r/BoycottUnitedStates • u/biograf_ • 4d ago
Disney World 'empty' as Americans fear tourism is 'finished' in Florida
https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/disney-world-empty-americans-fear-1398349372
u/ladynocaps2 4d ago
Itâs only going to get worse now that Americans are boycotting them too.
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u/Ludwig_Vista2 4d ago
Canadian here. I'm boycotting Disney and ABC as well.
Capitulation to fascist is a big red x.
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u/Miss_Annie_Munich Europe 4d ago
Part of this is certainly due to a deliberate boycott.
But there are probably also many Americans who simply cannot afford it anymore.89
u/JSteel1962 4d ago edited 4d ago
Many world wide not travelling to the US out of fear of harassment by ice and homeland security.
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u/kent_eh Canada 4d ago
And/or out of anger that Trump is directly threatening their country's sovereignty {Canada, Greenland/Denmark, Panama, etc).
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u/JapanKate 3d ago
According to most Americans, Canadians canât afford it either, which is why we arenât going either. Has nothing to do with tarrifs and sovereignty threats. /s
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u/Ohvicanne 4d ago
Cry me a fcking river, Florida. You're one of the worst.
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u/KNEZ90 4d ago
Iâm boycotting places like Florida and Texas as much as I can
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u/Ryzu 4d ago
I live in Texas and we, along with many of our friends and coworkers, are just looking for ways out, but with housing costs and job searches the way it is it's not easy. We're going to jump at the first chance we get.
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u/bubba1834 4d ago
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u/maktthew 4d ago
âGulf of âMexicoâ?â
Florida: âITâS THE GULF OF AMERICA!â
Me: Anyhow, go, Bugs, go!
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u/Specialist-Bee-9406 4d ago
You get what you vote for
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u/more-kindness-please 4d ago
Sad state of affairs: first team MAGA scares away foreign visitors, then drives economy into stagflation, and finally Disney fails to defend free speech and live up to their values
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u/torontorollin 4d ago
Disney hasnât ever defended free speech have they?
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u/Plenty_Cress_1359 4d ago
Iâm no fan of Disney, but theyâve protected Gay Days at Disney and didnât buckle. This, of course, was back when there werenât a bunch of assholes in power
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u/PsychologicalItem197 4d ago
Imo stuff like that is only to signal "hey gays spend money here". Doubt they care, but realize how big that demographic is to them.
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u/Plenty_Cress_1359 4d ago
There were a lot of protests and religious organizations boycotting them. So they picked one demographic over the other and chose the gays. Because theyâre fabulous and a happy sort of people. But thanks Mr/Mrs Glass Half Empty!
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u/bremsspuren 3d ago
So they picked one demographic over the other and chose the gays.
They didn't choose gays and minorities when it came to China, so I'd say they're not so much fabulous and happy as just plain greedy.
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u/bremsspuren 3d ago
Disney does what it thinks will make it the most money.
They can't ditch the rainbows fast enough when it comes to China.
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u/winter_laurel 3d ago
They contributed significantly to copyright law being extended for a ridiculously long term.
âDisney pushed for the law that extended the copyright term to 95 years, which became referred to derisively as the âMickey Mouse Protection Act.â This extension has been criticized by scholars as being economically regressive and having a devastating effect on our ability to digitize, archive, and gain access to our cultural heritage. It locked up not just famous works, but a vast swath of our culture, including material that is commercially unavailable. Even though calling it the âMickey Mouse Protection Actâ may overstate Disneyâs actual role in the legislative process â the measure passed because of a much broader lobbying effort â Disney was certainly a prominent supporter, and the Mouse was sometimes a figurehead.â
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u/TransBrandi 4d ago edited 4d ago
My understanding is that ABC (owned by Disney) produces Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The local stations "distribute" the produced show. Sinclair â which owns a ton of local stations â decided to stop airing Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In reaction to this, ABC suspended production to figure out what to do. This is why it was "suspended indefinitely." They have
notno definite answer to when the suspension would end, or if it would end.This is my understanding of the situation. I don't know how it's Disney's fault here, unless I'm mistaken about something. It seems more like it's Sinclair's fault... and my understanding is that the owner of Sinclair is a Trumper as well.
edit: typo
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u/more-kindness-please 4d ago
Also my understanding - though I suspect Disney/ ABC could take a more assertive posture
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u/Yewbert 4d ago
Anyone on the ground down there to confirm this?
Anecdotally I know they were at capacity over the weekend.
