4 ms·

Controlling persistent high inflation is way more important to the nation than homegrown chips right now.

PaulHoule 4y ago
Hard to say. I am seeing the service economy wracked by a failure to invest in people, process and technology. Go to a restaurant, hair salon, pharmacy, or attempt to ride the bus (the one I ride in the morning has been canceled) and it is right in front of you. I know just enough process science to be dangerous, but something I see in all of these cases is very long queues which themselves become a source of disruption and chaos. People seem to think that being willing to wait in line is a sign of maturity, but it is reduced to practice people seem to almost universally not understand that your doctor can't see more patients by making them wait longer. I was at a Dunkin Donuts the other day and rather shocked that, because of a lack of hash browns, the kitchen was unable to serve any customers waiting in the drive through for almost 30 minutes. The anti-inflationist would say the problem is that people have money in their pockets to order hash browns that the restaurant can't serve and if we crashed the economy hard enough demand would collapse below supply. My fear is that, without the capital being there to invest in people, process and technology, supply will collapse and we'll be stuck with an economy where "nothing works" but the level of demand keeps dropping.
- supertrope 4y ago
  Customers are generally more forgiving of long lines and quality decrease than price increases. The value of time is subjective and often not purely rationally weighed. People will run a red light to save 35 sec. but then lay on their couch for two hours.
  - 1123581321 4y ago
    To me both of those examples seem like a preference to not change inertia/vector. I see your main point.
  - PaulHoule 4y ago
    It is not the latency which is killing that Dunkin Dounts, but the throughput. It could be the customers think waiting in the drive through line is a great use of their time but the workers who could be serving customers who don't want hash browns are left twiddling their thumbs because the drive-through is serialized.
    - supertrope 4y ago
      Drive through service is inherently inefficient. Barking your order into a speakerphone a meter or more away or through a window. Cars idle and form a line that can backup into a road. I wish more people would park and walk in.
      - PaulHoule 4y ago
        You've got to see the McDonalds near the Ithaca Mall. They split the line into two streams to take your order, have a single window for payment and they will send you to an alternative pickup window or one of three parking spaces if your order is not ready at the main pickup window. The people there have an espirit de corps I've never seen at a fast food restaurant. But seriously, there is no excuse for inefficient businesses. If a business is inefficient the customers, owners and employees are paying for it. Sometimes it takes very bad business conditions for people to stop making excuses, unfortunately it also takes the bankruptcy court too often.
      - silisili 4y ago
        It really makes more sense to require order ahead and time boxing. That way people can just drive up to a window, take their bag, and go. Most places that you order online, they just make it when you show up. You never really save any time. Arby's is a bit interesting, they make you pick a time, and the store doesn't even get the order until 5 minutes before the time you said you'd be there. As it stands today, it's mostly useless, because you still have to wait in the drive thru behind people just ordering now. I propose the better model is the drive thru is for people who've ordered and paid already, and have shown up at or after their requested time. Cancel anytime up until five minutes prior. People who've not done so must park and walk in to order.
- user_named 4y ago
  There is no bus route anywhere that has been canceled due to interest rates.
  - PaulHoule 4y ago
    Not yet.
Ericson2314 4y ago
There is no evidence that inflation under 40% poses serious economic problems. There is no evidence that the current inflation is caught in something inertial like a wage-price spiral.

Hard to say. I am seeing the service economy wracked by a failure to invest in people, process and technology. Go to a restaurant, hair salon, pharmacy, or attempt to ride the bus (the one I ride in the morning has been canceled) and it is right in front of you. I know just enough process science to be dangerous, but something I see in all of these cases is very long queues which themselves become a source of disruption and chaos. People seem to think that being willing to wait in line is a sign of maturity, but it is reduced to practice people seem to almost universally not understand that your doctor can't see more patients by making them wait longer. I was at a Dunkin Donuts the other day and rather shocked that, because of a lack of hash browns, the kitchen was unable to serve any customers waiting in the drive through for almost 30 minutes. The anti-inflationist would say the problem is that people have money in their pockets to order hash browns that the restaurant can't serve and if we crashed the economy hard enough demand would collapse below supply. My fear is that, without the capital being there to invest in people, process and technology, supply will collapse and we'll be stuck with an economy where "nothing works" but the level of demand keeps dropping.

supertrope 4y ago
Customers are generally more forgiving of long lines and quality decrease than price increases. The value of time is subjective and often not purely rationally weighed. People will run a red light to save 35 sec. but then lay on their couch for two hours.
- 1123581321 4y ago
  To me both of those examples seem like a preference to not change inertia/vector. I see your main point.
- PaulHoule 4y ago
  It is not the latency which is killing that Dunkin Dounts, but the throughput. It could be the customers think waiting in the drive through line is a great use of their time but the workers who could be serving customers who don't want hash browns are left twiddling their thumbs because the drive-through is serialized.
  - supertrope 4y ago
    Drive through service is inherently inefficient. Barking your order into a speakerphone a meter or more away or through a window. Cars idle and form a line that can backup into a road. I wish more people would park and walk in.
    - PaulHoule 4y ago
      You've got to see the McDonalds near the Ithaca Mall. They split the line into two streams to take your order, have a single window for payment and they will send you to an alternative pickup window or one of three parking spaces if your order is not ready at the main pickup window. The people there have an espirit de corps I've never seen at a fast food restaurant. But seriously, there is no excuse for inefficient businesses. If a business is inefficient the customers, owners and employees are paying for it. Sometimes it takes very bad business conditions for people to stop making excuses, unfortunately it also takes the bankruptcy court too often.
    - silisili 4y ago
      It really makes more sense to require order ahead and time boxing. That way people can just drive up to a window, take their bag, and go. Most places that you order online, they just make it when you show up. You never really save any time. Arby's is a bit interesting, they make you pick a time, and the store doesn't even get the order until 5 minutes before the time you said you'd be there. As it stands today, it's mostly useless, because you still have to wait in the drive thru behind people just ordering now. I propose the better model is the drive thru is for people who've ordered and paid already, and have shown up at or after their requested time. Cancel anytime up until five minutes prior. People who've not done so must park and walk in to order.
user_named 4y ago
There is no bus route anywhere that has been canceled due to interest rates.
- PaulHoule 4y ago
  Not yet.

Ericson2314 4y ago

There is no evidence that inflation under 40% poses serious economic problems. There is no evidence that the current inflation is caught in something inertial like a wage-price spiral.