by First-Aid » Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:28 am
- Motto: "This won't hurt me a bit."
- Weapon: Laser Scalpel
This concerns me as well, but I don't see it improving. Ever. For a number of reasons.
1. On January 21st this year, gasoline prices jumped 30 cents a gallon in a single day. The reason was the end of a 30 cent per gallon moratorium placed on the national gasoline tax by the last admin. Once that was discontinued, by the current admin, it resulted in gas prices skyrocketing overnight. That cut made a huge dent in shipping costs nationally in the U.S. With it's intentional discontinuation by the current admin and the resultant increase in oil prices from the end of the Keystone project (supply and demand; oil prices have increased by 20% since January 31,2021 when the project was ended), companies have seen a 30% increase in costs for gasoline. This, of course, resulted in increased shipping costs in the U.S. A further complication is the Covid-19 issue (aka Scary Death Virus). With people being stuck at home, shippers have had a dramatically increased demand placed on them for "safety and convenience". This has led to an increase in gasoline usage in a time where the government is very intentionally trying to cut back on national oil supplies for environmental reasons. The result is a much lower supply and higher demand simultaneously. Shipping costs are going to start affecting everyone.
2. As these companies become more specialized in their offerings (multiple lines of Transformers, for example, rather than one large all-encompassing line) due to market shifts, it requires more tooling, more engineering (a high expense), more specialized machinery, and overall increased manpower to produce roughly the same total number of items.
3. Increased marketing costs: there are more ways to advertise than ever before. YouTube, Netflix, internet cookies, and much more; these are a bit higher risk and higher cost than good-old television commercials (honestly I can't remember the last time I saw a Transformers toy commercial on TV). The advertising has to be more intensive though, too, due to the HUGE diversity of toys available to choose from anymore. In order to hang on their market share, there has to be constant- and expensive- bombardment from advertising.
4. Manpower costs are increasing, even in China (which I think several people have mentioned). Yes, comparatively Chinese and (by-and-large) other southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Vietnam, and a couple others) provide less expensive labor than domestic- even when you factor in shipping costs, international tariffs, and the layers upon layers of bureaucracy needed to ensure (relatively) speedy travels through customs and the like.
5. Lastly, on a personal note, I will never hold executives at fault for their "exhorbitant pay". It takes enormous effort, education, skill, and focus to reach the near-top of a Fortune 500 company. If someone is able to finagle a really nice paycheck out of their skills (such as NBA, MLB, and NFL players who are the cream of the crop and parlayed their best-in-the-world skills to huge paydays, or actors who are the best at what they do, or physicians or lawyers who are the best), I am going to admire their drive and, of course, be a little jealous of their good fortune (forgive the pun). I also realize that their decisions affect tens or hundreds of thousands of people. I for one am happy making healthcare recommendations for a couple hundred people and caring for them. I couldn't imagine carrying the livelihoods of the employees PLUS the related manufacturing, shipping, and advertising employees on my shoulders. And, in the end, their "salaries" are largely in stock options and are not truly liquid assets. They draw on credit from those assets to live as they do. These are brilliant people. I will never blame them for maximizing their worth; their "work lives" at the highest level are often shorter than NFL players. It's do or die, and in the end they make far less than Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson for doing something that produces fare more and influences more jobs directly.
It finally happened. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Yes, I cried.
-Kanrabat- wrote:TF-fan kev777 wrote:First-Aid wrote:Okay, did anyone else notice that we all get a wonderful shot of Starscreams crotch anytime he sits in that throne? That's unnerving. Couldn't they have put n extra flap in there? It's....weird.
Its kind of like Basic Instinct, but not in a good way...
Goddammit, now I can't unsee it.