Franchise Opportunities lack Imagination and often Spawn Unethical Results
Fast food franchises serve low vibrational food
In North America it is common to see franchise outlets, fast food eateries and major stores on primary drags in every city. The trend is out with the old and in with the new, but if the new is old, and the old was better what’s the use?
It’s no secret if one wants to make a living and really cannot come up with a creative original concept; the easiest way out is to own and operate a well-known franchise. If one has the money to purchase a popular franchise and place it in the right location; chances are they are going to make a very good living doing it; in addition it’s a win win situation for the franchise owner as they also pocket money for the name of the business. But how ethical are these franchises? Sure they put food on the table for the people with the money, but usually the majority of folks that work for them are paid very low to minimum wages. Most people which toil for these places do not do so with a career in mind; rather it’s usually a stop gap measure for students or people trying to hold down a second or third job to make ends meet.
When one owns a franchise it has a domino effect on many things initially unseen. For example, if a large department store opens in a small town with around 10,000 people, the small businesses in the town will start to close down one by one. The downtown core will begin to have vacant signs and the people that used to own those stores and make a living doing it will no longer be able to do so. The vacuum is felt one family at a time and soon any ambiance in the town erodes to become just another box store community. The large department store eventually runs as a monopoly and raises prices because the competition has disappeared. This business model is aggressive and utilized the same way in cities, but depending on the community; there will be enough people to support some of the small businesses because they have a unique product, are well established, possibly service what they sell and offer a friendly smile at the door from a familiar face.
It’s no secret if one wants to make a living and really cannot come up with a creative original concept; the easiest way out is to own and operate a well-known franchise. If one has the money to purchase a popular franchise and place it in the right location; chances are they are going to make a very good living doing it; in addition it’s a win win situation for the franchise owner as they also pocket money for the name of the business. But how ethical are these franchises? Sure they put food on the table for the people with the money, but usually the majority of folks that work for them are paid very low to minimum wages. Most people which toil for these places do not do so with a career in mind; rather it’s usually a stop gap measure for students or people trying to hold down a second or third job to make ends meet.
When one owns a franchise it has a domino effect on many things initially unseen. For example, if a large department store opens in a small town with around 10,000 people, the small businesses in the town will start to close down one by one. The downtown core will begin to have vacant signs and the people that used to own those stores and make a living doing it will no longer be able to do so. The vacuum is felt one family at a time and soon any ambiance in the town erodes to become just another box store community. The large department store eventually runs as a monopoly and raises prices because the competition has disappeared. This business model is aggressive and utilized the same way in cities, but depending on the community; there will be enough people to support some of the small businesses because they have a unique product, are well established, possibly service what they sell and offer a friendly smile at the door from a familiar face.
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Small businesses of all kinds are affected by the box store franchises. Thirty years ago, in just about every city in North America small pet stores were everywhere. Each one was different, and occasionally a small chain would blossom across the city. With the advent of the big stores, many were either put out of business or simply bought outright because of their locations. Once the larger stores became established, the selection became mundane, the level of service poor and the employee turnover rate very high.
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One might argue the most visible negative impact franchising has had is in the food industry; once it sunk its teeth into the food trade the domino's fell quickly, while the general health of people started its descent. When a fast food business gets a foothold into a prime location, small café’s and eateries inevitably start to fall by the wayside. Popular fast food outlets are boring, try to rush people out the door, have specific logos, look the same, and therefore are easy to identify with in each city; familiarity breeds contempt and folks flock to them on their travels, as they rarely have any other choices along the major highways because they monopolize many of the rest stops.
small pet stores offer personalized service with different varieties in each store for the consumer
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Food made from scratch that tastes homemade are healthy alternatives and beneficial to health
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Logos are used to attract people to poor food because it's been advertised and easy to identify, and they seem to monopolize the food stops on highways
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Fast food outlets have many things in common; poor nutrition quality, high sugar and salt content, busy lines, limited food choices, a very inadequate menu and lousy service. These places put lovely café’s out of business, and make families struggle to locate a worthy eatery with quality fare to offer. How is this progress towards a more enlightened and healthy humanity? The food is disgusting, highly processed and full of grease. It declines the health, causes mood swings, makes people overweight and is the leading cause of premature death.
