Panera Bread's Socialist 'Pay What You Want' Experiment Fails Miserably

To use this as a "for profit" business model is difficult at best and doomed out of the gate. I know Bon Jovi has had success with his "Soul Kitchen"restaurants but they fall under a different business model and are more of a soup kitchen, plus JBJ has a ton of money and only one restaurant. If Panera had used JBJ's business plan it may have been more sustainable in the long run, but it would have been very difficult to implement within a large corporate structure such as Panera. It's to bad they failed though, as I feel their intentions were honorable, certainly not a money maker though.

a reply to: shooterbrody

thank you, brexit is still up in the air lol, but pay what you can is a good idea if they can make it work as a business, good luck to them, i cannot say anything, i used a foodbank last week, dirt poor, my lowest ebb

a reply to: SerenTheUniverse

you americans have some crazy ideas of what socialism is

NVM
I read the previous page

sounds like the types that huff their own farts.


GEEE

IT DIDNT WORK?!!!

REALLLLLLLLLLLY???????????????????????????


Slap yoself.

a reply to: Gothmog

Thats racist and problematic, I mean it's like literally saying YOU PEOPLE, Jesus Seren must be a gotdamned Natzi.

originally posted by: Lysergic
a reply to: Gothmog

Thats racist and problematic, I mean it's like literally saying YOU PEOPLE, Jesus Seren must be a gotdamned Natzi.

Goofed

a reply to: Gothmog

again, i cannot say anything really, i have lived off a charity for the last week, getting my first pay from my crummy factory job on the 22nd

a reply to: Gothmog

"You Americans"



Problematic.

^_^

Damn it, why can't I ever find my shocked face when I need it the most!!!

Fred..

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: Edumakated

No. The original purpose was to make money. They've seen similar campaigns going back to at least Radiohead's In Rainbows release which earned more money than if they charged market price.

This was a money making move and every similar instance in recent history supports that claim.

Panera did it as a social statement. The stores were operated as "non-profits". Here is an article to give you some more background when the original store opened.

Panera Cares

The experiment has failed because you leftist idealist simply cannot wrap your heads around not only basic business concepts, but human behavior. Those who can pay stopped paying and the free loaders took advantage of it. Many articles cite the stores became havens for broke college students and the homeless camping out (whowuddathunk?). Paying customers stop showing up probably due to the riff raff. The stores cannot make enough to operate even as a non-profit...

What Panera could have done is maybe just ask people if they want to donate to the needy, so if I am buying a meal, I can buy one for the homeless and then Panera could donate the meals to a shelter or something.

a reply to: Lysergic

Caught that.
I apologize as I thought that was meant for me
The reason ?
We here in the South quit using the term you... (such as you people) a very long time ago as being a racist , bigoted remark
Evidently , some parts of the world need to catch up.

a reply to: Edumakated

So now major corporations are the paragon of honesty?

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: neo96

The basis of capitalism comes down to supply & demand. A product's worth comes down to how much the populace is willing to pay for it.

That's exactly what Panera was doing in this instance.

How can you argue against those basic facts? The only reason I can see is that it makes capitalism look bad.

Theres a difference though between what a customer is willing to pay, and what a customer wants to pay.

The wants one is usually quite a bit less, and is likely less than the product can even be presented for.

originally posted by: SerenTheUniverse
a reply to: Gothmog

again, i cannot say anything really, i have lived off a charity for the last week, getting my first pay from my crummy factory job on the 22nd

There was absolutely zilch in my post as far as a poke at you
It was a fair , unadulterated question.
One that I answered for myself from reading your post a page earlier .

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: Edumakated

So now major corporations are the paragon of honesty?

Stop trying to deflect. Panera's founder and CEO set it up as a social experiment to help the homeless / indignant that were coming to the stores in that area. It failed. It is that simple.

Socialism does not work. Everyone cannot and will not pay their fair share. Eventually those that can pay start to get mad they are paying for freeloaders. This holds true on a small scale like a restaurant all the way up to governments.

As Margaret Thatcher said, you run out of other people's money.

a reply to: caterpillage

Capitalism is supposed to put the power in the hands of the consumer. Letting the consumer decide on what a product is worth is the ultimate manifestation of that principle.

You can argue that Panera's marketing strategy is a failure but you definitely can't argue that it's in any way socialist.

a reply to: Edumakated

Stop trying to deflect. Panera's founder and CEO set it up

Yes. The founder/CEO set it up. Not the government. Not the people. But the company's figurehead. In other words, capitalism.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: caterpillage

Capitalism is supposed to put the power in the hands of the consumer. Letting the consumer decide on what a product is worth is the ultimate manifestation of that principle.

You can argue that Panera's marketing strategy is a failure but you definitely can't argue that it's in any way socialist.

Im not arguing thats its socialist.
I am arguing that it isnt capitalism.
Its neither, its just stupid.

a reply to: Gothmog

mate, i didn't think you were having at me, we're cool, it has been an interesting chat

a reply to: caterpillage

Honestly I agree with you. But it's definitely more of a capitalist policy than a socialist policy. So the OP is very far off base.