Drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking tobacco can be the first thing to go during periods of recession. However, many people spend more time drinking alcohol and smoking during periods of recession as a form of comfort as they wait for a better part of the cycle.

As people stop purchasing new clothes and cars, they tend to shift their spending on a cigarette or liquor.

Substitutionary Service Businesses

There are certain types of service businesses that perform well during periods of recession. For example, companies that retrofit, upgrade, and maintain infrastructure, equipment, and products tend to earn well during a recession.

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Also, people and companies tend to save money by repairing and maintaining properties instead of buying new ones during a recession in the economy.

Repossession, Collection, and Removal Services Businesses

There are only a few sectors in the economy that can thrive during periods of recessions such as opportunists and scavengers. These businesses play a significant role in the economy. Their services become well-needed when circumstances such as recessions and the struggling of other sectors in the economy become evident.

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Difficult times mean profitable news for big businesses in the repossession industry. This industry provides necessary services such as repossession of vehicles for owners for the failure to make payments. In 2002's recession, repossessions of vehicles had increased as high as 60% compared to the records of 2001 in the United States.