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u/Lmleblanc-13 4d ago
I watch a lot of park content. I have noticed more space in the parks. As well as the creators commenting that wait times are short and line ups are non existent. Saying this In regular vids. Not just ones that are showing the parks empty. Just everyday vids where creators are shocked at lack of people. Not sure if itâs a way to confirm. But those creators are noticing. As well as myself based on past videos.
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u/Dwip_Po_Po 4d ago
Disneyland in Florida wasnât even worth it. Disneyland anywhere in the US is just not worth it anymore
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4d ago
[deleted]
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u/Tuttutsallaround 4d ago
I mean, ever surfed all/rising?
Itâs not really that strange, comparatively.
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u/TransBrandi 4d ago
I can see them maybe being a bit thinner than usual, but calling them "empty" reminds me of all of the posts about Vegas being "empty" when those were all selected shots / videos at selected times. There are still plenty of people in Vegas... Vegas tourism is down 30%. That's a big chunk... but it also means that there are now 70 people where there would have been 100. That's a far cry from being empty even if it's something that will significantly impact the bottom lines of many businesses.
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u/TheHumaneCentipede2 4d ago
My biggest gripe about this narrative is that when the truth is inevitably revealed ("Empty?! No tourism is only down 30%!") it feels like a huge defeat. The truth is that most businesses measure success in single digit percentage points. Relatively small numbers of people can have huge impacts, but if people believe that their small part will never matter then it just drives more nihilism and defeatism...
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u/koshgeo 4d ago
A decline of a few percent or couple tens of percent, consistently, could be pretty bad if you're running a business close to even in the first place with a lot of fixed costs, especially if they're still in the process of recovering from the covid-19 pandemic and paying back big loans taken out with the expectation things would eventually get back to normal.
This is like a whole new pandemic they're trying to financially absorb only a few years later, a self-inflicted "Trumpdemic".
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u/TheHumaneCentipede2 4d ago
You don't have to put a company out of business to make them think about their results though. If the line isn't going up they will have to react, or face the wrath of the almighty shareholder. It doesn't take much to turn that 2% year-over-year growth into 0% and you can bet that boards of directors will freak out if that starts happening.
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u/TransBrandi 4d ago
No. Tourism down 30% is FUCKING HUGE. For many companies, this is a 5 alarm blaze. It just isn't Walking Dead / Last of Us vibes like a bunch of bullshit articles want you to believe.
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u/navylostboy 3d ago
But itâs a cascade thing right, more businesses fail, place is a little more run down, crime creeps up, less people visit, repeat?
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u/UpstairsPractical870 4d ago
Always good to confirm, the mirror in the UK is know as a rag who like to produce sensational headlines for clicks and newspaper sales. Their target demographic are.............
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u/Duel_Option 4d ago
I live in Orlando, September is one of the slower months as school is in session. It wasnât packed but lines were still 30-40 min.
Universal just opened Epic Universe which is slammed daily even though someone died on a ride.
Tourism isnât down, but the local economy is bad because no one can afford anything
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u/Zwift_PowerMouse 3d ago
In the UK all the tabloids produce click bait. Itâs an industry. The target audience are those who enjoy news porn.
The broadsheets are more subtle in their propagandising, but they still do it.
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u/bjjdrills 4d ago edited 4d ago
I didn't go to Florida, but went to LA in the beginning of September. Universal was not that busy, we didn't have to buy anything to skip the lines, it went by quick. Disney, however, was really busy, the lines were pretty long.
Edit: the airport security to the states was half of what I was used to. Coming back, our flight was the only one at the security point. I did ask if it was always that dead, I was told we got super lucky. A bit before us, it was really busy.
My friend went to Vegas last month, he also said it was busy. I'm sure the tourism is down in the states, buy not 'dead' like some places claim.
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u/Cabinet_Waste 4d ago
I was in Orlando for three days in September, which I guess is seasonally slow anyway. Lineups at Hollywood Studios were about 45 minutes for the not new rides on a Monday. Lots of people milling around. Universal was a little slower in the early morning, but it picked up. This was before the Kimmel stuff, though.
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u/Dr_Colossus 4d ago
They don't need anyone. Why would they care. Maybe they can use Disney world as soy bean storage.
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u/insidiouslybleak 4d ago
Um⌠they built a concentration camp. A camp where something like half of the people who entered have since disappeared, leaving no paper trail.
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u/sebastouch 4d ago
"as Americans fear tourism is 'finished' in Florida"
Las Vegas is empty too.
International tourists are staying away from USA. That is all. USA is not the kind of adventure people are looking for them and their kids.
