Post by LDS Anarchist on Apr 14, 2004 23:06:11 GMT -5
I've been thinking this over today and I've had some ideas pop into my head. Obviously, the ideal would be to have enough people involved to produce everything and every part of the manufacturing process. By this I mean that there would be farmers or others who produce the raw material such as cotton, wool, etc. Then, this material would go to those who manufacture the yarn and thread, etc. Then it would go to others who make the various fabrics and finally it would go to the designers and seemstresses who create the clothing, which is then made available to all who are a part of the United Effort.
Such an ideal would work, but only if there were sufficient knowledgeable and capable people who had the means to perform such a task. Lacking the necessary number of people and the means to produce everything from scratch, an alternate idea follows:
Such an ideal would work, but only if there were sufficient knowledgeable and capable people who had the means to perform such a task. Lacking the necessary number of people and the means to produce everything from scratch, an alternate idea follows:
- A textile business could be started in which clothing could be bought from the various wholesalers and sold at cost to the members of the effort. Additionally, the clothing could be sold to the Gentiles or others who are not a part of the United Effort, for a small profit. The purpose of the company would not be to make a profit, but to supply the need of clothing to the members. Its function as a profit-making enterprise would be secondary. Therefore, the members would get first dibs, so to speak, and the left-overs would be sold.
- Typically, clothing stores markup the price of clothing up to 500%. This is done to get back profits that are lost due to theft, employing others, etc. Since this store could be open at set times during the week, perhaps a set number of hours on a specific day or days, no employees would work it, but volunteers from the United Effort. The markup could be significantly lower and would, if the merchandise is good, attract buyers from all around, enabling virtually everything to be sold.
- There is a push to get RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags in everything we buy. Although they are great for tracking stolen merchandise, they are a privacy concern, because they can be used to track people and their buying and spending habits. A selling point could be that all RFID tags are removed prior to a sale. Those who are concerned (rightly so) with this privacy issue would flock to the store to purchase their clothing there.
- Use of the Monolithic Dome or BioHOME technologies to construct a building in the shape of a dome would cut down energy costs and damage from the elements. In addition, it would distinguish the store from all others. More merchandise can be kept in the circular area than in a square or rectangle, plus the expansive domes will give a different and refreshing experience to the buyers.