Merchandise Shortage

[Sir_Cliff]

It has just been cheaper to do so - at least it was up until this happened. So maybe there will be a change in the near future. But it will cost the consumer more, or we will have to cut back on the amount of "stuff" we purchase.

To be honest, I don't think it's inevitable that paying people decent wages instead of using virtual slave labor should mean consumers have to pay more. Why can't profit margins be slimmer?

It's not like we live in a world where major corporations and executives are struggling to get by and depend on low wage labor just to eek out a profit on (to stay on topic) Mickey Mouse plushes and t-shirts. This is all high-margin stuff and wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated. If all of that depends on slave labor, shouldn't we be questioning those margins before calling for the summary execution of people caught stealing cheap goods brought in from China in order to keep profit margins high without prices increasing?

 

[Lilofan]

To be honest, I don't think it's inevitable that paying people decent wages instead of using virtual slave labor should mean consumers have to pay more. Why can't profit margins be slimmer?

It's not like we live in a world where major corporations and executives are struggling to get by and depend on low wage labor just to eek out a profit on (to stay on topic) Mickey Mouse plushes and t-shirts. This is all high-margin stuff and wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated. If all of that depends on slave labor, shouldn't we be questioning those margins before calling for the summary execution of people caught stealing cheap goods brought in from China in order to keep profit margins high without prices increasing?

Shareholders and Wall Street expect and demand profits to increase company stock price anyway it can be done . That is reality .

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Shareholders and Wall Street expect and demand profits to increase company stock price anyway it can be done . That is reality .

If we've gotten to the point where that involves slave labor (again), then I suggest we really need to question the situation rather than just accept it as reality.

 

[Lilofan]

If we've gotten to the point where that involves slave labor, then I suggest we really need to question the situation rather than just accept it as reality.

I worked for companies that require me to drive labor costs down as much as possible in my division, year after year . This is no surprise as many companies outsource their work overseas. There is a saying , my way or the highway. There was a report Apple produces 500K iPhones per day in a factory in Schzen China where the workers live onsite in WW2 reminiscent Quonset huts sleeping on bunk beds. Hard labor is actually in our neck of the woods. Not far from WDW are workers that live onsite in trailers in the orange groves working and picking those delicious Florida oranges.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I worked for companies that require me to drive labor costs down as much as possible in my division, year after year . This is no surprise as many companies outsource their work overseas. There is a saying , my way or the highway. There was a report Apple produces 500K iPhones per day in a factory in Schzen China where the workers live onsite in WW2 reminiscent Quonset huts sleeping on bunk beds.

Sure, but if everybody always had that attitude there would be no need for companies in the United States to seek slave labor in China and elsewhere. Outsourcing slave labor doesn't make it any more excusable.

My only point is that there are multiple solutions to this problem and, in my view, there are more sustainable ones than either gunning down people stealing goods from trains in California or raising the already elevated prices of consumer goods in order to manufacture them closer to home and maintain fat profit margins that benefit only investors and executives who are already insanely wealthy. To give some perspective, this thread is about a shortage of merchandise at Walt Disney World and those are the main options that seem to be on the table to address the problem.

 

[Lilofan]

Sure, but if everybody always had that attitude there would be no need for companies in the United States to seek slave labor in China and elsewhere. Outsourcing slave labor doesn't make it any more excusable.

My only point is that there are multiple solutions to this problem and, in my view, there are more sustainable ones than either gunning down people stealing goods from trains in California or raising the already elevated prices of consumer goods in order to manufacture them closer to home and maintain fat profit margins that benefit only investors and executives who are already insanely wealthy. To give some perspective, this thread is about a shortage of merchandise at Walt Disney World and those are the main options that seem to be on the table to address the problem.

There are options to better enforce security to protect the trains. Whether groups want to work together in this is another story. With cargo ships carrying WDW merchandise and many other goods still moored and waiting to unload outside the port of Los Angeles they want to do their job but the current situation does not allow them to. We can't blame slave labor but a serious lack of labor to unload the ships and drive the products to their destinations. My investments including 401K is heavily tied into the performance of company stocks that my mutual funds I am currently investing in long term. The better the profitability of the stock the more my money works harder than I do.

