I Tried to Open a Lemonade Stand

John Stossel tells us about trying to legally open a lemonade stand in New York.

Here are the steps involved:

– Register as sole proprietor with the County Clerk’s Office (must be done in person)

– Apply to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number.

– Complete 15-hr Food Protection Course!

– After the course, register for an exam that takes 1 hour. You must score 70 percent to pass. (Sample question: “What toxins are associated with the puffer fish?”) If you pass, allow three to five weeks for delivery of Food Protection Certificate.

– Register for sales tax Certificate of Authority

– Apply for a Temporary Food Service Establishment Permit. Must bring copies of the previous documents and completed forms to the Consumer Affairs Licensing Center.

Then, at least 21 days before opening your establishment, you must

arrange for an inspection with the Health Department’s Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation. It takes about three weeks to get your appointment. If you pass, you can set up a business once you:

– Buy a portable fire extinguisher from a company certified by the New York Fire Department and set up a contract for waste disposal.

– We couldn’t finish the process. Had we been able to schedule our health inspection and open my stand legally, it would have taken us 65 days.

I sold lemonade anyway. I looked dumb hawking it with my giant fire extinguisher on the table.

At least he didn’t get arrested like these people did.



He's lucky he didn't try to feed the homeless without a permit.

Ya, I agree with you on this... This is a realm where people should be left the
hell alone.

I'm all for free enterprise and all but I think there should definitely be safeguards in place to protect against the whack job that laces the drink with something. There needs to be a balance as in all things.

Originally posted by micmerci
I'm all for free enterprise and all but I think there should definitely be safeguards in place to protect against the whack job that laces the drink with something. There needs to be a balance as in all things.

You don't need regulations to protect against whack jobs:

1. If people try to sell poison, they will lose customers rather quickly. Such a business model would go bankrupt before it even got off the ground.

2. If people intentionally try to poison someone, that would be considered murder. You don't need regulations to protect people from intentional poisoning of food, all you need are laws against harming other people.

3. If people get sick from eating bad food, they will not go back for more, and that business will go bankrupt.

4. If people get sick enough from the food, they can sue for damages if the food was improperly prepared or had poisonous additives in it.

Regulations are not necessary for any of that.

Originally posted by micmerci
I'm all for free enterprise and all but I think there should definitely be safeguards in place to protect against the whack job that laces the drink with something. There needs to be a balance as in all things.

IMO, all the steps they make you apply for are not going to safe guard you from that sort of thing.
I think people should be allowed to make their own money selling items they make, they shouldn't
have to go and apply and pay for all kinds of things.

I know if I could, I would love to set up a stand on the sidewalk and sell lemonade, then I wouldn't have
to work for some sucker ass corporation, I could work for myself.

Think about it that way and yourself if licenses do anything to stop psychosis?

reply to post by AnarchoCapitalist


Agreed!!
This is how free markets operate, not regulations.

Your thread title states you tried to open a lemonade stand.

So, did you?

Originally posted by mastahunta

Originally posted by micmerci
I'm all for free enterprise and all but I think there should definitely be safeguards in place to protect against the whack job that laces the drink with something. There needs to be a balance as in all things.

IMO, all the steps they make you apply for are not going to safe guard you from that sort of thing.
I think people should be allowed to make their own money selling items they make, they shouldn't
have to go and apply and pay for all kinds of things.

I know if I could, I would love to set up a stand on the sidewalk and sell lemonade, then I wouldn't have
to work for some sucker ass corporation, I could work for myself.

Think about it that way and yourself if licenses do anything to stop psychosis?

The system does not want people working for themselves. To hard to control people that way.
The system calls for everyone to work for these mega corps in order to control the populace.

Absolutely absurd!!

So, it wouldn't have been a crime if the lemonade was given away for free?



Unbelievable!!

reply to post by AZsunshine


Absolutely...

Because the only way something could go wrong with the quality of the product is if money is involved.

