AUTO LOCKSMITHS
Some
Reflections
on the “New
Normal”
by Vic Southern
I’ve been associated in one way or another with the locksmith trade for 41 years
and have seen so many changes that it would take 100,000 words to detail them
so change is not new to me nor is disaster and disappointment. Undoubtedly
Covid-19 is a disaster in many ways, some tragic and amongst those who have lost
their lives or livelihood are a fair number of our own friends and associates in the
trade who were busily jogging along before February/March changed our lives.
» NOW, WE ARE COMING OUT OF THE
worst and we are told to adapt to the
“new normal”. What might that be?
For some time, there will be less
competition even though many of us are
a man-with-a-van and can spring back
into action immediately. But some have
fallen by the wayside as government
assistance was limited to the more
orthodox businesses occupying business
premises and a PAYE salary scheme.
For some time, there will be less work
as many businesses remain shut or will
recover slowly. That means that the most
versatile and well-equipped locksmith
is at an advantage as he has a wider
skills and product range. That applies
particularly to auto locksmiths who are
the most equipment-heavy in the trade.
So, it is just as well that Bounce-Back
loans were made available and we see
many have taken advantage of those
to acquire some much-needed and
advanced equipment – we sold well
over a dozen sophisticated diagnostic
machines in one week. At a very low
interest rate, a repayment and interest
holiday of a year and it is almost like free
money as repayments can extend for
six years. We noticed a lot of purchases
linked to those loans that we might never
have seen. I suppose that others bought
new vans and that brings me to another
phenomenon – the increased use of old
vehicles.
Commuting has changed in several
ways. Quite a lot of public transport
services are cancelled or reduced.
Capacity of trains and buses is reduced
even when they do run. Even though
a portion of the work-force will be
temporarily unemployed or working from
home there are other who need to get to
work and the old car used occasionally
for pleasure of shopping is now a daily
method of getting to work. I heard a used
car dealer one Tuesday morning on LBC
claiming that on the Monday he had sold
42 cheaper cars to commuters! Now
we know that on average cars and vans
will have a key or lock incident every six
years. With more older cars on the road
that means more such work, but many
jobs would be out of proportion to the
value of the car and we can’t all afford to
work in the lower end and less profitable
category of jobs. You need to think of
an overall strategy about the work you
can and should accept. Don’t be a “busy
fool”.
Another new situation is that
the number of people who are not
only working from home but also
developing a home-based business
is mushrooming. For example, we
have noticed a sharp increase in
engraving machine sales to people
who are developing jewellery or ID
tag businesses. That offers some job
possibilities for the locksmith as many
of them will be working with precious
metals and semi-precious stones –
safes, door video security and the like.
It maybe that after the final severance
from the EU on 1st January next that
some equipment and consumables may
increase in price due to new tariffs. That
certainly doesn’t mean you should lay in
a stock of consumables but it does mean
that delaying vital equipment purchase
may be costly.
What I am trying to illustrate is that
the New Normal is not a work desert
but an opportunity to think smart. Apart
from that the recovery of business
activity, even with some businesses
fatally wounded, is about 1% a month at
present. If that trend continues, we will
be at full steam (on a slightly different
track) in just over one year.
Sum up – when the Going gets Tough,
the Tough get Going.
72
JUL/AUG 2020
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