Fair Play
I’m writing this in defense of a friend. He has a business, and people like what he’s selling. Who wouldn’t, really? It’s ice cream! He was asked to be a vendor at a very popular street festival last year, and even though the weather was horrid (i.e. it rained almost every day), he was there with his ice cream truck and a big smile on his face. He loved being a part of it. He was asked to return again this year. Hooray!
But after he accepted, and the announcement was made as to what vendors would be working the fair, another frozen treat business offered the festival a large sum of money to replace him. This comes with a large number of blocks around the festival site that are protected from competitors. And the festival accepted. Bummer!
So then the fair organizers contacted my friend again to tell him, sorry, he can’t work there this year. It’s not even that these are competing products. One sells ice cream bars and similar frozen treats, and the other sells frozen custard. Why can’t they both work the venue? There’s plenty of space to share….
What bothers me the most about it is the “give and take back.” My friend was ASKED to provide his business to the attendees. He was INVITED. And then when they were given money from someone else, they took back their invitation. Let me frame this another way:
Let’s say my son invited Bobby to his birthday party, but then he called him back two weeks later and told him, “Sorry, you can’t come to my party. Johnny’s giving me $100 to come to my party in your place. Oh, and during my party, you aren’t allowed to go the playground down the street or visit the zoo four blocks away.”
As parents, we wouldn’t allow that. We would sit down and have a serious discussion. Johnny may or may not be allowed to come to the party, and we would certainly talk with his parents about what happened. But Bobby would definitely be invited.
Why can businesses be allowed to get away with this kind of behavior? In pursuit of the almighty dollar, the highest bidder wins. It’s all about the bottom line. The little guy doesn’t have a chance. And the worse part of all, no one knows. I’d guess it’s happening around us all the time, but we don’t know about it.
And while I’m thinking of it, the two major political parties seem to operate in the same way, preventing smaller parties from participating in debates, say, or sending protesters to far distant locations away from media.
We wouldn’t tolerate this sort of behavior in our children. Why should we tolerate it in our democracy?
Be human,
Julia
February 12th, 2007 17:49
Hmmmmm…how often have you heard someone tell another adult, “You’re acting like a child!” That’s supposed to be a criticism. But after thinking about what you wrote, I see it differently.
Kids are all about fair play (at least for them.) If you don’t play fair, you WILL hear about it, and so will everyone else. You will not get away with cheating, even if the kids have to appeal to a higher authority (parents or teachers). Treat people fairly; do unto others…. those are the ideas that are traditionally hammered into kids. So why does that change for adults? Oh, right: dollars and more dollars, polticial power…
Maybe it’s time more people START acting like children.
Be childlike. Be human.
Susan
February 12th, 2007 17:55
I’ve noticed over more years than I care to specify that while American business people like to talk up the virtues of competition, they tend to do everything they can to avoid having to compete. The situation you describe is a perfect example.
Any more, the term “business ethics” has become an oxymoron. So the big frozen custard outfit’s approach doesn’t surprise me.
If festival organizers want to buck the trend and behave ethically, they should tell the big outfit to either let the ice cream seller in to compete or else no thanks.
There’s one thing you, your ice cream seller friend and patrons of the event should not do: pass this off as nothing personal, just business. Like government, business will behave as badly as we let it or roughly as well as we require it to behave.
February 12th, 2007 18:46
S.W., thanks for your comment for my friend. I’ve been encouraging him to at least write to the editor of the local newspaper. I’ll pass along your support.
Julia
February 13th, 2007 07:41
Julia, when it comes to business transactions, two parties must come to the table. It is sad that the business offered what it did. It is sadder that the organizers of the fair had a price at which they could be bought, instead of a line they wouldn’t cross.
S.W., you are correct; business today is about competition avoidance.
February 19th, 2007 11:46
Update: After thinking about it, the owner of the ice cream treat business has decided, instead of “making waves” about this situation, he is instead going to apologize. He is planning to write a letter to both the festival organizers and the frozen custard. He will apologize (for what, I don’t understand) and offer his help if desired, to provide additional product, or for future years, or whatever. In essence, he’s not just backing down and staying quiet. He is bending over even further and offering to let them walk over him again.
I haven’t given up on this, and I’ll see if I can encourage a change. That part comes down to his own decision. I’ll keep talking about it, though. And I won’t be visiting these businesses.