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Paying Extra For Water With A Tea Bag. Avoiding Failure #228

Tea

Purchasing Tea At A Cafe. Where Common Sense And Capitalism Clash.

Tea
Photo by Morgan Sessions on Unsplash

I completely understand the concept of charging more for the enjoyment of more. Tea is an interesting category though. If you order it at most any cafe you are presented with a choice paradox. On the one hand they charge more for each increasing size. I suppose the idea is you’re getting more of that beverage which you enjoy. So the cost justifies the action. But on the other, you still only need one tea bag for every size there is and water is essentially free. It may cost a fraction of a cent but no company charges for a glass of water.

So the company charging increasing amounts for increasing volumes pays the exact same amount no matter the size. It’s possible that larger cups cost slightly more but I can’t imagine its much. Why isn’t this cost transferred to the guest? All we should pay is the one tea bag fee and whatever minimal cost for the cup and water.

As a matter of fact it should just be one fee no matter the size. Yet here we are paying nearly a dollar more for a few extra ounces of hot water. It’s a conundrum that as a consumer I can’t quite wrap my head around. But as a business owner it makes perfect sense. Maybe I’ll find a cafe that charges this way and only frequent that place. Than again maybe there are not many because they don’t make as much money as the rest.

Company Stealing From Employees #216.

Stealing from employees

If A Patron Tips Someone That Is For That Individual’s Services. If A Company Takes It. That Is The Company Stealing From Employees.

Or in the case of door dash stealing from independent contractors. Door dash is literally stealing from employees. By keeping a portion of the tips that customers think are going to the driver. The driver that just spent his own time, energy, and gas. In order to go to a restaurant or store, park their vehicle, walk in, sometimes wait extra time for the order to ready. Than gingerly drive said order to the patrons house which could be many miles away. The time in which that takes could approach upwards of an hour.

This whole service somehow cost under 5 dollars. There is absolutely no way that driver has earned any income whatsoever. They may in fact be in the negative. The only way to negate this negative monetary state. Is with the hopes the patron understands all that went into bringing them that order. And they reward the driver with a tip. Or at least they think it goes to the driver.

Door Dashes Policy Was To Skim A Percentage Of The Tips Paid To Drivers.

In order to increase their business. A blatant theft of both consumer and employee.

As a consumer, most tip for service and we expect that tip to go 100% to the person who facilitated that service. Not the company. When we pay for meals the business has already accounted for profit. We are not tipping to add to that profit. We are tipping the person barely getting by on the earnings provided by that employer. The fact that we even tip is still an allocation to the company. We are outsourcing the responsibility of wages to the patrons.

To Insure Promptness.

Stealing from employees
Photo by Sam Truong Dan on Unsplash

This is the true meaning of the word tip. Originally you gave a tip at the beginning of service with the expectation the server would be prompt with their service. Which is already a given, it’s part of their job. So tipping turned into exceptional services rendered. Than from there it became customary to leave something to all assistance. Meanwhile employers could begin paying employees less. Because income was than covered by the people receiving the already mandated services provided regardless of tip.

We Have Now Taken This To The Extreme.

Where some people in the service industry work off tips alone. Which is ludicrous. Tips aren’t a guarantee. No one should ever have to work for another and than be forced to beg many others for spare change as their income. A tip should always be in addition to salary, not salary itself. And if ever we find a company stealing from employees like this. It should be charged as what it is. Theft.




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The Scam App #210

Scam app

If An App Cost Money, Don’t Buy It. It Could Be A Scam App. You Can Always Get Something Similar Or Better For Free.

A report came out that the Apple app store was home to nearly 2000 scam apps. These are apps that promise one thing for a monetary fee and deliver nothing in return. The company selling a finger print heart rate monitor that was selling for $85 US dollars. And had earned over $400,000 dollars in one month.

scam app
Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

This is incredible, both the lucrative nature of the scam and that people would pay such an atrocious amount for something you could check yourself for free. Or they could buy a working heart rate monitor for a quarter of the cost probably even less off amazon or their local sporting goods store. That’s only one example of a scam. There are so many more that you can find alternative solutions too. Rather than purchasing.

Apple Scam App Detection.

How do these apps slip past the watchful eye that is hired to detect such illicit activities? They apparently submit legit looking code to the app store. Than insert the corruption upon entry. Sad thing is the app store themselves do make a cut off these illegitimate application.

What’s 30% of 400k?