The older café’s had different menus, a special ambiance, friendly service and home cooked food. The consumer and the business owner would often come to know each patron, even by name; as their livelihood depended upon it. The fast food franchise industry has made it very hard for the consumer to find healthy food on the road, if not virtually impossible.
The older café’s had different menus, a special ambiance, friendly service and home cooked food. The consumer and the business owner would often come to know each patron, even by name; as their livelihood depended upon it. The fast food franchise industry has made it very hard for the consumer to find healthy food on the road, if not virtually impossible.
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All this begs the question what happened? Why has humanity not noticed the obvious slide into the abyss of franchising? Has capitalism become a disease? Or was it fair at all in the first place? These and many other questions must be dealt with to allow people to have a decent standard of life again, but it all begins with awareness and common sense.
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It’s clear aggressive subliminal advertising and marketing campaigns have slowly and methodically coerced people in most cities into this predicament. There are a few countries where these types of stores are not allowed, one such country is in South America; however since the problem has been identified in the majority of cities what is the solution? Is Bolivia on to something? Should the world follow their lead?
It’s important to note and point out the obvious, without health people have nothing; add a diminishing money supply to the equation, because of corporate greed, and the situation becomes even more stressful. However people still have a choice, and choosing not to go to a fast food outlet, big box store or other franchise will make the people with the money and power stand up and take notice. If the profits of these franchises start to decline, they will either be forced to change their business model or go out of business. Money talks and BS walks as they say, therefore by putting your money where your mouth is; the problem can be liquidated and dealt with over time.
It’s important to note and point out the obvious, without health people have nothing; add a diminishing money supply to the equation, because of corporate greed, and the situation becomes even more stressful. However people still have a choice, and choosing not to go to a fast food outlet, big box store or other franchise will make the people with the money and power stand up and take notice. If the profits of these franchises start to decline, they will either be forced to change their business model or go out of business. Money talks and BS walks as they say, therefore by putting your money where your mouth is; the problem can be liquidated and dealt with over time.
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It really is important to tackle this problem for the sake of humanity; it’s time for compassionate, spiritual leaders to stand up and make a difference in these times. Perhaps it’s time to ensure franchises simply should not be allowed at certain locations, thus some rules that protect the little guy should be conceived.
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Holiday destinations, boardwalks, beaches and historical sites should be able to ban these businesses to create and maintain a special local flavour to their palette. There should be no bribes or exceptions to these rules. By exempting franchises from these areas alone, tourist sites can once again become uniquely filled with innovative and creative ideas. This will go a long way to re-establishing a good reputation for any city willing to put their foot down on corporate gluttony.
Holiday destinations must be free of franchise stores to ensure they remain unique
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Any areas designated as tourist usually have market stands for fresh produce; and this is what should be encouraged in all these areas. Markets draw large crowds. Therefore unique non franchise eateries should compliment these types of venues
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One other item which should be measured is the presence
of franchise fast food outlets around schools, colleges, universities or any
educational institutions for that matter. These franchises are unhealthy, and should
not be visible thus reducing temptation and allowing the younger generation
time to develop good eating habits, to ensure they live long and healthy lives.
Simply put, do not allow any of these types of places within one kilometer (1/3
of a mile) of an educational establishment and encourage and allow organic,
holistic and natural food businesses to re-establish within that same range for
the large young eating population. This will start to bring back the mom
and pop food eateries and the small cafes; thus allowing people to become
healthier, avoid medical attention and become independent and more importantly
live a life full of great health and vitality!
