Businesses Which Have Suffered Due to the Pandemic

In today’s times, everything has changed and why not, the pandemic has hit people in varying measures, and as a result, there is widespread fear and panic amongst people. The crisis today has brought a change in the way the entire world does business, including America. Sometimes it so happens that the changes which were long overdue and were pushed back, take place because of the demand of the situation; though sometimes these changes might cause discomfort and a loss to many there is always a new beginning to look forward to.  A major crisis often acts as a trigger to spark major changes in the economy, and this stands true for Covid-19 too. As the pandemic has redefined the business trend across the entire USA since the past year and a half, a lot of changes too shall be observed, with a change in the attitude of the people and how businesses operate. So let’s see 5 Industries, apart from the most talked-about ones like Aviation, Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism, etc., which have been impacted due to the Corona Virus:

1. Amusement Parks and Entertainment Zones- The times have been tough, being locked away in our homes for such long durations, never had people expected this scenario coming up and if adults feel uneasy, just imagine about the kids at home….how would they feel exactly? For them playing out in the garden or a nearby was an everyday routine or going out on play-dates with friends or maybe an excursion to a nearby amusement park if not to Disney World was what they looked forward to, but unfortunately due to sudden turn of events, going to an amusement park seems like a thing of the past. In times like these, where social distancing, wearing masks and gloves is of utmost necessity, amusement parks have taken a hit and that’s a reason they have shut their shops till things further improve. It’s here that the smaller amusement parks have taken the biggest hit, unlike Six Flags or Disney who have the financial wherewithal to cope up with these stressful times.
2. Bowling- Bowling forms an essential part of the American gaming culture, with bowling alleys present throughout the country. Having said that what was once an enjoyable activity has now turned out to be amongst the riskiest ones, especially since there are groups of friends, large or small who would come and enjoy, but unfortunately due to the pandemic people can’t congregate at one place and since it’s not a solitary game, it has become very tough for the businesses to survive.
3. Sports- Weekends were fun while watching Baseball games or eating hot dogs with buddies while watching Football; unfortunately even that has become a thing of the past. Though the demand for live transmission of sports and games has been on the rise as people are now sitting at home but it remains risky for people to go to the stadiums and even for the players to play in close proximity to each other. With losses amounting to nearly $800 million dollars, amateur sports bodies led a fight to be included in the recent stimulus package. With the present conditions, there is no in end sight as to when all of this will end and many amateur leagues which weren’t having a great financial position will tend to suffer the most, in these current times.
4. Gyms and fitness centers- Though people are still into fitness and improving their overall health but visiting gyms and other community fitness centers has become a no-go zone. This is because it is easy for the virus to spread from the locker rooms and other common areas, especially near the machines since they are in close proximity to each other and it also isn’t advisable to work out with a mask on every time, it is precise because of this reason that the fitness centers have closed their doors till further notice. Going back to the pre-Covid times will be really tough since now people prefer exercising and maintaining their fitness at home only by investing in good quality equipment, as well as, it saves them time, effort, and money. So while gyms and other fitness businesses have taken a hit, alternative business models as offered by companies like Peloton are on the rise.
5. Breweries- A large number of microbreweries and brewery pubs have taken a hit because here it is the ambiance and in-person sales, which matter a lot. Due to the present conditions, people can’t collect and meet at these places, therefore such pubs throughout the country have suffered losses. Though the sales of beer for home-based consumption have risen as people are mostly restricted to their homes, but selling 6 packs to people won’t offset the losses. This is so because their earnings were also dependent on food sales and those walk-in customers, thus, it is to be seen how many of the 8000 independent breweries are able to sustain their operations, especially if in an unfortunate event, the pandemic lingers on for an extended period.

These are just a few of the businesses which have taken a hit due to the ongoing pandemic, but unfortunately, there are many more and many livelihoods which taken a hit resultantly. But as they say, there’s always new dawn, and am pretty sure with the resilient and never-give-up attitude of the Americans, fighting against this pandemic won’t be a hard battle and many more opportunities will be created to offset what has been lost and that is what signifies the never-dying American Can-Do spirit.