On top of everything else, recession is annoying

updated 3:39 p.m. ET April 5, 2009

CHICAGO - First came the housing bust, followed by eroding job security and dwindling retirement accounts.

Now, the worst downturn in decades is nibbling away at something so entrenched that people took it for granted: simple, everyday convenience.

It can be as little as driving a few extra miles to buy sheets at Bed Bath & Beyond instead of the now-defunct Linens 'N Things. It's the grumbling that comes with the trash being picked up once a week instead of twice. Or finding there's a long wait to use a computer at the public library.

Regardless of the cause, navigating the altered landscape can leave people scrambling.

Los Angeles costume designer Laura Frecon found the store where she custom-ordered vintage-inspired tap shoes for a musical darkened and locked when she arrived to fetch the footwear.

The business, which once operated from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., cut its hours in half because of sluggish sales. Some days, it doesn't open at all.

With the lead actress shoeless, Frecon stood in the store's parking lot and called the owner, who eventually drove over so she could retrieve her shoes.

"When I placed an order and I needed to pick it up and they're not open during regular business hours, that affects my job," the 32-year-old said. "It makes it tougher to do my job well."

The changes businesses are making — like the law office in Chicago that stopped providing employees with free coffee — are usually aimed at staving off more drastic initiatives like layoffs and wage cuts.

In the most dramatic instances, experts said, small changes can help businesses keep their doors open as consumer spending falls and unemployment grows.

"If having a business open an extra hour is more of a cost than a benefit, it's a pretty easy decision to cut back on hours," said Virginia Commonwealth University marketing professor David Urban. "In the big scheme of things, consumers are already cutting back dramatically on dining, travel, and other non-necessary expenditures, to stay afloat financially. So in a sense, they are doing the same things in their personal lives that retailers are doing in their business lives."

The 55 malls in the U.S. owned by Westfield Group — many in California, but also in 11 other states — started curtailing their hours on March 1. Most will open half an hour later and close half an hour earlier during the week. Some will close an hour earlier on Sundays.

At three central Florida malls owned by Westfield, that means stores will open at 10:30 a.m. during the week and close at 8:30 p.m. The decision was made to help tenants, many of whom are struggling with falling sales as shoppers dramatically cut back spending, said spokeswoman Katy Dickey.

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