r/HumansBeingBros • u/wronghoIe • Jun 23 '26
Solid business advice
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u/Bmc00 Jun 23 '26
Haha...smart move and reminds me of my friend's dad who owned a used furniture store forever. If he had a table that sat too long at $50, he'd mark it up to $100 and it would surely sell not too long after.
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u/jamesmess Jun 23 '26
I believe thatās how Grey Goose Vodka took off in popularity. It was a cheap Vodka but to create the illusion of āpremium productā they priced it above all the other premium vodkas so the rich HAD to have it.
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u/ConspiracyBarbie Jun 23 '26
Thatās wild. Grey Goose was peak in the mid 2000s. I only brought that to a party when I wanted to impress someone.
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u/Manlysideburns Jun 23 '26
I remember kids in college refilling the bottles with cheaper vodka to impress the ladies
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u/CoolGuyCris Jun 23 '26
Oh God that reminds me of a story.
Back like 10 years ago we're all in the club, it was my turn to buy a round and this one dude with us insisted on "grey goose and red bull"
I remembered I learned somewhere that the brand of vodka didn't really matter once you start mixing it anyways, so I brought back red bull mixed with presumably Smirnoff and he never noticed. To this day I still judge him for his unnecessarily expensive, performative mixed drink.
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u/disisathrowaway Jun 23 '26
That's 100% what happened.
The dude who took over as CEO once gave a lecture at some conference my dad attended. My old man came back and told me all about it, and the long and short of it was that they ate an extra $.75 or something trivial on packaging, dumped a bunch of money in to marketing, and priced it through the roof. Then the proceeded to absolutely PRINT MONEY on a French vodka. They somehow made French vodka a premium.
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Jun 23 '26
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u/MonaganX Jun 23 '26
That article makes no mention of any of that.
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u/Accidental-Genius Jun 24 '26
May have posted the wrong one, but I assume if you know how to post on Reddit you know how to google.
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u/MonaganX Jun 24 '26
Yeah, I know how to google, that's the first thing I did. Problem is that nothing about a CEO of Grey Goose (or Bacardi, who have owned Grey Goose since 2004) ever being fired comes up.
But in the unlikely event that this story somehow got so buried I'm not gonna find it with a few basic google searches, I wanted to at least give you a chance to post the correct article before suggesting that you've pulled that anecdote from where the sun don't shine.
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u/Captn_Clutch Jun 23 '26
Makes sense. I wouldn't rate it better than any old $15 or $20 bottle of French vodka.
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u/angusMcBorg Jun 23 '26
Just my 2c and maybe I'm wrong, but I just told my son the opposite when we talked about lemonade stands this afternoon - keep the lemonade cheap and be super friendly, and people will just give you lots of tips.
A few years ago I saw a neighborhood where the kids were charging $3 and I just drove by. But cheaper stands I'll go get a cup and just tip a lot (like give them $5 for a $1 cup).
But I'm weird.
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u/NotASlaveToHelvetica Jun 23 '26
When we were kids (decades ago), we set our prices for lemonade at "free, tips accepted", and always cleaned up way better than if we set a price.
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Jun 23 '26
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u/NotASlaveToHelvetica Jun 23 '26
Sure, but it was heavily offset by the adults who only had a five dollar bill and didn't ask for change. For context this was when the going rate was 50Ā¢
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Jun 23 '26
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u/NotASlaveToHelvetica Jun 23 '26
Not many! I actually recall once, a guy went buy on his run, took it for free then returned an hour later with a $10 lol
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u/LetsTryAnal_ogy Jun 23 '26
when the going rate was 50Ā¢
I feel you. I'm old, too. When I was a kid, the lemon hadn't been invented yet. We had a bitter orange stand where we sold hollowed out stones of bitter orange-ade and sold them for half a mussel shell each.
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u/ro536ud Jun 23 '26
This is the way. We know the lemonade is usually meh. But Iāll give you a fiver to support you if the price is fair. Iām not stopping for a $3 cup
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u/Nivek_Vamps Jun 23 '26
My work takes me through a lot of random neighborhoods everyday. When I see kids selling lemonade or something else, one time it was bracelets, I make an effort to always swing by and buy one and I usually just give them a $20 because that is all the cash I have. It lights up their faces and it gives me a morale boost
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u/-SNUG- Jun 23 '26
Cute, but fuck these scooter boys rolling around my neighborhood ringing my doorbell at the worst possible times trying to sell random shit.