 

[seascape]

I wonder if people realize the largest owner of stocks is pension funds and IRA/401s. That is all of us and not just the fat cats. How much money are states and localities going to have to raise in taxes to pay not only for their unfunded pension but even more with lower profits and stock prices. Then consider this, once the government raises taxes, it means your net hourly pay decreases. Then add on inflation caused by government spending and regulation, 7% in 2021 and maybe 10% this year and prices go up 17.7% in 2 years and take that out of your wages. Yes, the Government brags about pay going up 5% but in 2 yeard the 5% is 10.25% but prices are up 10.7% so you actually lose 6.25% and are worse off without even considering you taxes went up to pay for the inflated cost of government.

The solution to all our problems is a growing, more productive society. In otherwords more private business, more profits and productivity. Crime and its lack of inforcement decreases all 3 and regardless of what anyone says here costs lives because needed money for life saving expenses isnt their. Some people will not even be able to pay for their heat and freeze to death. Others will die from heat due to not being able to affford air conditioning.

 

[drizgirl]

Fun facts: Disney actually ships pretty much equally to Long Beach, CA and Jacksonville, FL already. Most likely to balance shipping costs across the country.

Numbers are from early 2015 to Dec 2021.

Long Beach = 3,812 Shipments
Jacksonville = 3,387 Shipments

The third-biggest port they use is Savannah, GA (711 shipments).

View attachment 615952

So I'll say it again, these issues aren't likely to affect Disney much.

The effects are most likely already known though, and have been observed. WDW has been releasing merch a few weeks earlier than DLR lately.

If they were actually being hurt by it, they could go the WDI route and just throw money at the problem and overbid for shipping (or go air).

This merch shortage (imo) is from probably burning a lot of suppliers in 2020 and bad sales forecasting.

As an example, this is their current top supplier by shipment number.

View attachment 615955

Number of shipments in from them to Disney in 2021: 20
Number of shipments in from them to Disney in 2020: 214
Number of shipments in from them to Disney in 2019: 701

WDW is still woefully short on merchandise.

 

[Nubs70]

If we're going to be honest, there's four main kinds of criminal, IMO. 1) The kind who would throw their own mother under a bus if they would profit from it; 2) the kind who do it for the thrill; 3) people who turn to crime because they feel trapped and as if there's no other way to get ahead; and 4) those indoctrinated into the "lifestyle" by friends/family.

And each can be stopped for $0.52

 

[drizgirl]

Why can't profit margins be slimmer?

Good one.

 

[GimpYancIent]

To be honest, I don't think it's inevitable that paying people decent wages instead of using virtual slave labor should mean consumers have to pay more. Why can't profit margins be slimmer?

It's not like we live in a world where major corporations and executives are struggling to get by and depend on low wage labor just to eek out a profit on (to stay on topic) Mickey Mouse plushes and t-shirts. This is all high-margin stuff and wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated. If all of that depends on slave labor, shouldn't we be questioning those margins before calling for the summary execution of people caught stealing cheap goods brought in from China in order to keep profit margins high without prices increasing?

How can slimmer profit margins be accomplished? Profit laws? Profit regulations? The bean counters are not going to care if there is no limitation, rule, regulations or control. What incentive is there to not be greedy?

 

[Lilofan]

How can slimmer profit margins be accomplished? Profit laws? Profit regulations? The bean counters are not going to care if there is no limitation, rule, regulations or control. What incentive is there to not be greedy?

If one was a small business owner would one ever have an attitude " oh , we made enough money for the year, we don't have to make any more ...".

 

[John park hopper]

And each can be stopped for $0.52

locks and load

 

[GimpYancIent]

At least the Droid boxes are back at the Droid factory. Maybe, just maybe SAVIS will be restocked in lightsaber cases soon enough.

 

[GimpYancIent]

locks and load

Ride the lightning first.

 

[TP2000]

Arrest them they'd be out on bail before the ink dried back doing it again.