Nobody in their right mind would give poison away for free.

reply to post by AnarchoCapitalist


Yes I remember a few years ago when going through the process of opening my own business and the list of crap I needed by the state was horrific. Everything from gear/tools to what you wore was regulated.. and there were 3 levels of "courses" (which costs between $200-500 each) then after 2 different exams and an investigation by the department and filling out their mountain of paperwork I'd have to pay for the training of my employees and have them all covered by a specific type of insurance.

By the end the projected profit margin was so small, simply due to government regulations, that I said screw it.. wasn't worth the time and effort for such small gains. My employees would be making more than me.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by AnarchoCapitalist

 

Yes I remember a few years ago when going through the process of opening my own business and the list of crap I needed by the state was horrific. Everything from gear/tools to what you wore was regulated.. and there were 3 levels of "courses" (which costs between $200-500 each) then after 2 different exams and an investigation by the department and filling out their mountain of paperwork I'd have to pay for the training of my employees and have them all covered by a specific type of insurance.

By the end the projected profit margin was so small, simply due to government regulations, that I said screw it.. wasn't worth the time and effort for such small gains. My employees would be making more than me.

That's pretty much the point of regulations.

To prevent any new businesses from competing against established large corporations that have the ability to overcome the large fixed regulatory costs.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by AnarchoCapitalist

 

Yes I remember a few years ago when going through the process of opening my own business and the list of crap I needed by the state was horrific. Everything from gear/tools to what you wore was regulated.. and there were 3 levels of "courses" (which costs between $200-500 each) then after 2 different exams and an investigation by the department and filling out their mountain of paperwork I'd have to pay for the training of my employees and have them all covered by a specific type of insurance.

By the end the projected profit margin was so small, simply due to government regulations, that I said screw it.. wasn't worth the time and effort for such small gains. My employees would be making more than me.

I think that is pretty screwed up man, I bet your business would have been cool.

reply to post by AnarchoCapitalist


holy crap!

It's like those cops that were docked vacation days for throwing a football with some kids on the 4th of July.

Police state man, Rise up NY, don't be a bunch of asses. Don't stand for this crap!

Let's pretend it's a Yankee game and go to city hall with formal grievances written down and presented to the mayor's office calling for a change in policy. I think with the millions of people we have there, it would be hard to ignore us.

You just have to be serious about having the business. Over the years so much bad stuff has been done to consumers that these regulations need to be in place to protect them. If their were no food safety laws in this country i would hate to see what some people would be served. Why should one have to suffer food poisoning to know a food vendor doesn't know what he is doing? Sounds like the only way to go is with people who already have a reputation, which still doesn't help your aspirations?

Lemonade stand leads to norovirus outbreak

Originally posted by sligtlyskeptical
You just have to be serious about having the business. Over the years so much bad stuff has been done to consumers that these regulations need to be in place to protect them. If their were no food safety laws in this country i would hate to see what some people would be served. Why should one have to suffer food poisoning to know a food vendor doesn't know what he is doing? Sounds like the only way to go is with people who already have a reputation, which still doesn't help your aspirations?

Lemonade stand leads to norovirus outbreak

Looks like your regulations didn't stop that foodborne illness from occurring.

I thought regulations were supposed to prevent anything bad from ever happening to anyone ever again.

Shockingly, it turns out that regulations don't actually prevent anything.

Oh yeah... Our police officers safely protecting our streets once again... This time from lemonade stands! Go them!

Sarcasm aside what's next? Policing craigslist for trying to sell your old appliances?

Not allowing children to open a lemonade stand is ridiculous. Why don't we ban toys while we're at it....

Some little girls had a stand last summer near my house.....of which I bought lemonade and two water balloons. They were so excited to get 50 cents!!

Originally posted by Lynzer
Why don't we ban toys while we're at it....

Don't worry.

They are working on it.

articles.latimes.com...

He should've stuck with the Mobile Food Vendor License, it would've been easier.

Of course, he's trying to point out the absurdity so he goes about it in the most absurd way possible.