<span style='color:green'>关于经济萧条时期服务业运作的一篇小故事，转自FTChinese网站。原文标题中lying down意为逆来顺受的接受挫败、不幸等，在官方网站的翻译中并未译出该含义，建议更改为“难道我只能接受雷曼倒闭的现实吗？”或“对雷曼破产只能由它去了吗？”</span>
三陪如何应对雷曼破产？
亲爱的经济学家：
我是金丝雀码头(Canary Wharf,伦敦金融区之一——译者注)的一名三陪。我这个行业的人该如何应对雷曼兄弟(Lehman Brothers)倒闭后的需求骤降，我不知道您是否有一些好的建议？
C小姐
亲爱的C小姐：
我并没有注意到三陪服务是顺周期性的，但我会相信你的话。你有三个选择，不过没有一个是尽善尽美的。
选择一：换工作地点。金丝雀码头纯粹是银行业，你可以找到一个更加多样化的市场。伦敦西区到处是对冲基金、石油大亨和旧富们。不过，我承认找到新客户需要花费一番工夫。经济学家史蒂文•莱维特(Steven Levitt)和社会学家素德赫•文卡特斯赫(Sudhir Venkatesh)最近对芝加哥的街头卖淫进行了分析。他们发现，该行业非常集中，因为如果不是这样，妓女和嫖客会找不到对方。当然，你和她们并不完全一样，或许可以轻松地换个工作地点。
选择二：在金丝雀码头撑下去，期待供给会随着需求而下降。莱维特和文卡特斯赫发现，面对需求的激增，街头卖淫的供给极具弹性。（7月4日的假期会造成卖淫交易升飙升——谁知道呢？）现有的妓女会延长工作时间，其他妓女会来到该地区，而通常不是妓女的女性也会涉足卖淫行业。这意味着在困难时期，你的许多竞争对手会找些其他事情来做。
选择三：你也许会发现三陪服务有点像房地产中介，即便是严重的需求冲击往往也不会降低费用。你会发现自己工作时收入很高，但常常没有工作可做。你可以用空出的时间进行学习或者找一份兼职。
对于房地产中介，我也会给出一模一样的建议。
译者/董琴
<a href='http://www.ftchinese.com/story.php?storyid=001022305' target='_blank'>http://www.ftchinese.com/story.php?storyid=001022305</a>
附英文原文
DEAR ECONOMIST: SHOULD I TAKE LEHMAN'S COLLAPSE LYING DOWN?
By Tim Harford 2008-10-07
I work as an escort in Canary Wharf. I wonder if you might have some sound business advice on how workers in my industry should tackle the sudden drop in demand following the collapse of Lehman Brothers?
Miss C
Dear Miss C,
I wasn't aware that escort services were pro-cyclical, but I shall take your word for it. You have three options, none of them perfect.
One: relocate. Canary Wharf is a pure banking play, and you could seek a more diversified market. The West End is full of hedge funds, oil barons and old money. However, I recognise that it will take some effort to find new clients. The economist Steve Levitt and sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh discovered, in a recent analysis of Chicago street prostitution, that the industry was very concentrated because prostitutes and clients would otherwise fail to find each other. You, of course, are not in quite the same game and may be able to relocate with ease.
Two: tough it out at Canary Wharf and hope that supply falls to match demand. Levitt and Venkatesh found that the supply of street prostitution was highly elastic in response to a demand surge. (The fourth of July holiday provokes a spike in trade for prostitutes – who knew?) Existing prostitutes would work longer hours, other prostitutes would travel to the area, and women who didn't normally work as prostitutes at all would dabble in the business. This suggests that many of your rivals will find something else to do in the tough times.
Three: you may find that escort services are a little like estate agency, in that even severe demand shocks don't tend to reduce fees. You'd find yourself well paid when in work, but frequently idle. That spare time could be used to study or find a part-time sideline.
I would give exactly the same advice to an estate agent.