There is no longer cash bail required for any misdemeanor and any non-violent felony in Los Angeles County. The new District Attorney for LA County that was elected in 2020 ended the cash bail system in January, 2021 for most bad guys except maybe mass murderers.

The criminals Persons Involved With The Justice System are released back on the streets with no bail required immediately after processing. Assuming they get caught, arrested, and loaded into a police car in the first place.

And on a statewide level, in 2014 California reduced the penalty for stealing anything worth less than $1,000 to a misdemeanor. So the criminals Persons Involved WIth The Justice System stealing stuff from trains are guilty only of simple misdemeanors if they were to be caught, unless you can prove that what they had in their hands at the time of arrest was worth more than $1,000.

From Disney-owned ABC News...

New Los Angeles prosecutor ends cash bail for many offenses

Incoming Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has been sworn in and immediately announced he will end cash bail for many offenses and reevaluate sentencing for thousands of cases

abcnews.go.com

 

[Sir_Cliff]

How can slimmer profit margins be accomplished? Profit laws? Profit regulations? The bean counters are not going to care if there is no limitation, rule, regulations or control. What incentive is there to not be greedy?

It seems more logical to address how companies have become increasingly able if not encouraged to get around all the gains in salaries and working conditions that workers in the US and elsewhere made during the twentieth century by shifting production to places where those gains haven't been made. There are already things companies like Disney could do to make the cost of business cheaper and profits higher but aren't allowed to do due to environmental regulations, health and safety, etc.

A company like Disney is already pushing prices as high as they can on things like t-shirts and popcorn buckets based on demand and largely independently of how much it costs to make them. If they weren't able to have sweatshops produce Figment merchandise overseas, they would ultimately have to accept either lower margins or no margin if they just stopped producing it. They could still sell their $99.99 50th anniversary sweatshirt, for example, but it may just be very profitable instead of almost pure profit like it is now when labor costs are next to nil.

To me, this is all part and parcel of the endless quest to cut costs and raise prices at the parks more generally that usually attract more complaints on here. This aspect of the equation is just not as visible and more generally accepted in society by now as just the natural order of things.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

If one was a small business owner would one ever have an attitude " oh , we made enough money for the year, we don't have to make any more ...".

As a small business owner…no.

 

[bdearl41]

I wonder if people realize the largest owner of stocks is pension funds and IRA/401s. That is all of us and not just the fat cats. How much money are states and localities going to have to raise in taxes to pay not only for their unfunded pension but even more with lower profits and stock prices. Then consider this, once the government raises taxes, it means your net hourly pay decreases. Then add on inflation caused by government spending and regulation, 7% in 2021 and maybe 10% this year and prices go up 17.7% in 2 years and take that out of your wages. Yes, the Government brags about pay going up 5% but in 2 yeard the 5% is 10.25% but prices are up 10.7% so you actually lose 6.25% and are worse off without even considering you taxes went up to pay for the inflated cost of government.

The solution to all our problems is a growing, more productive society. In otherwords more private business, more profits and productivity. Crime and its lack of inforcement decreases all 3 and regardless of what anyone says here costs lives because needed money for life saving expenses isnt their. Some people will not even be able to pay for their heat and freeze to death. Others will die from heat due to not being able to affford air conditioning.

This a million percent. The solution to our problems will always be local and grassroots. We must put our energies in local and supportive endeavors within our localities. Support small business, build and use co-ops, bank with small credit unions. That’s the only way to bolster back up the lower and middle class. Increased taxes will not tax the ultra wealthy anymore than it already does. The only way to get to the billionaires is to limit leverage against assets over a large amount.

 

[Lilofan]

This a million percent. The solution to our problems will always be local and grassroots. We must put our energies in local and supportive endeavors within our localities. Support small business, build and use co-ops, bank with small credit unions. That’s the only way to bolster back up the lower and middle class. Increased taxes will not tax the ultra wealthy anymore than it already does. The only way to get to the billionaires is to limit leverage against assets over a large amount.

Banking with small banks is not realistic if one continually travels , relocates and spends time in many cities . Banking with a larger bank with a bigger network is a better option.