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Passing the Cost to the Consumer from a Business Owner's Perspective

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posted on May, 11 2014 @ 06:38 PM
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originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: ketsuko

Sounds like a personal problem to me.
A loyal costumer base can offset some one coming in and under cutting prices..
Or provide the better service and it won't matter.

Now if we want to get into what a store like wal mart does, well that is a different thread IMO.


Loyal customers only carry you so far. After a while, if the guy down the street is providing the same thing at a better price, even loyal customers will leave you. Besides, for someone who started out with the position that business shouldn't be "all about the money," I find it odd that you are now advocating abusing your customers so that you can charge them abusively high rates against necessary price hikes that may never materialize.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 06:43 PM
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a reply to: AugustusMasonicus


Why can't we split it, you pay half and I will pay half. I know prices always rise and should in a healthy economy. But, I don't know why businesses think the consumer should pay for every penny of the cost. Making a profit is good but so are customers with money in their pockets.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 06:48 PM
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originally posted by: MOMof3
a reply to: AugustusMasonicus


Why can't we split it, you pay half and I will pay half. I know prices always rise and should in a healthy economy. But, I don't know why businesses think the consumer should pay for every penny of the cost. Making a profit is good but so are customers with money in their pockets.
and where is the store's half coming from? their profits. how do they get the profit to pay their half?



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 06:49 PM
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originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
 


That advice was rather pointed. Enjoy what you do. Be better than your competition. And make sure your are profitable because no one else is going to help you (nor should they). My philosophy on business is simple; you should be able to keep as much as possible and you should not expect to be bailed out by anyone as that is not their problem. The risk and the reward both need top be present, and that is what motivated me and I am sure motivates other entrepreneurs.



I put into bold the part above and I wonder if you paid minimum wage because if you did you certainly did get lots of help from the government subsidizing your employees. If you paid over minimum wage or a livable wage then I would give you a tax break.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 06:54 PM
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originally posted by: MOMof3
Why can't we split it, you pay half and I will pay half. I know prices always rise and should in a healthy economy. But, I don't know why businesses think the consumer should pay for every penny of the cost. Making a profit is good but so are customers with money in their pockets.


Because that does not work. If it costs me $1.00 to purchase the ingredients to make your favorite dish and I need to sell it for $2.00 to cover all of my expenses (which includes my salary) and then taxes go up to where it now costs me $1.10 to make the same product do I continue to charge $2.00? I might be able to get away with charging $2.00 for a short while but eventually the price will become $2.10 as I need to meet my financial obligations. The cost of business increase is amortized across every customer to offset the increase to the business.

Remember, businesses do not effectively pay taxes, you do. When taxes go up on businesses you are the one footing the bill.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 06:55 PM
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originally posted by: LDragonFire

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
 


That advice was rather pointed. Enjoy what you do. Be better than your competition. And make sure your are profitable because no one else is going to help you (nor should they). My philosophy on business is simple; you should be able to keep as much as possible and you should not expect to be bailed out by anyone as that is not their problem. The risk and the reward both need top be present, and that is what motivated me and I am sure motivates other entrepreneurs.



I put into bold the part above and I wonder if you paid minimum wage because if you did you certainly did get lots of help from the government subsidizing your employees. If you paid over minimum wage or a livable wage then I would give you a tax break.


I find it odd how you Progressives that preach income equality don't realize your slitting your own wrists because you won't address one simple fact!

That fact is why did our government allow our good paying manufacturing jobs to go overseas and why do you folk blame the few local businesses that are left instead of addressing the criminals in DC for selling us out to the multinational Corporations?



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 06:57 PM
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originally posted by: LDragonFire
I put into bold the part above and I wonder if you paid minimum wage because if you did you certainly did get lots of help from the government subsidizing your employees. If you paid over minimum wage or a livable wage then I would give you a tax break.


The only people that were at or below minimum wage were the wait staff but I had to guarantee their wages would at least equal the minimum by the end of the week through tips or make up the difference. I can say because we were so busy this never happened and they often made out quite well.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:01 PM
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originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Sremmos80
Yes the costumer keeps the doors open, not you living in a fancy house with 5 cars.
The costumer does not need to lining your pockets, and taking on the cost's and taxes that come with owning a business..


Nobody forces you to shop somewhere, people are free to spend their money wherever they choose.


And it seems the that most people enjoy lining the big corporations pockets with their over priced items, because they think these items miraculously imbues them with cool, swag, hipness and marks them with the symbol of the elite.

Poor Mom and Pop businesses where they are truly in the business for the love of the business, their customers and communities, get raked over the coals for a mere few cent profits. God forbid they actually make a few dollars while the Starbucks, Apple and the likes are considered Gods.

Go figure.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:06 PM
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a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

I am a shop local kind of person and do not frequent most chain stores. Being that I can cook we also do not eat at chain establishments either with all their processed crap. If we go out to eat I have my favorite spots that treat me like I treated my customers.




edit on 11-5-2014 by AugustusMasonicus because: networkdude has no beer



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:11 PM
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originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus


Taxing a small business should be done on the money that is taken out of the business by the owner for personal use. Taxing businesses is just taxing the customers of the business.


