restricting on -street parking are therefore a threat to local shops. The revival of Main Street Canada will not be the only throwback to the past as retailing embraces quality and service. Home delivery would also make a comeback. Canada will have more -older consumers than young ones for many years to come. The age of quality and service has a long future ahead of it. The Grey Interlude Some of the changes wrought by the demographic phenomenon of population aging pose difficulties to society while others are beneficial. For example, an older society requires fewer goods, which hurt those in the business of manufacturing and selling goods. But an ageing society requires many more services, and that means new business opportunities for other entrepre- neurs. An ageing population is more knowledgeable and experienced, but is also prone to health problems. In the final analysis, what is the balance between these pros and cons? Is the demographic shift good or bad? The answer is that it is neither. It's simply a fact of life, and the better we understand it, the better we can prepare for the changes before they occur and adjust to them once they have taken place. One important benefit of having an ageing population is that older people traditionally have shown themselves to be more generous than younger ones. They give more, both of their money and of their time. Older peo- ple are more knowledgeable, because they've been around long enough to learn something. So while Canadians aren't about to become a nation of grey beards, they are about to become an older, wiser, and perhaps more caring people. Research from David K.Footauthor Boom Bust & Echo. Subject:Ah, Love There was an old guy wandering around the super- market calling out, "Tender Flake, Oh Tenderrrfllllake!" Soon a store clerk approached, "Sir, the baking goods are in aisle D." The old gentleman replied, "Oh, I'm not looking for the baking stuff, I'm calling my wife." "Your wife's name is Tender flake?" The old man answered, "Oh, no, no, no. I only call her that when we're out in public." The store clerk asked, "Well, what do you call her when you are at home?" The old man replied, "Lard Bum." Hold new government accountable Now that the election is over we must now focus on holding our elected representa- tives and government bureaucrats accountable for the election promises that were made. Many individuals and farm leaders must be congratulated for making the farm income crisis the main agricultural issue in this election campaign. As a result of this concentrated effort, all three mainline parties promised immediate action upon elec- tion. Hopefully we do not have to remind the newly elect- ed and re-elected members of Parliament that history reminds us that when they say "review", it means "study and stall". We have neither the patience, the time nor the need for further bureaucratic review of this crisis. We are in the midst of an agricul- tural economic meltdown. This is evidenced, in the short term, by the reported doubling of farm debt over the past five years and the reports by our agri-business partners of the worrisome increase in their accounts receivable situation. The long-term evi- dence of this worsening situation is the advancing average age of farmers and the almost negligible number of new entrants. If young people are not provided some financial security to either enter or remain in this business, this industry is doomed. It is crucially important that the proposed Risk Management Program be implement- ed immediately with a "catch up" provision. This program provides an immediate solution to the issue of declining farm income. The solution has been handed to our elected representatives and they have promised to act. The new support funding that was announced during the election campaign, both federally and provincially, must be delivered immediately as an advance payment against a new agricultural policy, with final payment being made prior to spring plant- ing. I urge everyone to be prepared to respond if the call is made for help to support a continuing public rally, if needed, of whatever duration is required, to see the imple- mentation of the promised agricultural farm policy. We must be prepared to demon- strate that we will not compromise with our demands If we do not show our resolve, then it can be argued that we will receive only what we deserve. Letters P to the Editor BEV Hui, Varna Panther Profile EXETER — Nobody's a big fan of Meningococcal disease, so vaccina- tion shots are being offered at the school for free. A consent form will be given to every Grade 9 student, or you can pick one up in the office. Forms are to be returned to the office. Seems like a solid deal to me, if you're in the market for MenC pre- vention. Coming soon to South Huron are exams. The teachers seem intensely interested in them, so they're probably important. The first round starts Friday. Morning exams start at 9 a.m. and afternoon exams start at 12:45 p.m. The exam schedule is posted in classrooms around the school or can be viewed online at amdsb.ca/SHDHS/cur- rent/studentServices/exams/05 -06/. The first day of second semester starts Feb. 3. This will be a Day 1. And oh, will it ever be fun. Also fun (if you attend them) are these upcoming events: Jan. 27 — CLN class trip to the Pinery Jan. 28 — Alzheimer's Society Walk for Memories, 10 a.m. - noon, more info available in office MATTHEW MINER PANTHER PROFILE Walk for Memories Saturday EXETER — The annual Huron in Clinton, Seaforth Public School, County Alzheimer Society Walk for the Suncoast Mall in Goderich and Memories will be held NA F.E. Madill this Saturday. �O� Secondary School Locally, the walk in Wingham. will be held in DISEASEFor more informa- Exeter at South Huron tion, or to register, call District High School from MONTH 482-1482 or visit 10 a.m. until noon. Other locations www.walkformemories.com include St. Anne's Secondary School