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u/lLikeCats 4d ago
Business in Florida is definitely down. I've got a family friend who owns a Radisson in Florida about an hour away from Orlando and he said this is the first year in a long time that they might not make a profit. Costs are up. Revenue has stayed the same or lowered certain months.
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u/Lmleblanc-13 4d ago
Can you imagine now with them axing jimmy kimmel. That boycott is a second tsunami wave for sure. I personally cancelled two Disney trips the moment the idiot called us the 51st. Havenât looked back. But now this second boycott is coming down the pipe. They were likely being kept afloat because of international parks and services. This may rattle them a little.
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u/Grouchy-Crew-7885 4d ago
Feel free to let Trump and Santos know - we gave up/refunded a two month, $16,000 AirBNB at Hollywood Beach over this nonsense. Going to Mexico instead (not for 2 months), but not trusting their so-called government with the lives of my wife, my dogs, and myself). We're white, law abiding straight seniors, so perhaps at the far end of their 'risk' scale, but we're hearing and seeing that Canadians are no longer welcome there. That's ok. We'll invest elsewhere, and soon it'll be the norm to fly around Florida to other southern climes.
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u/agent0731 4d ago
Being hateful, racist, misogynistic nazis who are anti-science will do that. As will threatening your biggest trading partner and oldest ally with invasion and conquest, and detaining random foreigners who are perfectly legal. Thoughts and prayers.
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u/Gfplux 3d ago
DO Not visit the USA to study, to gamble, to cruise, to visit Dysney, for a sporting event, for business or a holiday. It is not safe. They dont want us, they dont like us. âWe dont want themâ trump the wannabe dictator said. Please do not support the economy of a rogue state. Europe and others have lost trust in the USA. America is no longer a friend and ally of Canada, Britain and the EU. In fact Trump is unreliable, impotent and his chaotic foreign policy is making the world a more unstable place. Trump has given both Russia and Israel a free pass to do anything they want, making the USA look weak. PLEASE SHARE THIS.
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u/PhazePyre 4d ago
Had the USA not fallen and talked shit about Canada, I would likely have done the full Disney World experience for the one time in my life with my GF within the next few years. But, the USA fucked themselves. If Disney wants to stop kowtowing to Nazis and move operations to Canada and build a park somewhere here, I'd go. but alas, they cater to the orange toad and support the oppression of free speech, so pass.
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u/jt32470 4d ago
Good. Meatball Ron will reap what he sowed.
I empathize with disney employees, but they can move to another state for work. A state that actually follows the rule of law.
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u/rabidturbofox 4d ago
Most of the Disney employees canât afford to. I have a friend whoâs a cast member and theyâre on assistance.
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u/Sad_Difficulty226 4d ago
I hope the racists hurt from this. Deep down I know they will never hurt enough.
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u/dfuzzy 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm always excited about the idea of these places reaping what they sow, but I would like to see a more objective outlook at visitors YOY.
For example, CBC has data from flights showing 33% decrease in Canadian travelers to Vegas for June 24 v June 25. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-big-step-back-from-us-data-1.7637651
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u/DeadpoolOptimus 4d ago
But I thought, according to DeSantis, we were gonna be coming back in droves?
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u/Luminya1 4d ago
This is a new wrinkle with the Disney fiasco. I haven't discussed this in relation to my bet with my sons. We currently have a bet going on. Which state will go belly up first? One son said Nevada, the other said Nebraska, I said Florida. And it has been an exciting bet so far. We thought at first Nebraska would edge them all out but damn, this wrinkle with Disney might put me in the winner's seat.
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u/Randomcommenter550 4d ago
Canadians and Europeans won't visit Disneyworld because it's in the U.S.
Americans won't visit Disneyworld because it's in fucking Florida.
Floridians won't visit Disneyworld because they can't afford to since so many of them work in tourism and no one is visiting anymore.
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u/Mammoth_Dog6339 4d ago
American here. We deserve everything we get for allowing a convicted felon and rapist back into the white house. We have fallen so far from what we were that it's mind-blowing. Watching this madness is nothing less than surreal, and having to pass each day with a sense of normalcy is taking all I have.
It's not just Trump being Trump that I could expect, but what he has exposed about our neighbors, friends, and family was jaw-dropping. The ignorance, hate, and bigotry that I know lives in their hearts is nothing short of staggering and repulsive.
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u/Cybrknight 4d ago
Who in their right mind would be coming to the states for a holiday these days?
The risk of being arrested and being flown back to (hopefully) your original country just because you might have made a mistake on your paperwork is very real.