I have always said that, business never pay taxes. Never. You do.



I am curious what your take is on the money spent to bribe politicians, via Lobbyists, Donations etc
Is it the consumers paying for that as well?



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:14 PM
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originally posted by: jacobe001
I am curious what your take is on the money spent to bribe politicians, via Lobbyists, Donations etc
Is it the consumers paying for that as well?


Every penny of it.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:16 PM
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originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: proximo
This is about passing cost it takes to run a business to some one else.
This has nothing to do with war or guns or humans inherit nature, that is a gigantic thread in it's self.
I am not asking for utopia here.

Just simply why it is ok for some to pass off cost to some one else for a business that they started and plan to make money off of


So you think people should have to lose money, but stay in business even if they cannot afford to pay themselves a salary to avoid raising prices.

Do you realize you are promoting slavery? You are.

And thinking that can happen is asking for utopia - people don't want to work for free, or at least less than they could get by going to work for someone who is willing to raise prices.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:18 PM
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a reply to: AugustusMasonicus


Where do we employees/customers go when our costs go up, including taxes? I think the form capitalism has taken the last thirty years is OCD about profits and guarantees.

I remember when people wanted to own small businesses so they did not have to be an employee. Making a life and a living was more the goal. Maybe the time of small businesses is over.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:19 PM
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originally posted by: jacobe001

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus


Taxing a small business should be done on the money that is taken out of the business by the owner for personal use. Taxing businesses is just taxing the customers of the business.


I have always said that, business never pay taxes. Never. You do.



I am curious what your take is on the money spent to bribe politicians, via Lobbyists, Donations etc
Is it the consumers paying for that as well?
any money a corporation has ultimately comes from the consumers, yes. after all, how ELSE do corporations make money that they can spend?



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:20 PM
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a reply to: Sremmos80

I think your first problem is you are confusing large corporate oligopolies with small business. They are not remotely the same thing.

You do not seem to understand that if a free market is allowed to exist, companies will not be able to make fat profits unless they really deserve it because the consumer will seek the best value.

If a small business such as a restaurant is making large profits it is because they are providing food and a dining experience people really enjoy. There is tons of competition in that business and they deserve to make a large profit because they are giving consumers what they want. Something like a wireless carrier where there are four of them in the whole united states is another thing altogether. Because the spectrum was sold for the whole country in hugely expensive chunks only people with an extreme amount of money were able to get into the business. As a result we get gouged. I don't like that either.

So it is logical to be against huge corporate profits if the market is not fair - and by virtue of our government being controlled by those with the deepest pockets in the US it is often not fair. It is not logical to be against a small business owner that has no lobbing power, they are only profiting as much as they deserve to for the product or service they are providing.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:25 PM
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originally posted by: MrSpad
Coporate profits are their highest in history. Corporate taxes are at their lowest in modern history. During the golden age small buisness the 40 and 50s Coporate taxes were more than double what they are now. Has any of this massive reduction corporate taxes meant a reduction of costs for consumers? Nope. All it has meant is more profits for companies.



You said it Spad. I'm all for the small mom and pop style business that strengthen local economies and cities.
But we are being overrun by Multinational Corporations that siphon the wealth out of local economies and give it to their friends on Wall Street, and instead of investing in American Ventures, they invest in Communist China, or some Third World Dictatorship.

Big Government or Big Corporations and Banks in Bed with Big Government are what is destroying this country.
Too much control and power in too few hands.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:26 PM
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originally posted by: MOMof3
Where do we employees/customers go when our costs go up, including taxes? I think the form capitalism has taken the last thirty years is OCD about profits and guarantees.


Market driven economies have existed throughout our recorded history, this is not a new dilemma.

I remember when people wanted to own small businesses so they did not have to be an employee. Making a life and a living was more the goal. Maybe the time of small businesses is over.


Did they want to do it for free? What was their ultimate goal? I bet it was to make money and provide for their family. If expenses went up how do you think they handled it? Did they charge the same or did they charge more?



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 07:52 PM
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originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Sremmos80
Yes the costumer keeps the doors open, not you living in a fancy house with 5 cars.
The costumer does not need to lining your pockets, and taking on the cost's and taxes that come with owning a business..


Nobody forces you to shop somewhere, people are free to spend their money wherever they choose.


Not entirely true.
The Economic Trade Policies the Government has in place brought in by lobbyists have a huge effect on what consumers have available to them in the marketplace.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 09:01 PM
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originally posted by: jacobe001
Not entirely true.
The Economic Trade Policies the Government has in place brought in by lobbyists have a huge effect on what consumers have available to them in the marketplace.


Such as? There is very little that I have to go to a chain store to obtain, the overwhelming majority of my purchases and services are made at places I choose to patronize instead of being left with no option to shop there.



posted on May, 11 2014 @ 09:13 PM
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originally posted by: proximo
If a small business such as a restaurant is making large profits it is because they are providing food and a dining experience people really enjoy.


I agree. We had consistently good food, service and value. We were quite busy most nights and I attribute that to us being better than our competition who could not deliver the same consistency or value. Were not the cheapest place in town nor the most expensive and people obviously thought what we provided fit into their budget. My type of business was not a necessity, it was an indulgence for the patron.



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