The large department franchise stores, which have unseated their smaller competitors through aggressive measures, also need to be dealt with. The mom and pop stores and family run businesses really need to return because the level of pay, quality and service at these stores is below grade. If the smaller stores return, the manufacturing to support them will also need to come back; therefore it’s a moral issue to support local employment. Slowing down and even stopping spending at giant franchise stores will require a large strategy rethink on their part; thus it will result in bringing new opportunities back to the people and raising the quality of life in each community. As an analogy, if one culls the weeds soon the flowers will be seen for everyone to enjoy!
One other large franchise to mention is the grocery store business. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to root through their weekly flyers and see the same items on sale at different stores offering the consumer little choice or savings on alternative items. These flyers are printed weeks in advance because the buyer secures the produce to be sold long before they reach the paper, mailbox or grocery shelf, that’s why different grocery stores generally have the same items on sale in the their weekly flyer. This business in particular has really spun out of control because in order to keep the produce coming in and “fresh” on the shelves - in other words to extend their shelf life - genetically modified food has been promoted as a corporate solution as they value profit over health.
Genetically modified food is a major health matter for many people and is the crux of many deaths across the world. Proper studies have not been done on the effects of GMO food by the various governments, but independent studies have been completed indicating a loss of fertility in the third generation of mice and an increased risk of cancer among many other risks associated with GMO food. By limiting the support of these chains, the smaller, local producer will inch back into the consumer place. Farmers will be able to make a decent living again growing what is natural; which will result in not being forced into buying patented terminator seeds from large corporations as many farms are today. Eventually the small grocer will re-appear onto the scene thus dramatically altering the global picture from lack and want to health and prosperity.
The choice is simple; think before you do. Too many people are creatures of habit and tend to do the same thing day after day. Break the routine by mixing it up a little! Variety is the spice of life; shop at the little stores for a change, go to a small café and support the local pet shop instead of mindlessly, robotic-ally being drawn to the same old store like a moth is to a flame. Remember, the world can be changed and the people have the power to change it; let’s do it for the better so the next generation can live a healthy, peaceful and harmonious life!
The large department franchise stores, which have unseated their smaller competitors through aggressive measures, also need to be dealt with. The mom and pop stores and family run businesses really need to return because the level of pay, quality and service at these stores is below grade. If the smaller stores return, the manufacturing to support them will also need to come back; therefore it’s a moral issue to support local employment. Slowing down and even stopping spending at giant franchise stores will require a large strategy rethink on their part; thus it will result in bringing new opportunities back to the people and raising the quality of life in each community. As an analogy, if one culls the weeds soon the flowers will be seen for everyone to enjoy!
One other large franchise to mention is the grocery store business. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to root through their weekly flyers and see the same items on sale at different stores offering the consumer little choice or savings on alternative items. These flyers are printed weeks in advance because the buyer secures the produce to be sold long before they reach the paper, mailbox or grocery shelf, that’s why different grocery stores generally have the same items on sale in the their weekly flyer. This business in particular has really spun out of control because in order to keep the produce coming in and “fresh” on the shelves - in other words to extend their shelf life - genetically modified food has been promoted as a corporate solution as they value profit over health.
Genetically modified food is a major health matter for many people and is the crux of many deaths across the world. Proper studies have not been done on the effects of GMO food by the various governments, but independent studies have been completed indicating a loss of fertility in the third generation of mice and an increased risk of cancer among many other risks associated with GMO food. By limiting the support of these chains, the smaller, local producer will inch back into the consumer place. Farmers will be able to make a decent living again growing what is natural; which will result in not being forced into buying patented terminator seeds from large corporations as many farms are today. Eventually the small grocer will re-appear onto the scene thus dramatically altering the global picture from lack and want to health and prosperity.
The choice is simple; think before you do. Too many people are creatures of habit and tend to do the same thing day after day. Break the routine by mixing it up a little! Variety is the spice of life; shop at the little stores for a change, go to a small café and support the local pet shop instead of mindlessly, robotic-ally being drawn to the same old store like a moth is to a flame. Remember, the world can be changed and the people have the power to change it; let’s do it for the better so the next generation can live a healthy, peaceful and harmonious life!
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