3 ms·

OK. I got the thing about towing and the city horning in on towing revenue, and collegiate slumlords, but I don't see how that impacts commercial rents. What di

OK. I got the thing about towing and the city horning in on towing revenue, and collegiate slumlords, but I don't see how that impacts commercial rents. What dishonest types of businesses are you referring to?

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
>What dishonest types of businesses are you referring to? Crazy markups at retail, over charging for services, exploitative labor practices against a labor pool that is mostly ill-informed of their rights. And it all rolls around in a giant cycle that nobody can break out of. This is basically a 1:1 copypasta from a seasonal tourism economy. The guy who wants to run an honest bookstore on mains street can't afford the rent because the rent reflects the money you'd make importing overpriced clothes branded with the town name. The commercial landlord can't lower the rent because the plumber and electrician know there's big bucks to be made so they charge accordingly. The guy who wants to run a landscaping service has to charge the plumber big bucks to grade his yard and work his employees to the bone because the tire shop charged him $2k to put $500 tires on his skid steer because he's being screwed by his landlord who's being screwed by his plumber. And this rat race where everything is inflated wears out and runs down the people who want to make an honest living (they tend to get out if they can). And eventually over time the only people left are the ones who drink the kool-aid and the ones who don't see anything wrong with this sort of "screw everyone as hard as you can every time, you win some you lose some but hopefully you win more in the end" behavior that becomes the default in the local economy. I'm sure (just like tourist towns) some college towns are better and some are worse depending on how much of the local industry money gleaned from the transient population represents.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  > Crazy markups at retail, over charging for services Students aren't exactly known for having a lot of money. What is it that lets you markup in a college town?
  - throwawayboise 5y ago
    There are enough students who have their parent's money and don't think twice about spending it.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

>What dishonest types of businesses are you referring to? Crazy markups at retail, over charging for services, exploitative labor practices against a labor pool that is mostly ill-informed of their rights. And it all rolls around in a giant cycle that nobody can break out of. This is basically a 1:1 copypasta from a seasonal tourism economy. The guy who wants to run an honest bookstore on mains street can't afford the rent because the rent reflects the money you'd make importing overpriced clothes branded with the town name. The commercial landlord can't lower the rent because the plumber and electrician know there's big bucks to be made so they charge accordingly. The guy who wants to run a landscaping service has to charge the plumber big bucks to grade his yard and work his employees to the bone because the tire shop charged him $2k to put $500 tires on his skid steer because he's being screwed by his landlord who's being screwed by his plumber. And this rat race where everything is inflated wears out and runs down the people who want to make an honest living (they tend to get out if they can). And eventually over time the only people left are the ones who drink the kool-aid and the ones who don't see anything wrong with this sort of "screw everyone as hard as you can every time, you win some you lose some but hopefully you win more in the end" behavior that becomes the default in the local economy. I'm sure (just like tourist towns) some college towns are better and some are worse depending on how much of the local industry money gleaned from the transient population represents.

chrisseaton 5y ago
> Crazy markups at retail, over charging for services Students aren't exactly known for having a lot of money. What is it that lets you markup in a college town?
- throwawayboise 5y ago
  There are enough students who have their parent's money and don't think twice about spending it.