I can't believe this is from San Francisco!!!

[Pogo]

I don't get the "can't believe... San Francisco" connection here.

San Francisco's a wonderful town but it's very expensive to live there. You know that, right?

Why is it so expensive? Because of continual rules and regulations like this increase in minimum wage!
Don't you comprehend the concept of raising costs of doing business raises prices people pay?
I'm sure you think those small business people are making a fortune and need to be taken down a peg by re-distribution!

Its expensive because more people want to live there than there are homes.

And you need more brake jobs too.
Food is fantastic though.

 

[healthmyths]

I don't get the "can't believe... San Francisco" connection here.

San Francisco's a wonderful town but it's very expensive to live there. You know that, right?

Nothing to get, a mom and pop closed and more will follow. We are losing the small businesses and the people that really care about their customers. Keep piling on more laws and regulations, big business will continue to find ways around the regulations and lobby for themselves and let the little guys go under.

Pretty soon our choices are going to be Walmart or Target, for dinner Applebee's or Red Lobster, Amazon or Costco. The little guy, screw'em.

Doesn't answer the question about singling out San Francisco.

The Targets btw are closing up because of the Amazons. It's technoshift. But I for one would sooner starve to death than be forced to eat at Applebee's.
Restaurants IMO will never be subject to the Wal-Mart effect, because preparing and presenting a meal involves creativity. There's no creativity in a chain store. That's part of the whole point of going to a restaurant.. the creativity.

Now back to San Francisco... the entire title of this thread is about San Francisco. Not a word about books or wages. I'm still trying to find the handle on that.

San Francisco is pricing the bookstore out of business with higher wages.

Chain restaurants are not creative, eat at one Olive Garden, Red Lobster and on and on and they are all the same. They hire guys that can slap together pre-cooked, frozen food. No creativity, no changing things up. Not as good as a nice local mom and pop restaurant. IMHO

I know, that's what I'm saying. I agree, I'd automatically favor a one-of-a-kind restaurant of any grade over a chain.

My clients used to send me to Florida sometimes. I knew I'd get nothing decent to eat. Nothing but chains, far as the eye can see...

I live in Florida and I think you may not be familiar with YELP, or the many other aids to help people find very very exquisite food
ranging from simple but extremely tasty food at local family owned restaurants that also have a lot of ambience missing in chains.
My better half and I go to several places that serve fresh seafood caught by the owner of the restaurant and prepared by his wife!
Such fresh food is impossible at a chain.

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

If You Support Higher Minimum Wages, You Hate Bookstores

You don't hate bookstores. Do you?
Similarly, this is why some burger joints are experimenting with machines that literally make the burgers automatically. Fewer people in the kitchen means less labor purchased. This is why the CBO projected that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 could cost half-a-million jobs.
In November, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly passed a measure that will increase the minimum wage within the city to $15 per hour by 2018.
Although all of us at Borderlands support the concept of a living wage in principal and we believe that it’s possible that the new law will be good for San Francisco —
Borderlands Books as it exists is not a financially viable business if subject to that minimum wage.
Consequently we will be closing our doors no later than March 31st. …

The change in minimum wage will mean our payroll will increase roughly 39%.
That increase will in turn bring up our total operating expenses by 18%.
To make up for that expense, we would need to increase our sales by a minimum of 20%.
We do not believe that is a realistic possibility for a bookstore in San Francisco at this time.

The other obvious alternative to increasing sales would be to decrease expenses.
The only way to accomplish the amount of savings needed would be to reduce our staff to: the current management (Alan Beatts and Jude Feldman), and one other part-time employee.

Alan would need to take over most of Jude’s administrative responsibilities and Jude would work the counter five to six days per week. Taking all those steps would allow management to increase their work hours by 50-75% while continuing to make roughly the same modest amount that they make now (by way of example, Alan’s salary was $28,000 last year).
That’s not an option for obvious reasons and for at least one less obvious one — at the planned minimum wage in 2018, either of them would earn more than their current salary working only 40 hours per week at a much less demanding job that paid minimum wage.
If You Support Higher Minimum Wages You Hate Bookstores Washington Free Beacon

I am SHOCKED that San Fransisco still HAS a book store. Leftists are exactly known for their literary pursuits.

At one time, the Left thought to have some capacity for intellectual pursuits, but that myth dried up LONG AGO!

 

[AceRothstein]

I don't get the "can't believe... San Francisco" connection here.

San Francisco's a wonderful town but it's very expensive to live there. You know that, right?

Why is it so expensive? Because of continual rules and regulations like this increase in minimum wage!
Don't you comprehend the concept of raising costs of doing business raises prices people pay?
I'm sure you think those small business people are making a fortune and need to be taken down a peg by re-distribution!