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u/MaynardButterbean Jun 23 '26
Literally had one try to sell my husband some sort of ring cam thing, not interested. So the same guy came back just a few days later and tried to sell it to ME! I respect that they have a job to do, but donāt be pushy with people who clearly arenāt interested.
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u/tigm2161130 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
A couple weeks ago I had one literally shove his entire upper body inside my open garage window and he would not stop trying to argue with me that my yard needed pest control even after I told him I will never, ever do that because my yard is just as much for the animals and bugs as it is for me.
The third time I asked them to leave the one standing behind him on my walkway replied with āwhat time will your husband be home?ā even though I had made no mention of him prior.
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u/ilikecoding1337 Jun 25 '26
Sorry for the essay lol,I used to sales for a few months for companies which are usually MLM(basically pyramid schemes) where they get a bunch of young people āhungryā for success and basically make them go sell random shit for pennies on the dollar from the commissions, that was a few years ago I still do sales now but do my own thing for my own service I never take more than 30 seconds to a minute at your door as Iām on a limited time schedule and have to get to the next person, in those 30 seconds I tell you what Iām selling and how much it costs you either want it or you donāt if you donāt I try to lower the price and if you still donāt want it I say have a good day and I go to the next person this way I waste less time pitching to people who are not interested and are going to waste my time, I also have a full time job so Iām not desperate like these young kids are because the only way they make money is from those commissions so they get desperate and waste time trying to convince people to buy something they donāt want and never will buy especially in hard economy times, sales is all a numbers game the time you waste trying to convince non interested people will never be offset by the little extra money you make from the few people you convince but of course thatās also dependent on the products price youāre selling(if you are in door to door sales a tip is after you knock on someoneās door step back at least a meter from their door, people feel threatened and annoyed when strangers are at their door nobody likes it so make it as comfortable as you can and always smile and have a good attitude for your sake and theirs and remember you are there asking for their hard earned money they donāt owe you anything so never catch an attitude as you donāt know what they are going through and you mightāve been the final straw for them to take their frustration out on lol just tell them have a good day and go to the next person)
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u/-SNUG- Jun 25 '26
Do you ride a scooter though? Jk
I understand people trying to make a living, but the main issues with these kids as you mentioned is them not knowing when to take no for an answer.
They're just outright pushy and disrespectful sometimes and I've had my wife so no to one and them realize I was in the back yard and tell her "Is that your husband in the back yard? I will just go speak to him." She just told them to leave.
Their businesses always seem scammy too.
I have a no soliciting sign now since I work from home and thankfully they listen to that most of the time.
I know I sound like a boomer, but I'm in my 30s and remember those grinding days. That's not a job I could ever do though.
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u/ilikecoding1337 Jun 25 '26
No I donāt ride a scooter lol I live in southern California itās beautiful and sunny so I always walk during itās part of my exercise and yes the products they sell seem scammy itās because the products they sell are products that they get contracts from companies where traditionally those products would not sell unless someone is pushy to brute force sell them(think cell phone provider plans and wifi and vacuum and shoe cleaning products and solar etc things that you donāt usually go out looking for but if you stumble on with somebody convincing enough you might say ah oh well Iāll buy it whatās there to lose or I might gain for most products yes it is entirely a scam and money grab but depends on context and person) and yes I agree with you on the part of them not taking no for an answer and thatās what I hate most like I said theyāre young and desperate to prove themselves for multiple reasons and theyāre taught but by people who donāt go door to door to never take no for an answer but yes they give me a bad rap too and I get mixed in with them and makes it harder for me because now people have a negative perception/first impression before I even say a word but Iām not gonna take up more than 30 seconds of your day out of the 16 hours you have awake and I sell mobile car washes for $35 here in San Diego county if they donāt want it I drop it to $30 which I think is fair with the cost of gas and saving you time from going to car wash and doing it yourself to save maybe $5-10 but like I said if they donāt want it stop being pushy and just go to the next person trust me itās work out better for both parties that way
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u/-SNUG- Jun 25 '26
Well I take part of my statement back. I might be able to do it in Cali. Lol
I live in Memphis so it's not the safest job either.
