Financial Times; Dec 11, 2001
OBSERVER: Here we go again AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
Post-September 11 bomb threats may be a hindrance for many - but time- strapped analysts at UBS Warburg's Park Avenue offices have been putting their all-too frequent evacuations to exceedingly good use.
The investment bank has been the target of almost twice-daily bomb scares since the terrorist attacks. The threats have become so frequent that even the building's public address announcer sounds a bit bored when beginning his now frequent "a police 911 operator has received a call stating there is a bomb at 299 Park Avenue" script.
The alerts, which have tended to come in at about 9.30am and 2.45pm, have led to a new routine at the bank. Analysts accustomed to putting in 12-hour days have been displaying maximum efficiency by scheduling haircuts and getting their shopping done during the evacuations - a bonus for the UBS workers, for whom finding time for such mundane chores usually presents a problem.
The benefits have also been felt at the local Starbucks, which saw increased orders for lattes and a hefty rise in daily profits.
But such is the frequency of the threats that a certain resilience has begun to set in. The alerts are being increasingly ignored and, as winter weather arrives, the willingness of bankers to spend a chilly hour outside the offices is likely to slide still further.
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