Local Painters in This Economy

Hey there, Somerton neighbors! 👋

Let’s chat about what it's like for us local painters trying to keep our brushes moving amid the wild ride of today’s economy.

It’s no secret that Philly’s been buzzing with more people lately, and that’s created problems for local businesses. As a proud local painting business, we’ve seen our city go through many changes, but the change we’re seeing now feels different. I’ve been a local painter in the Bustleton Ave section of Philadelphia for years, and I’ve never experienced such a decrease in demand from our clients.

The economic landscape for painters today is one of intense competition and decreasing demand. The sudden surge of people into Philadelphia has led to an increase in the overall workforce of our city. A larger workforce is generally a positive economic factor, but because of this, combined with the decrease in demand, we now have an industry of local painters cutting prices drastically. This has created an environment that’s not ideal for making a profit.

Now, you might think that more competition for interior and exterior painters would lead to higher quality work, but that’s not necessarily the case. In an industry where demand is low and competition is high, painters are forced to lower their prices in order to secure leads. This brings us to the main reason why quality doesn’t improve: turnover costs. The lower prices painters charge mean the job has to be completed faster in order to generate more income (especially if the painting company has workers paid by the hour). And because the job needs to be completed quickly, the quality of the work suffers. Ask any painter or contractor, they’ll tell you!

These are just a few of the concerns business owners in Philly are facing. We’re anxiously waiting for things to recover—or at least start heading in the right direction. Let’s wait and see.