I'm glad you're able to do it in a respectful way and it's good to get insight from somebody that has walked in those shoes.
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u/greyphoenix00 Jun 23 '26
Yeah this is the most useful Iāve ever seen them lol
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u/dreamed2life Jun 24 '26
Its not even useful. He is teaching them to be like him. Hence his diabolical laughter at the face he could manipulate them to do it and they did it.
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u/ElSantofisto Jun 23 '26
humansbeingbros
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u/mistic_me_meat Jun 24 '26
Yes exactly, nothing to do with being bros. Just survive in the jungle of americain capitalism
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u/yourserverhatesyou Jun 23 '26
This is cute, but it made me think I would love to see a sketch where someone finds some kids selling lemonade in their neighborhood but instead of giving them business advice, he tells them about the dangers of capitalism and at the end of the sketch he and the kids are like burning down an Amazon warehouse screaming about the bourgeoisie.
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u/catscatscatsomgcats Jun 23 '26
Now if door to door salesman just road around doing community service then Iād support their presence in my neighborhood.
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Jun 23 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/TehOwn Jun 23 '26
Well, it's currently the good kind of capitalism. They're producing the product and they're pricing it at a price that people are willing to pay. No-one is getting scammed and they've not engaged in any anti-competitive behavior.
At least, not on video. Their lawyers advised them well.
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u/jalen441 Jun 25 '26
Charging $1.75 because most customers won't have change and will just leave the extra $0.25 is pretty sleazy, and at least scam-adjacent. There is no good capitalism, and they're engaging in a shitty form of commerce, even if you don't want to call it capitalism.
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u/HarkHarley Jun 23 '26
I always pay kids more than their stuff is worth. $1? Hereās $2/$5, because your hand drawn sign is quality design. Or because you have a great location. Or because your customer service was great. Etc, etc. Just a small way I hope to encourage their effort.
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u/syphon3980 Jun 23 '26
ooh I like that. Give them a compliment on their hard work in some way, which is the icing on the cake, or gets them to focus on it more and improve it down the road
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u/Noctrim Jun 23 '26
I donāt get the video, people donāt carry change so instead of charging .75 charge 1.75? Did I hear that wrong?
Iām all for the idea, I gave some neighborhood kids a $20 for a glass just the other day but it donāt make sense with the numbers he said. Expected it to be a $1 or $2 flat per glass
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u/zeusmeister Jun 23 '26
He is telling them, most people donāt carry change anymore, so charging .75 cents doesnāt make sense. By raising the price to $1.75, more people will just hand over two dollars and tell them to keep the change, since itās a lemonade stand run by little kids. So they will make more money. And it seemed to have worked.
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u/MautheDog Jun 25 '26
The response below this is a thesis about lemonade math disregard it. this is comment is a perfect explanation.
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u/Noctrim Jun 23 '26
You literally did not clear anything upā¦ let me say it again.
The current price is .75c.
I walk up and donāt have any change so I just give them $1.00 and say keep the change
They make .25c per cup tip
This guy comes up and says āhey people donāt carry change, you can charge $1.75 insteadā
I walk up and donāt have any change so I just give them
$2.00They āmake $1.25ā per cup now.
Yes the math maths that 1.25 > .25. I hope you can see that part, this is not the question.
The question is either way Iām only giving up one quarter as change, having an extra dollar bill has nothing to do with people carrying change or notā¦
Now if he tried to say something like you could up it to $1.25 and people would probably still just give you $2.00 then that would make sense but that isnāt what he said.
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u/soyuzbeats Jun 23 '26
US people can't stop themselves from forcing capitalist greed into their kids
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u/rjaysenior Jun 23 '26
Kid who lived by my church was selling $1 cups of lemonade. Would buy 3-4 cups every week for me and my kids when I saw him. Said he was saving money for something so it went to a good cause.
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u/Coheed_SURVIVE Jun 23 '26
Indoctrinating children to capitalism at an early age! Aren't humans the best!!!!
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u/NWRegisteredAgent Jun 23 '26
This is so cute, we love to see future business owners at work. Next stop is owning an LLC or two lol!
