OT- Humor

[Andrew]

The Middle Man. Everyone knows who I am refering to but for those who do not, here's what Webster says:

an intermediary or agent between two parties ; especially : a dealer, agent, or company intermediate between the producer of goods and the retailer or consumer

We all have heard ads on T.V. and radio or whatever from businesses making if very clear that they use no Middle Man. They have pounded it in our heads over and over how using a Middle Man raises the final price of a product. They are right. Any time something, anything, changes place or ownership or(especially) both you have a markup on the price. It goes in at one value and departs with a "mark" that is higher or "up" from it's previous. It's not always a bad thing or something to be infuriated at because you only get what you pay for.

Say you want a good selection of whatever you are in the mood to buy. Well, you will want to go to a place with a good selection of products. Hence, that place will need to get products from somewhere else and more often than not, several somewhere else's. This is where the K.I.S.S method comes into play(Keep It Simple, Stupid). There are very many somewhere else's because of specialization for a specific product whether it be a service, product, ect. Specializtion is key in industry because it breeds good attributes like quality and efficiency. Factories tend to make very small spectrums of product as compared to the whole of industry itself. You don't see a factory making soap one day and then the next day making computers or buisness that prints books one day and churn out cinnomon struddles by the truckload the next. Nope, you likely have never nor will ever because of the vast superiority of specialization. It can't be beat.

So to get all those somewhere else's together there are stores that buy(change in ownership) and haul in(change in location) goods from several somewhere else's so that there is a wide variety for out blessed little hearts to choose from at a "mark up". See, you only get what you pay for; in this case it is selection versus specialization.

Well that's option one, so where's option two? Indeed option two is a good one and very much so if you do not need a selection. Say for instance you have a specific product that you just can't live without. You know exactly what it is and you need not waste time/money "selecting" it from a vast eray gathered together form several somewhere else's. This is the perfect time to "buy direct". "Buing direct" is the K.I.S.S. method working again but this time it works for you by eliminating any unnecessary changing of ownership or location, which we learned above almost always results in a "mark up". Now, you have the product, the supplier has the money and everyone is happy; well, everyone except that danged ol' Middle Man.

Now that we know the saga of the Middle Man and how "buying direct" is a way for the K.I.S.S method to work in your favor lets examine the point I am getting at:


Why do we take milk that we want, pour it into a glass and then pour it into our mouths? Did we learn nothing about the Middle Man adding to the expense of a product? I guess not. You spend extra, in this case time, to use the Middle Man for your transaction instead of just "buying direct"(the jug). Not to mention that little bit at the bottom of the cup that will never come out no matter how long you hold it up in the air. It will cling there until you wash the cup(time) and be washed down the drain instead of in your stomach where it rightfully belongs.

Just another prime example of how the Middle Man effects the overal value of a product in a negative way. Maybe some day we'll learn our lesson fully. One can only hope.

[mescalero1]

Thanks?
Now my head hurts.

[Andrew]

You're welcome.

It struck me the other day when my Wife was getting on to me about drinking stright from the jug/pitcher/whatever. I wrote this to put on Facebook but thought it was funny enough to share here. Well, I think it's funny.

[JustaJeepGuy]

It took a while to get there, but your point about the milk is absolutely true! And yes, it got a laugh out of me!

[cnjarvis]

Why don't we just cut out ALL the middle men and drink straight from the cow?

[Ysabel Kid]

Why don't we just cut out ALL the middle men and drink straight from the cow?

[DBW]

Aren't wives essentially "middlemen" in fulfilling some of a man's desires?

Without them around, no nagging if you drink milk straight from the carton.

[Rod WMG]

Did you hear about the four aggies who died drinking milk?

The cow fell on them!

[piller]

I suppose it was a UT student who tipped the cow.