Date: Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:02:42 -0400
From: Jody
Subject: Re: Regarding my post
Matt,
The main issue for me regarding your post is that of being a good customer. Us business owners are expected by some to do whatever the person walking in the door wants, no matter how far out or even impossible that request may be, and we’re viewed in a negative light when we refuse to fulfill such requests.
I recognize that part of the problem is that most customers are *not* business owners, and because of that they don’t necessarily understand all of the factors involved. No one is to be blamed for not knowing something that no one tells them about and that they have never needed to know just to live, which is why my goal is to educate. Trying to place blame or play politics doesn’t do anything but appeal to emotions, and that’s why both in life and in-shop, I don’t tolerate either. Education of others is key; we can all learn something from each other that mutually enriches our lives. That’s how I run my computer shop, and I’d like to think that’s why people like to talk to me.
You think (thought?) the Plenty is/was a good idea, and you wanted to encourage businesses to get on board with it. That’s how things like this take off. The problem is that this pseudo-currency is bad for business owners who must participate in a globally dependent economy which requires actual dollar bills. Ms. Frey told me via email yesterday that the poor exchange rate of $0.90 for one Plenty is to “encourage the currency to stay in circulation.” That makes no sense when all of the outside vendors a business relies on require dollars for payment, and it weakens the Plenty-taker’s purchasing power in that regard. I have hashed out the exact details already in previous Chatlist posts, so I will not repeat them here; suffice it to say that the Plenty simply cannot work in its current form, and many business
owners agree with that statement.
My goal is dealing in the facts and seeing the whole picture. A major problem with society today is that so many people do not step back and take a look at the larger, more distant, and far-reaching consequences of what “seemed like a good idea at the time.” That’s what I’m all about, and if I have helped in that regard, that’s all I care about. If not, I’m always open to questioning for anyone who is interested in what
I have to say.
Jody
Matthew Rudolf wrote:
Jody-
I wanted to let you know that today I posted another apology to Antonella and to the PLENTY group whom I misrepresented. I recognize that I was wrong to target her on the Chatlist, and I regret doing so. Melissa may have made a different error, but she should not be criticized for the bigger one that I made.
Matt