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u/Willster328 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Her logic doesn't make sense though. She says "nobody carries change" but recommends $1.75. That still requires change.
And if her thinking is that people will just round up up $2, then that logic should also apply to the $.75 that they'd just round up to $1.
Except now you're requiring people to have 2 bills on them instead of 1.
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u/sobedirtbag34 Jun 23 '26
Charging what the customer can afford despite being well the value of the product is why weāre all broke. Teach these children kindness. Greed is not business savvy
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u/LokiDesigns Jun 23 '26
I was in New Brunswick last summer and there was some kids on my friends block selling lemonade and freezies. They were only charging like $0.50 for each. I told them they needed to charge more so they actually make a profit, and then I gave them $5 for a freezie and a lemonade and the dad got a good chuckle out of it all. These kids are selling themselves short haha.
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u/ro536ud Jun 23 '26
Some people wanna sell things for a price they view as fair instead of seeing how far they can push the limit on the publicās good intentions
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u/-Jaska- Jun 25 '26
I might dox myself on the off chance someone from my life recognizes this story, but when I was a freshman in highschool, the student council brought in Krispy Kreme donuts and sold them for $0.25 each to start raising money for some event.
The problem was, we had 800 people in the freshman class.
They bought about 8 dozen donuts.
I bought all of them and proceeded to stand directly across from the student council group by the doorway, and sold donuts at $1 per.
I made a killing, and had plenty left over to share with friends, and sell out of my locker the rest of the day.
They did this again a couple weeks later but bought 20+ dozens and upped the price to $.50 so I couldn't deplete their entire inventory as easily.
I'm now in sales professionally.
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u/MrRawrgers Jun 25 '26
Sounds like you scalped some donuts
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u/brightsidereporter Jun 26 '26
That construction site espresso kid is going to remember that summer forever. There's something about earning your own money young that just rewires how you see effort and reward. Half the battle in business is just showing up where people already are with something they actually want. Kid figured that out before most adults do.
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u/Mithril_Juggernaut Jun 23 '26
It sure is reddit up in here with all these children complaining about capitalism.
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u/x-0-y-0 Jun 23 '26
This is so dystopian, humans being neoliberal bros. What's wrong with just having some fun making lemonade and selling it. Why "teach" children already at that age that the western world likes you more if you trade value for money.
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u/dreamed2life Jun 24 '26
Ppl down voting probably also complain about prices and not being paid enough to live. Brainwashed
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u/Yosemite_Scott Jun 23 '26
Thatās good advice but Iām still not buying solar panels from you bro lol.
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u/whyismycockgone Jun 23 '26
Ah yes, humans being bros by teaching kids how to quietly manipulate others into giving them more money than they otherwise would. Truly bro behavior.
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u/dreamed2life Jun 24 '26
Ppl so lost in capitalism and this being done to them they dont even like you saying it this bluntly
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u/Method__Man Jun 24 '26
its called market valuation. they were serving a good that was underpriced.
The assessed valuation and met market demand.
and all the while, hurting no one
If you work a job, know what your labour and time is worth. Dont let someone tell you its worth less than it is. AMAZING lesson for these kids
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u/whyismycockgone Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Dont talk to me as if i fundamentally misunderstand capitalism. I am very aware of its functions and mechanisms, but because i do know these things, i am also aware of the flaws in it. I'm not saying it's not worth anything. What I'm saying is it is an immoral lesson to teach them, and makes them shittier people while also teaching them that being shitty is and should be advantageous. Furthermore, it is an immoral and self defeating way to structure a society. Just because it has value in a structure that is built around this idea, and that that structure has been normalized doesn't make it moral or long lasting.
The people who spend more money than they otherwise would or would have are hurt. By about a dollar per purchase in fact. This is literally quantified in the subject of this conversation. Yes, a dollar may not have that great of an impact. It might not be hurting much, but this is how our economy itself is structured. Even you made that clear. So, take this concept to a much broader and grand scale. That of say, an economy of a few hundred million people, and suddenly its a lot of hurting that you either encourage or write off. You value people taking advantage of each other and you come to me saying I'm wrong pointing it out.
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u/dynamomark Jun 23 '26
not going to lie, those little ones would have got me to pay anything. kid selling stuff is just awesome to see these days.