A pretty nice money haul for any company. That’s what Apple earns off one of the millions of apps out there. Hard to shut it down until there is enough uproar. On top of that these companies that build the scam operate through out the world making it near impossible to prosecute or seek retribution. So really this falls to Apple to make right with customers and banish the scams before they even begin.

What Can We Do To Prevent This?

All in all apps are predominantly free. You do not need to purchase any. If you absolutely love an applications service and they offer in app purchases, go for it. That is if you feel so inclined to upgrade a service you already trust. But don’t simply buy an app without doing your due diligence. Researching the cost to it’s actual value and looking for alternatives. Also if reviews are filled with broken English you know they are fake reviews. Just be conscientious when spending money on a unknown resource.




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Buying Into And Paying For High Priced Training’s To Make Money #174.

If You’re Paying Someone Else Anything More Than The Cost Of A Book. To Learn How To Make Money. Than You Will Be The One Losing Money. While You’re Providing Profit To The Huckster Selling You The Program.

Almost all the information is out there for free online. No money needed, no paying anyone anything. Just do a quick YouTube search and you can learn how to repair your car, make home improvements, build websites, sell online. You name it you can find it free online or in a book store. The information is endless and right at your fingertips.

No Paying With Free Books From The Library

If you can not find it free it should cost you nothing more than the price of a book to get the information you need. And even with that method most libraries contain the books need for free.

Yet many are getting rich off telling people they can help them make money. If they just pay for their online courses. There is a deluge of people online touting they can help you make excellent money selling on Amazon just committing a few hours a day tops.

Many of these course range in the thousands to tens of thousands to participate in and many of these companies are under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission due to their fraudulent claims, customer complaints, and with many customers losing their life savings in the process.

What Are Some Solutions?

As hopeful as we may be about a program that can teach us to make thousands, if not millions. We have to look in ourselves and ask are we just to lazy to do the ground work ourselves? That is not to say that guidance isn’t necessary. Find a mentor if possible. But if we all receive the same guidance the path becomes well worn. Easy to navigate but as the population continues to grow that path increasingly erodes, And our returns are consistently diminished.

Making Money Online

You have to find what works for you and sometimes that requires trail and error. Minimize error by not committing all your savings to one product or class or service. Unless you are absolutely certain you will see it all the way through to fruition or worst case scenario, have a cut off point for if you don’t make it. Diversify your education and your creations. Just remember education should not cost thousands. It’s out there and it’s mostly free.

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Money As Your Sole Motivator #173.

It’s A Vapid And Vacant Equations. No Amount Of Money Will Ever Add Up To Fulfillment.

Money has no meaning, it’s not real. It’s purely an idea that we use as a value exchange. If I value what you have, I will in turn transfer you my numbers or paper that I have been collecting to you for that valued item.

My collection grows by providing value to others in exchange for their numbers. If I work harder for their numbers or give them more of my time numbers, they in turn will give me more of their numbers. If you create something of high value that millions of people want or need, they will give you some of their collection of these arbitrary numbers.

I just call them numbers here because I want to emphasize mundanity of money, it’s banal, not a true motivator of anything.

Money

Focus On What’s Truly Important.

When we choose to focus on money rather than what’s important. We become money chasers. Leaching to anything we think will grow our collection. Neglecting that which is truly important.

Also when we chase something we sometimes frighten that which we want further away. Creating the gulf between more and more expansive. We lose track of the right reasons we were ever pursuing noble ambitions.

Say you want to give your family a better life and you understand it takes an increase in financial status in order to do so. You believe you need to get your hands on more of those arbitrary numbers, so that becomes your sole focus. So you start looking for ways to obtain it. And in your pursuit you might begin to pull yourself further away. From the family you were once so eager to support grow and most importantly be a part of.

You might think money will set you free but the paradox of it all is, the pursuit of it is a new self imposed prison. Money is meaningless, the things it can buy do have purpose. Instead of chasing meaningless money, become purposeful, be a producer.

Other Alternatives.

Every time I think about making this site about money. I become disinterested and disillusioned with the process slightly neglectful. Of course I want it to be successful to the point I can devote more of my time to noble pursuit. It’s more about the allure of creating something people enjoy and want more of. Something of value to another.

I know that money is not a healthy motivator, it manipulates ambition in the wrong way. Make it about others instead. And if some how the money comes and those numbers begin to add up you can enjoy the fruits of your labor with those who are most important to you.

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Theft #161.

