3 ms·

You think those small business owners are packing away substantial profits they could use to pay staff significantly more?

emodendroket 5y ago
If a business can only exist by having serfs it wildly underpays then maybe it deserves to lose out to the big chains.
- HelloNurse 5y ago
  Compared to a small business the "big chains" might be able to operate with smaller profit margins, or have lower non-labor costs, or profit from owned real estate, but it isn't enough for long term viability. Excessive rents are going to turn any neighbourhood into a desert like South Kensington.
- llampx 5y ago
  Big chains aren't exactly known for treating unskilled workers with kids gloves. Amazon comes to mind, as does Walmart.
  - emodendroket 5y ago
    And yet they pay substantially better wages with better benefits on average. Even labor law compliance is much better (not to mention that small businesses are exempt from many regulations in the first place).
    - pempem 5y ago
      Not sure about that. The benefits are better and more structured and there are multitudes of articles about how they are much much harder to access, leaving most workers partially dependent on state benefits
      - emodendroket 5y ago
        Mom and pop shops often just don't offer benefits at all. Go slightly bigger and they'll have a health plan that's easy to enroll in but the premiums and co-pays will make your eyes water.
        pempem 5y ago
        Thats true, but they also arent usually sophisticated enough to use a LEAN scheduling approach and combine it with budgeted hours that keep you under the benefits line + an approach of expendability to their workers. Until one of us creates a free-ish software to help them do that ofc.
- seanmcdirmid 5y ago
  Or they could turn to automation, eliminate their labor costs substantially. Eg that cafe can turn into a bunch of vending machines.
  - emodendroket 5y ago
    Sure, they could do that too.
imtringued 5y ago
From my gut feeling it doesn't seem that small business owners actually get the funding they deserve from banks. Only big businesses actually get those low interest rates.

emodendroket 5y ago

If a business can only exist by having serfs it wildly underpays then maybe it deserves to lose out to the big chains.

HelloNurse 5y ago
Compared to a small business the "big chains" might be able to operate with smaller profit margins, or have lower non-labor costs, or profit from owned real estate, but it isn't enough for long term viability. Excessive rents are going to turn any neighbourhood into a desert like South Kensington.
llampx 5y ago
Big chains aren't exactly known for treating unskilled workers with kids gloves. Amazon comes to mind, as does Walmart.
- emodendroket 5y ago
  And yet they pay substantially better wages with better benefits on average. Even labor law compliance is much better (not to mention that small businesses are exempt from many regulations in the first place).
  - pempem 5y ago
    Not sure about that. The benefits are better and more structured and there are multitudes of articles about how they are much much harder to access, leaving most workers partially dependent on state benefits
    - emodendroket 5y ago
      Mom and pop shops often just don't offer benefits at all. Go slightly bigger and they'll have a health plan that's easy to enroll in but the premiums and co-pays will make your eyes water.
      - pempem 5y ago
        Thats true, but they also arent usually sophisticated enough to use a LEAN scheduling approach and combine it with budgeted hours that keep you under the benefits line + an approach of expendability to their workers. Until one of us creates a free-ish software to help them do that ofc.
seanmcdirmid 5y ago
Or they could turn to automation, eliminate their labor costs substantially. Eg that cafe can turn into a bunch of vending machines.
- emodendroket 5y ago
  Sure, they could do that too.

imtringued 5y ago

From my gut feeling it doesn't seem that small business owners actually get the funding they deserve from banks. Only big businesses actually get those low interest rates.