It is expensive because a lot of wealthy people want to live there and it is only 47 square miles of land. It is also the second most dense city in the United States so it isn't like they aren't packed in already.

 

[Pogo]

If You Support Higher Minimum Wages, You Hate Bookstores

You don't hate bookstores. Do you?
Similarly, this is why some burger joints are experimenting with machines that literally make the burgers automatically. Fewer people in the kitchen means less labor purchased. This is why the CBO projected that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 could cost half-a-million jobs.
In November, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly passed a measure that will increase the minimum wage within the city to $15 per hour by 2018.
Although all of us at Borderlands support the concept of a living wage in principal and we believe that it’s possible that the new law will be good for San Francisco —
Borderlands Books as it exists is not a financially viable business if subject to that minimum wage.
Consequently we will be closing our doors no later than March 31st. …

The change in minimum wage will mean our payroll will increase roughly 39%.
That increase will in turn bring up our total operating expenses by 18%.
To make up for that expense, we would need to increase our sales by a minimum of 20%.
We do not believe that is a realistic possibility for a bookstore in San Francisco at this time.

The other obvious alternative to increasing sales would be to decrease expenses.
The only way to accomplish the amount of savings needed would be to reduce our staff to: the current management (Alan Beatts and Jude Feldman), and one other part-time employee.

Alan would need to take over most of Jude’s administrative responsibilities and Jude would work the counter five to six days per week. Taking all those steps would allow management to increase their work hours by 50-75% while continuing to make roughly the same modest amount that they make now (by way of example, Alan’s salary was $28,000 last year).
That’s not an option for obvious reasons and for at least one less obvious one — at the planned minimum wage in 2018, either of them would earn more than their current salary working only 40 hours per week at a much less demanding job that paid minimum wage.
If You Support Higher Minimum Wages You Hate Bookstores Washington Free Beacon

I am SHOCKED that San Fransisco still HAS a book store. Leftists are exactly known for their literary pursuits.

At one time, the Left thought to have some capacity for intellectual pursuits, but that myth dried up LONG AGO!

This makes, if it's possible, even less sense than the title of this thread.

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

This again proves the minimum wage is still $0.00.

I wonder how many more small businesses that can't compete with the big companies in pricing are going to go under because of the costs of the goods and the labor?

Sad to see so many mom and pop stores disappear.

Indeed... the minimum amount of compensation for one's labor is Zero.

What San Fransisco has done is to bring the value of ZERO to represent $15. Which is fine if one's relative value is one million dollars, as such inflation will not alter one's lifestyle. But if one's relative value is significantly closer to $15, one is SCUH-RUDE! Because one's relative value is now $15 closer to ZERO.

 

[NYcarbineer]

If You Support Higher Minimum Wages, You Hate Bookstores

You don't hate bookstores. Do you?
Similarly, this is why some burger joints are experimenting with machines that literally make the burgers automatically. Fewer people in the kitchen means less labor purchased. This is why the CBO projected that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 could cost half-a-million jobs.
In November, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly passed a measure that will increase the minimum wage within the city to $15 per hour by 2018.
Although all of us at Borderlands support the concept of a living wage in principal and we believe that it’s possible that the new law will be good for San Francisco —
Borderlands Books as it exists is not a financially viable business if subject to that minimum wage.
Consequently we will be closing our doors no later than March 31st. …

The change in minimum wage will mean our payroll will increase roughly 39%.
That increase will in turn bring up our total operating expenses by 18%.
To make up for that expense, we would need to increase our sales by a minimum of 20%.
We do not believe that is a realistic possibility for a bookstore in San Francisco at this time.

The other obvious alternative to increasing sales would be to decrease expenses.
The only way to accomplish the amount of savings needed would be to reduce our staff to: the current management (Alan Beatts and Jude Feldman), and one other part-time employee.

Alan would need to take over most of Jude’s administrative responsibilities and Jude would work the counter five to six days per week. Taking all those steps would allow management to increase their work hours by 50-75% while continuing to make roughly the same modest amount that they make now (by way of example, Alan’s salary was $28,000 last year).
That’s not an option for obvious reasons and for at least one less obvious one — at the planned minimum wage in 2018, either of them would earn more than their current salary working only 40 hours per week at a much less demanding job that paid minimum wage.
If You Support Higher Minimum Wages You Hate Bookstores Washington Free Beacon

Maybe they can open bookstores in China.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Once your country's prosperity becomes dependent on keeping the poor poor, you are a failed nation.

 

[Uncensored2008]

The war on capitalism continues.

It's the war on small business - one the democrats have been waging for decades.

 

[Uncensored2008]

I don't get the "can't believe... San Francisco" connection here.

San Francisco's a wonderful town but it's very expensive to live there. You know that, right?