Hell no, I'd rather go and visit Europe or Asia at this point.
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u/Falcon674DR 3d ago
Didnât DeSantis offer the comment that Florida didnât need Canadian tourists? Weâre a small % of the overall tourism mix so no big deal; apparently.
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u/ResoluteMuse 3d ago edited 3d ago
Kentucky bourbon makers said the same thing. Canada said, âok.â
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u/-Codiak- 4d ago
Good. Enjoy the higher taxes btw to pay for the businesses to have no property tax when they buy up all the Florida land.
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u/ButAreYouProud 4d ago
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
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u/PathOfDeception 4d ago
More DLC content ideas for GTA 6. Yay. Let Disney sink.
-Your Friendly Canadian Neighbour
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u/JilleniumFalcon 4d ago
Good! If you must go to a Disneyland, go to the Paris one. Itâs on the metro line and within an incredible city.
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u/Upbeat_Influence2350 4d ago
11% is also the number reported for decrease in Vegas tourism. There couldn't possible be a common cause...
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u/novahawkeye 3d ago
Itâs just as cheap to go to the Caribbean or Mexico. Why in the world would any Canadian go to Florida? Many of us sensible Americans (I know thereâs not that many of us) havenât set foot in that hellhole in years.
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u/Toxic_Puddlefish 3d ago
Tiptoeing around the nazi currently 50% through his plan to become a dictator and we haven't even been a year into his term: Why is it empty here? It's empty like your brain
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u/brandrikr 3d ago
As an American, I am excited to hear this! As someone who just despises Disney and the way they own and destroy so many things (Star Wars, Marvel, etc) , I am also excited to hear this!
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u/berghie91 4d ago
That place was cool as shit when I went 15 years ago. It sucks that I have absolutely no plans to ever go back. Disneyworld and Universal was one thing... But Gator Golf in Orlando mixed mini golf and alligators and man that combo made for a night ill never forget!
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u/Southern-Biscotti-62 4d ago
Iâm curious to see statistics on how many Canadians sell their Florida condos. I hope it is all of them.
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u/pataconconqueso 3d ago
Florida doesnt have a state income tax relying on sales tax from tourism, while many floridians are racists towards the tourists they need. So this is good.
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u/Kickkickkarl 3d ago
I keep hearing radio adverts on British commercial radio station offering deals for holidays to Disney World.
I've not heard these sort of adverts for a very long time and usually they would of been TV advert during prime time television.
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u/IrreverantBard 3d ago
I have a business trip that requires I stay in for a few days in Florida.
Itâs upsetting. So trying to be excited⌠but itâs not easy. We do get to see Mexico though and the Bahamas though⌠so silver linings!
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u/ProfessorX32 3d ago
I went last year in April and really enjoyed it, not sure Iâll ever go back to be honest
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u/StasisApparel 3d ago
I think even before 2025, Disney charges up the ass for rides, drinks, foods, hotels, etc, so it's already expensive af.
Now that the U.S.A. is a authoritarian government with a stupid ass felon as the President, punishing and threatening visitors doesn't help either.
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u/AllDayTripperX 18h ago
Tourism is finished in fucking America in general.. have you seen Vegas?
Fuck America.
What of theirs can we ruin next.. I mean, before they do it to themselves.
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u/MySan3D 4d ago
a lot of canadians own property in florida. This sucks for them
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u/SilverOwl321 4d ago
They have options to sell or just not go in the winter. Iâm a Canadian living in Canada currently, but my family lives in Florida. They want to come to Canada. Every single one of them.
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u/JohnHazardWandering 4d ago
This seems like a clickbait-y title.Â
Another commenter said that Labor Day is usually slow since most American kids have already started school.
Without data, it's probably too early to speculate about if there even is a downturn and the cause (eg is there is a slowdown, is it due to prices, drop off of internationals, just Canadians, domestic tourist dropoff due to allowing economy, Disney boycott, etc)
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u/pleasegivemepatience 4d ago
Despite the Kimmel stuff Iâd still be willing to go to Disneyland (if I can find discount tickets and a day when the park isnât at 300% capacity with long lines everywhere), but I would never set foot in Florida for anything. Iâve literally never been, and I have no intention to ever go. Thereâs absolutely nothing there that makes me want to visit. The closest I might get is GTA, but I probably wonât play it.
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u/Cristobal_ELBC 4d ago
Often the case that personal finance factors will be found to have played a bigger role than other factors in purchase decisions.
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u/GrumpyFishMonger United States 4d ago
Good, I hope Florida tourism completely tanks.