Some give, some take: Is it the American Way?

So it was announced recently that Panera/St. Louis Bread Company has opened a charity venture in St. Louis, MO. In this restaurnt/bakery, there are no price lists, just suggestions for what customers should pay. There are no cash registers, just boxes for donations.

Will this store, now run as a not-for-profit venture, work?

Uhhmmmm.

I don't know.

While there are certainly generous people in the world, I tend to think that there are far more greedy people out there.

When this was reported on the news, most people interviewed seemed to think it would work, but at least one lady spoke up and said, 'Nope. It worn't work. People will just come in for free food."

I hate to agree with her, but I sort of do.

Truth is, I think Panera's prices are too high as it is. A sandwich or salad is $7 - 8 dollars. With a drink and tax, the final bill is around $10. I think the salads and sandwiches should be around $5. I would be willing to pay that. I bowl of soup is $5. I think it should be more like $3.

But, having said this, I would never go in and pay less than the suggested amount. If I don't have the money, then I wouldn't go there. It's that simple.

Unfornately, I don't think many people think like me.

I tend to think people are greedy. Look no further than our currently ecomonic situation. It's mainly because of greedy people.

And, just to drive home the point that when given the choice, most people will do the wrong thing, is this little story.

We used to have a recycling program thoughout the city. They were machines that accepted water bottles and in exchange gave vouchers for the grocery store. Patrons inserted one bottle at a time into the machine. Well, someone figured out a way to tie a string on a bottle and just keep running it through the scanner amassing thousands of dollars in vouchers. As you may have guessed, the machines were shut down and for a long time there was nowhere to take water bottles. Recyling became difficult and so many people stopped doing it and started throwing their bottles in the trash. bviously bad for the environment, but more importantly this little stunt really hurt the people that needed those machines the most, the poor. The people who used regularly used the machines were the ones who spent a significant amount of time collecting the bottles and then turned them in every day to get food.

So, once again, someone greedy messed it up for everyone.

In the good news area, the city opened new recycling centers. But because they have to be staffed, recyclers earn much less for their goods and they are only open two to three days week.

I talked to one man who said it was hard to store any bottles and wait for the sites to open given that he was homeless. He also said not being able to recycle every day meant he didn't eat every day.

So, while I do so wish that this venture by Panera will work, I don't hold out hope. But should one of these cafes open near me, I will make sure to post flyers about it at least two places for sure --- banks and recycling centers. Maybe then the customers who eat there will offset each other.