San Francisco is a radical left wing Mecca - you know that, right?

 

[Uncensored2008]

The issue with the bookstore is that the books are prepriced. If that wasn't the case, he could increase prices to match.....as he's doing with the adjoining cafe that is staying open.

Minimum wage is just the latest salvo in the democrats war on small business.

The great Obama speech "If you have a small business - YOU didn't build that and I will have you bankrupt and on SNAP by the end of the year!"

 

[Skylar]

The issue with the bookstore is that the books are prepriced. If that wasn't the case, he could increase prices to match.....as he's doing with the adjoining cafe that is staying open.

Minimum wage is just the latest salvo in the democrats war on small business.

The great Obama speech "If you have a small business - YOU didn't build that and I will have you bankrupt and on SNAP by the end of the year!"

I'm pretty sure that's you quoting yourself as Obama.

 

[BluesLegend]

I see yet another half baked liberal policy has blown up in their face.

 

[Pogo]

Let's face it -- bookstores, and books in general, are a moribund concept. They're closing and phasing out everywhere. I volunteer at a local thrift store processing stuff that comes in, and I'll give you one guess what the highest volume item is that we have to intake --- yup, books.

Let's also face it, most of what reference material or entertainment one might desire is on the internet, and btw there's this brand new site called "Amazon" that seems to have a couple of books, and by the other way they even have their own e-Reader, as do their competitors. So picking out one local sci-fi bookstore and blaming it on a minimum wage increase is more than a little disingenuous.

None of which still has anything to do with San Francisco.

SF has a high cost of living, and that applies to running a business as well. Long before this wage initiative, Cody's Books, Stacey's Bookstore, A Different Light, Abandoned Planet, Acorn Books, Badger Books, Elsewhere Books, Fields Book Store, San Francisco Mystery Bookstore, Valencia Street Books, and of course Borders all went out of bidness.

But yanno what, let's pretend this has something to do with some contrived "war on small business" or something called "Gruber".

 

[Uncensored2008]

I'm pretty sure that's you quoting yourself as Obama.

I'm pretty sure that was Obama with a tiny bit of interpretation at the end.

The democrats war on small business marches on.

 

[Uncensored2008]

I see yet another half baked liberal policy has blown up in their face.

I don't think so, I think this is exactly the outcome the left seeks. Business is the enemy to the left. A small business means the owners are fiscally independent - the opposite of the goals of the left. If the business closes and the employees all go on welfare - mission accomplished.

 

[Silhouette]

Fewer people in the kitchen means less labor purchased. This is why the CBO projected that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 could cost half-a-million jobs....

The question is, how many automatic burger-making machines will be buying Big Mac's or Whoppers?

The dragon has almost consumed the last crumbs of the last scale on the end of its own tail...

 

[Uncensored2008]

The question is, how many automatic burger-making machines will be buying Big Mac's or Whoppers?

The dragon has almost consumed the last crumbs of the last scale on the end of its own tail...

Ah, so the sales of McDonalds are significantly down?

Or are you just making shit up to create a fiction of what you would like reality to be?

 

[BluesLegend]

I see yet another half baked liberal policy has blown up in their face.

I don't think so, I think this is exactly the outcome the left seeks. Business is the enemy to the left. A small business means the owners are fiscally independent - the opposite of the goals of the left. If the business closes and the employees all go on welfare - mission accomplished.

No trust me, liberals expect business to just sit there and take it when they shit on them, when business instead tells liberals to fuck off we're leaving they freak out.

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

The question is, how many automatic burger-making machines will be buying Big Mac's or Whoppers?

The dragon has almost consumed the last crumbs of the last scale on the end of its own tail...

Ah, so the sales of McDonalds are significantly down?

Or are you just making shit up to create a fiction of what you would like reality to be?

McDonalds just fired their CEO, because it has been kicked in the Clown Sack by the Militant Socialists of the LGBT-Envirocranks... . Which claimed that McDonalds, was worse than you exhaling carbon... .

McDonalds, being led by those sensitive to assaults by the Pop-culture queens, succumbed to the weeping and gnashing of Leftist tooth... and decided to change the formula for the oil in which they fry their Tasty American-fries, and to announce the end of the "BIG MAC!" and so on... which of course led to the public impression that McDonalds was complicit in some Crime against humanity and as a result their sales are WAY DOWN.

Of course what they should have done is taken the fight to the Left-cranks and as is proven here and on message boards throughout the interwebz... EVERY MOMENT of EVERY DAY... they would have easily prevailed.

But to do that there would have had to have been an American somewhere NEAR the board of McDonalds and as history now demonstrates, there was NOT. So they got their sad clown ass handed to them by a gaggle of impotent malcontents, pushing feckless drivel.