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

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
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.

It could be considered hippy style communism.

Pay what you want/can, or not at all. We'll smoke a big doobie and listen to some grateful dead and make it up when panera bread does business at your place.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
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.

It is a socialist construct.

Again, the only thing capitalist about it was that Panera was free to try it out. They tried it out as a socialist influenced concept. It failed. Capitalism didn't fail.

Now, could argue that capitalism put Panera in a position to try it out... after all capitalism is why Panera was even in a position to piss away money on a stupid socialist idea.... again, other people's money.

Socialism fails whether it is being implemented by private citizens or governments. It doesn't matter. The concept is flawed.

a reply to: shooterbrody

Socialism does work, but it only works with very like minded people, and sometimes selected socialism is self imposed.

For example. Many many years ago I was a waitress in a Chinese restaurant.
There was a mix of white waiters/waitresses and Asian waiters/waitresses.

Us Asians pooled all of our tips, every time. It evened out our pay regardless of bad day or a good day.

Whites were not allowed to join. They worked and just
kept what tips they made. The reason is the without fail, we knew that our Asian coworkers would
always give 110%, and the same could not be said about our caucasian counterparts. With an Asian
upbringing, we would be the hardest on ourselves if we slacked off and brought the group down.
We felt if caucasians joined the group, they would be lazy and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

I know that my examples is not exclusively true in all ways, but it was very true, and worked very well in that scenario.

originally posted by: SerenTheUniverse
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

there is no shame in being poor
what panera attempted was noble
people in the usa are the issue imo
we are generous but will take what is given
"free" has no worth here, no matter the actual cost....and that is sad

a reply to: JAGStorm

I do not disagree with what you posted.
I do not fault you for not pooling with people who you could not trust.
Our society is fundamentally flawed in this way.
We donate and give to charity, but we will take when available.

This reminds of their idiotic idea that people will work if you offer the option of not working, but still pay them either way. I honestly think these people are looney toons.

originally posted by: Metallicus
This reminds of their idiotic idea that people will work if you offer the option of not working, but still pay them either way. I honestly think these people are looney toons.

It doesn't matter how many times it fails, they will always come up with some excuse for the failure...

a reply to: Metallicus

The way you phrase that reminds me of the Right's idiotic idea that if they we give more money to the wealthiest members of our society they'll give it to the poorest. I honestly think those people are looney toons.

originally posted by: Metallicus
This reminds of their idiotic idea that people will work if you offer the option of not working, but still pay them either way. I honestly think these people are looney toons.

Virginians know that Captain John Smith was vital to the survival of Jamestown in its early years. They can quote his order: “He that will not work shall not eat.”

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: Metallicus

The way you phrase that reminds me of the Right's idiotic idea that if they we give more money to the wealthiest members of our society they'll give it to the poorest. I honestly think those people are looney toons.

How can you give somebody what is already theirs? People do give money out of their own kindness. I guess you've never seen the benefactor wall at hospitals... museums... colleges and universities... high schools... and the thousands of other charities.

Did the CEO turn over the means of production to the working class? No? Then not socialism.
Obvious pathetic attempt to paint it as socialism by a highly conservative biased 'opinion and commentary collaborative blog'? Yes.

originally posted by: projectvxn
This isn't socialism. But it is economic illiteracy from leftist idiots who don't understand how money works.

I disagree. Economic illiteracy is core to the whole concept of socialism. We see it happen every time another socialist state collapses.

It's why communist tyrants print money and cause hyperinflation. They have no idea how to manage a sound economy. We're seeing socialism at work in Venezuela right now.

They try to find someone, anyone else to pay for the public welfare and it's just not possible. Human society doesn't work like that. Free market capitalism isn't perfect but it's the least dysfunctional economic model we know of.

a reply to: shooterbrody

Considering the mortality rate do you really want to point to Jamestown as the epitome of that axiom?

a reply to: Xcalibur254
en.wikipedia.org...

Jamestown served as the capital of the colony of Virginia for 83 years, from 1616 until 1699.

83 years isn't bad for that era.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: shooterbrody



Considering the mortality rate do you really want to point to Jamestown as the epitome of that axiom?

Guess you aren't familiar with Jamestown and their experience with "socialism" which led to starvation...

a reply to: Edumakated

You must not be familiar with the Virginia public school system. We all know about Jamestown. Hell, my soon to be brother in law is a direct descendant of one of Virginia's earliest governors.

Jamestown got lucky. There's nothing else to it.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Unintentionally, you have demonstrated one of the reasons why the Scandinavian experiments also have enjoyed some modicums of success - homogeneity. When the constructs were set up, those countries were almost completely homogenous, meaning they were all of one culture. Thus, people trusted everyone else in the society to have the same beliefs about the safety net system they did, and everyone worked to put in as they took out.

Unless the group can all trust that this happens across the board, socialism will fail. Of course, the Scandinavian societies were comprised of those nasty whites you couldn't trust, but the idea is the same - all must be of the same mindset and part of the same in-group and completely committed to that group more than just self.

Now ... let's look at current US society.

Um yeah, get thee behind me, Socialism.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Jamestown got lucky. There's nothing else to it.

that is comical
couldn't be a little think like don't work don't eat now could it?

the deniability of your people is now legendary

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.

100% correct. It wasn't until the upper classes, who have a habit of looting everyone for their additional net worth on an everyday basis, figured out that they didn't have to sacrifice their net worth, in order to eat at Panera. That in turn cost the more honest lower classes a place to eat and jobs to perform.

originally posted by: SerenTheUniverse
there is a 'pay what you want' cafe in my city, they have been successful for maybe 10 years now, it is not socialist, they still act as a business to make money paying taxes, you americans have some crazy ideas of what socialism is lol
and why are y'all crying about what a private company decides to do in a capitalist society?

Sounds interesting as it rolls chaity into the mainstream, People who have more can pay more knowing they are giving directly to food for those who have less.