THE BASIS POINT

New Economic Indicator: Hot Waitress Index

 

Hot Waitress (c) Break.comAs first it was a shock yesterday to see that Bloomberg TV ran a story about whether the hotness of the waitresses at your local restaurants can tell you anything about the economy. Then we read the source material, a Hot Waitress Index story in New York Magazine which poses this theory: the hotter the waitress, the weaker the economy. And nothing attracts customers like hotness … so with 9.5% unemployment (and probably an increase in that rate tomorrow), customers and waitresses alike have something to gain. Sure it’s trivial, but like Walter says to The Dude: Am I wrong? Below are a few excerpts from the story.

…In New York, we have our own economic indicators, often based on the degree to which people are being thwarted by the lack of opportunity. An old standby is the Overeducated Cabbie Index. The Squeegee Man Apparition Index is another good one. There’s also the Speed at Which Contractors Return Calls Index: within 24 hours, you’re in a recession; if they call you without prompting, that’s a depression.

The indicator I prefer is the Hot Waitress Index: The hotter the waitresses, the weaker the economy. In flush times, there is a robust market for hotness. Selling everything from condos to premium vodka is enhanced by proximity to pretty young people (of both sexes) who get paid for providing this service. That leaves more-punishing work, like waiting tables, to those with less striking genetic gifts. But not anymore.

…To be actually useful, of course, the Hot Waitress Index must be a leading indicator, and there is good reason to believe that it is. Employment is generally thought to lag behind economic recovery, which is to say that jobless rates remain elevated, and even climb, after a recession has technically ended. But hotness occupies a privileged place in the employment picture. As a commodity that’s fairly cheap, historically effective as a marketing tool, and available on a freelance basis, hotness will likely be back in demand long before your average Michigan autoworker is. Or the rest of us, for that matter.

Until then, glance at your server and hope for the worst. The other night, I had a waitress who looked like Winona Ryder in her Heathers heyday. Winona Jr. was lovely, and she didn’t spill a thing on me. But I would’ve been far happier if she’d been a bald dude with a nose ring.

 

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