Longaberger sets job cuts (360 jobs)

[UpInArms]

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/04/11/daily9.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Longaberger Co. said Monday it will eliminate around 360 positions from its manufacturing and distribution operations.

The Newark-based basket maker said in a press release that sales are up in 2005, but improvements in productivity allow it to meet demand with a smaller staff.

The workers come from Longaberger's main manufacturing facility in Frazeysburg, east of Columbus in Muskingum County, said spokeswoman Bonny Fowler.

The company employs 4,000, down from a high of 8,000 in 2000. It has gone through several rounds of layoffs and callbacks in the last few years, cutting around 1,000 workers in the fall.

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[CoffeeCat]

1. Hmmmm....I wonder what this means?

I'm sure the people who work for Longaberger are top-notch people and I am sorry that they are losing their jobs.

With that said---generally--most people who buy Longaburger are nuts.

I love making fun of these baskets, because a very small one can cost $150. They have a very recognizable look and everyone knows that they're pricey. Many who buy them, do so to impress people, "Ohhhhhh is that a Longaburger basket?" "Why yes it is, I store my CDs in it and it cost $300. I'm somebody!"

I know these baskets are high quality. I know that some people who own them aren't vacuous dolts.

Generally, a certain person buys these baskets. Middle-upper/middle class people who like to impress everyone with material possessions. I imagine most of these expensive baskets are purchased with credit cards.

Hmmmmm....does this mean that the credit-card-maxed-out, pseudo-elitist, interest-only mortgages are slowing down with their spending??

What's next...will the makers of those Christmas "Village" sets start laying people off?

Sorry, just had to be snarky for a bit... ;)

[noonwitch]

2. They are overpriced

I had a friend who sold them a few years back. She had a party, and I don't know how many she sold, but I didn't buy one. Back then, in the early 90s, they started at $60, and only went up from there.

My sister's sil gave me a candle for X-mas a couple of years ago. I must say it smelled very nice and was good quality, but I have no idea how much it cost. I got a candle holder and a little serving bowl with it. The SIL can well afford their products, she and her hubby are quite wealthy.