Theft

Stealing Is Never The Right Answer. And With The Holidays Approaching Theft Happens Even More Often. It Takes A Special Kind Of Low To Take From Another.

It’s that time of year, with all the wonderful giving, there is a select few who are performing theft. You’ll watch it on the local news almost nightly. Security cameras will pick up some entitled selfish individual jumping out of their car in order to go steal someone else’s boxes from their porch. Boxes they did not pay for or earn, nor do they even know what these boxes contain.

Theft
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

They just steal in the hopes its of value to them.

Do they simply throw it out if it’s not what they want? Or do they sell it cheap online, possibly less than half of what the purchaser paid for it? It certainly isn’t returned to the rightful owner.

In their actions they show a blatant disregard for others. Not only their personal property but also there trust and security and faith in humanity. What would ever possess someone to do such things?

Ethical Theft

There are very few things that can be considered ethical theft. Stealing another’s freedom if they abuse it is sometimes the only answer. But almost all thievery is unnecessary, not just the poor stealing to get by. But also the wealthy charging far more than necessary for goods and services. There are very few if any noble pursuit that involve stealing.

You’re Doing Something Terribly Wrong With Your Life.

If you feel you have to steal from another at any point just to make ends meet or get farther ahead, you are doing something terribly wrong in life to put yourself in such a position. The sad thing about it is, stealing does advance one party but it only comes at the expense of another. And stealing from someone who is stealing only perpetuates the problem.

Exacerbating The Problem

The drug addict will still get his fix, while the tool owner will have to buy a new tools or whatever the addict chooses to take to sell for a drastically lower price. Some might purchase that cheap item online that was stolen from another. This only exacerbates the problem.

Those in power who take from the pockets of those with lessor means are not just nefarious in their actions, They will often continue to advance while others suffer. Same thing there, the problems only surmount. The snakeoil salesmen who sells his snakeoil. He increases while others decrease. At what point do your individual needs encroach on other individuals rights?

The Helpful Neighbor That Dies Trying To Stop Thieves

Recently I read about an old lady who’s house was broken into and the group of thieves were just children. You show me the household of kids like this and I guarantee it will display a history of perpetual theft. Be it theft of innocence or theft of love. Something was taken or withheld. So they do it to others.

Sadly the kids didn’t end with just breaking into an helpless old ladies house. A considerate neighbor came to check on the house for the lady and the thieving children stole that man’s life. It’s senseless, it’s selfish, it’s horrific and it needn’t happen. Especially to those trying to help others. Let’s give rather than take from one another and let that be the action that gets perpetuated.

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Believing Money Is The Root Of All Evil #150.

Money

Believing Money Is The Root Of All Evil Is The Battle Cry Of The Misinformed And Often Less Fortunate.

Money
Photo by Vladimir Solomyani on Unsplash

This is one of the major lies we continue tell ourselves that has become so prevalent throughout society. We all know the phrase, many of us believe it to be some form of wise ancient wisdom. Knowledge handed down through the years to give comfort to those who chose not to pursue higher ambitions because they believe the words to be true. Its a reason to shun money from our existence. We are not evil people so why would we want to attract money. It’s a poor notion held by poor people. It’s also a completely misinterpreted saying.

The real quote is “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” First off it refers to the love of money, not money itself.  Than it mentions it as a root, not the root. Lastly its saying this can lead to forms of evil. If you love money deeply and covet it immensely you may go to nefarious lengths in order to obtain it. And that may be a kind of evil deed. If you cheat steal lie or hurt others to acquire it, you are the evil this quote speaks of. But this has a completely different meaning then generalizing all money to be the root of all evil and those who have it are evil doers.

As Mark Twain Said Lack Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil.

Money has helped far more people than poverty ever could. Many who have it, made it by creating a better world for all of us to enjoy.

Money Is Simply A Thank You For Product Or Service.

When we pay for something we’re saying thank you with our money to the producers of products and services. They may have created something for us to enjoy or a necessity we must have. And these producers profit from our need. It’s a symbiotic relationship that is not only healthy it’s a good deed towards humanity.

Money is not evil, people who go after it with the cruelest intentions are evil. People and there misguided evil choices are what give money an evil name. But it’s also people who do amazing good with the money they acquire by helping the masses.

Help Millions, You Will Make Millions

We should all be in pursuit to help others and when we help enough, the money will follow. Never believe this new income makes you evil. Continue to do more, to help more and you’ll obtain more. And when you achieve more always remember that financial growth is simply a thank you.

