Who knew the Christmas tree lobby had such pull?

A subsequent court order allowed the cider mill to reopen between Labor Day and Jan. 1. But strict guidelines limited operations, restricting sales to cider, popcorn and other mill-oriented goodies, and allowed a small petting farm.

Why the strict guidelines? Why restrict sales to certain items? Depending on how the court order was written (it would be interesting to see), I can imagine a two main possibilities:
1. Strict list: Anything not on the list cannot be sold. This would be idiotic, so it’s probably what is in effect.
2. List with vague “catchall”: The “mill-oriented goodies” mentioned in the article could be in reference to wording in the order that allows for some leeway. This, of course, then requires interpretation. Corn mazes are common at cider mills now, while they weren’t in 1983. Buying a ticket for that seems sensible. Or does “goodies” refer to only foodstuffs and cheap toys?

Yeah, it looks like the guy is provoking the township. I think he should pay the fine, and then tie up their time requesting individual changes to the order, and/or clarification any time he wants to add any product to his shelf. “I would like to start selling caramel-covered apples, and as they aren’t on the list of approved items that may be sold on the premises, I request a modification to the previous order.” Two weeks later: “I would like to start selling souvenir Christmas ornaments, and seek clarification if they are considered a ‘mill-oriented goodie’.” A month later: “I want to sell food for kids to feed the animals at the petting zoo.” And so forth. Provoke them in a way that is completely legitimate.

As for doing away with jobs, I don’t think it will make a difference. I know that at Target they don’t have additional people hired to put the tags on the merchandise. The stockboy does that. They have it figured into their routine. If they didn’t have to do that, could the be more productive, certainly. And maybe the stores could save money on payroll and pass that savings on to the consumer.

As for the jobs, it’s not that stores would layoff people, but those workers would be more productive since they didn’t have to label every item. Shelves still need to be stocked, floors swept, carts retrieved, etc. However, unions might get in the way of multitasking. Wait, might? Unions do get in the way of productivity.

My responses:
1. Tough.
2. Competition between stores will bring the prices down. Margins and all that.
3. Tough. Laws shouldn’t be in place to force inefficiency so that stores have to hire more people. Maybe if they had 2 less employees stocking shelves, they could hire 2 more cashiers.
4. Random checks by officials. Check your own receipt. Complain to the BBB.

The best is that they don’t recognize that people in 48 other states somehow manage to not get screwed by the stores they visit.

At the grocery store I don’t look for price tags on the items I pick, I look at the price on the shelf. But on clothing I don’t look at the rack I look at the tag. Since they have to put a tag on to barcode clothing anyway, it’s not hard for them to throw the price on there as well.

Getting rid of mandatory individual tagging makes sense. It’s a waste of time and effort, and the only people who benefit from it are unions, price sticker/gun manufacturers, and people who look for mislabeled products in order to get the sticker price.

The $1-$5 penalty is mocked, but it serves multiple purposes. If an item scans at the wrong price (still possible, even without individual stickers), it penalizes the store. Therefore they have an interest in accuracy. It also motivates people to inspect their bills. If I buy a pack of gum for $80 (the example in the article), I’d be an idiot to pay it. But if I was buying a lot of things and a pack of gum rang up at $5 instead of $1, I would not only get my $4 back, but extra for the inconvenience/mistake. That doesn’t have to go away with the removal of stickers. Since stores operate on a margin, anything that cuts into that margin is of concern. They are and will continue to be careful.

My other concern is what politics will be required to get the agenda through. The dashbaord is a good idea if used regulary to find out what are the bottle necks to moving the state forward. Only time will tell.