• pjhenry1216@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    but the workers could do it if they wanted

    Yeah, and a third party candidate could be voted into every seat and the presidency, but it’s so stacked against it occurring, it’s effectively impossible.

    The state of the economy today is what’s stopping a vast majority of people from doing so. You can open a coffee shop and survive, but you could never compete against Starbucks. You would not even dent their bottom line. You would need hundreds of millions of dollars to realistically compete. Capitalism has brought us to a point where a majority of folks need to sell their idea to investors, further separating most workers from the value of their work.

    Edit: I’m really tired of the naive and childish defenses most people put up for capitalism. “Nothing is stopping you.” Yeah and “nothing” is stopping a transgender women from becoming our next president by the same definition of “nothing”. Might as well say nothing is stopping you from passing through walls as quantum mechanics says it’s possible.

    • Neuromancer@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      WE will never have a third party nor would I want one. We would need 6-10 parties. That is the only way this gets better.

      You seem to think to compete, you have to grow larger. You don’t. If you are trying to make a living for your coop, you just need to make enough for all of you to do that.

      Dutch Brothers is doing well and they’re not near the size of Starbbucks. Peets has always done well.

      • dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org
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        1 year ago

        Dutch brothers by revenue is essentially a drive through energy drink stand, not a coffee company and Peet’s is owned by a holding company that got rich off of Nazi work camp labor.

        • Neuromancer@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Peers wasn’t started by jab. They were purchased later by jab.

          Both have competed with Starbucks.

          Actually the guy who started Starbucks worked for Peet’s.

          That’s the point. Peet’s was the Starbucks until Starbucks started.

          I’ve owned a few coffee places but I focused more on the old coffeehouse experience. It’s a different model entirely.

          I may do it again. I always did ok but people want quick service.

          • dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org
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            1 year ago

            Peet’s had 4 stores before it started changing hands, Peet’s and Starbucks famously did not compete with each other for years, and Starbucks wasn’t even selling brewed coffee before it was taken over by Shultz and venture capital.

            But from my experience in the industry, your confident incorrectness is perfectly in character for a coffee shop owner.