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Burning A Billion Dollars In A Day (Blowing It Scenario #123).

How Do You Set Fire To A Billion Dollars In One Day.

Why you have a holiday that you celebrate by literally setting things ablaze that you purchased. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy independence day. I usually partake in the free shows though. I just can’t wrap my head around how much some people spend on fireworks. Only to do what they’re made for and that is blow them up. Hard earned income gone up in smoke in the blink of an eye.

You wouldn’t buy a new bed spread or toaster oven than take it home and immediately set fire to it. Yet every fourth of July that’s what individuals do with hundreds of dollars worth of fireworks they purchased from the local Indian reservation. Just burn there money. And how about that for irony? A majority of fireworks sales happen on reservations. Native Americans who’s land was taken from them. Help the fellow country man who took the land in the first place celebrate it’s win of the land from England. Or in other words independence from the tyranny of English rule in 1776. It’s an interesting predicament but I guess if you can’t beat them, at least make money off them.

All in all its a fun holiday and the shows are quite entertaining. If your happy spending the money on such things than who am I to stop it. Just try to be safe and have a good fourth.



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Blowing It Scenario #89-Is The Free Market Really Free.

Businesses Claim To Want A Free Market But When It Infringes On Their Own Profits. They Will Get The Government To Shut Others Down And Imprison. The Antithesis Of Free.

This is what happened when an incredibly talented innovator came head to head with the Microsoft juggernaut. Eric Lundgren an e-waste inventor who has built an electric car from computer scrap that out distanced a Tesla, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and criminal copyright infringement. Why? Because this good samaritan who is actually doing good in the world and creating things out of our toxic junk simply wanted to supply computer refurbishers with Microsoft windows. So that when computers crash but were already licensed with windows it can easily be installed back on the computer.

He was literally trying to help people who already had the program, just get their program back on to the computer without having to buy a new license or whole new program. And here in lies the problem. That cuts into future profits which is a big no no. We can’t be having that. So we get the Government to step in and set up a sting to purchase these c.d.’s, for next to nothing. Eric had them made for 5 cents and was selling them to refurbishers for 25 cents.

This was not a money making endeavor. Yet when the corporation sells new licenses they want $25 dollars. Simply the same program you had before now cost you more money to reinstall. Businesses would like you to think they support free markets and that competition is allowed in their domain but it isn’t and free is the mortal enemy. It’s all highly controlled and if you’re big enough you can get the government to do the bidding for you.



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Blowing It Scenario #86-Materialism.

When What You Have And What You Own, Are Your Identity, It’s Time To Reassess.

Nothing screams I’m happy like making a new purchase. That new house, new car, and new wardrobe will all add up to potentially make you the happiest person on the planet. The bigger the better right? When is enough ever enough? The answer is never. You constantly hear and see it. Heck it’s what keeps our society functioning.

If you don’t buy the latest gadget or saddle yourself with mountains of debt to fund your next home or adventure, we may just fall into utter disarray. This is an over generalization and that is absolutely not the case but it seems that’s how we treat it. We’ll own amazon prime accounts so we can be guaranteed our purchases arrive squarely on time. We’ll pay a small fortune for cable so we can be entertained at night. We’ll buy a new car in order to have that status symbol. What better way to show others how successful we are. We make no mention of how the bank actually owns the vehicle or home you’re in. And how it’s just on loan until the we can actually finally get the money plus interest to pay them back. But boy it’s sure worth all the monthly payments and slogging through that job you hate just to make ends meet.

Advertising is another big part of materialism. It’s primarily what fuels the tech industry. And what is advertising other then a sales pitch to buy what a business is pitching. I’m not above it. I have advertising throughout these articles. What I’m insinuating is we don’t have to give in to it. These purchases won’t necessarily make you happy or whole. We should buy things with the goal of improvement, if its not helpful or necessary, possibly consider what life will be like if you don’t buy that new toy.

Not all purchases are bad purchases and buying a new house or car can be a wonderful experience. Just try not to tie meaning or identity to it. We tend to think if another has less than us they must be more misfortune than we are. We don’t see when another chooses a life rich in experience and foregoes the materialistic. All we’ll tend see is what they have or what they don’t have and we pass judgement because of that. Get rid of that mind frame. Become a producer not a consumer. Live that rich experiential lifestyle, expect less and possibly buy less and you will receive so much more.