NYC hot dogs - price cap? (New York, York: renting, home, purchasing)

[jcoltrane]

Originally Posted by Voebe

I suppose in a good capitalist society, we don't need price caps. What we DO need is a regulation that vendors have to post their prices. The $3 guys would quickly find themselves rejected in favor of the $2 guys.

Why should the Vendor be forced to pay for the expense of a sign, while the people incur increased taxes in order to pay the costs of enforcement (hot dog inspectors, hot dog police), and penalty (judges and courts)?

It is brain dead liberal thinking such as this, why the government is broke and we have a national debt beyond belief!

Oh, I get it, we'll levy a $5000 fee for each infraction, driving the costs of hot dog vending so high, that the number of vendors would shrink to such a small number, that finding a hot dog vendor w/b like finding a cheap apartment in a good neighborhood!

All to 'fix' a problem that doesn't exist....

Sound familiar? A lot like rent controls, huh?!

*****

I wonder if we all allow government to take every dime we earn, 100% of our income, if government could the solve every issue known to man and create a Utopian Nirvana where hot dogs are FREE???

[goldengrain]

Originally Posted by jcoltrane

Communism in action?

How do you feel justfied restricting a man from selling his goods for the highest market value?

Are you a Communist?

Do you plan on paying his rent? Feeding his children? Sending them to college?

Why don't you try standing on a street corner all day breathing exhaust fumes, trying to keep warm in Winter, cool in Summer, and dry when it rains.

Not to mention the enormous costs for renting and/or purchasing a Cart, geting into the city at 5am in order to beat traffic and get a good spot. Leaving at 7pm, again, in order to beat traffic.

Try that for awhile and you'll be the first one picketing for a $10 hot dog!

Leave the working man to his business. You don't like prices, then DON'T BUY!

It is the American Way....FREEDOM!

Yeah, but what are the standards and how often are they inspected for organism growth on those stands?

It's not the American Way/Freedom if they are making us ill the way I was. There should be a number we can call immediately.

[Kefir King]

JACKS's on 32nd St usually has hot dogs for $.99 (or $1.29) a DOZEN and ROLLS for the same price...you add your own hot water (or frypan)

[goldengrain]

Do these vendors ever get a health inspection?
Probably hot dogs, being immersed in near boiling water, as long as they are there long enough, have no problem, but those Italian sausage sandwiches, well, I remember getting sick on one.

[babo111]

Originally Posted by goldengrain

Do these vendors ever get a health inspection?
Probably hot dogs, being immersed in near boiling water, as long as they are there long enough, have no problem, but those Italian sausage sandwiches, well, I remember getting sick on one.

Health inspection doesn't really do much in reality. It's just like IRS tax audits which is that it trying to be deterrent to stop you from cheating and breaking the law by imposing some penalty. Not intended to stop you from cheating/breaking the law. Hell even if it was say death penalty, someone will risk it and cheat anyway.

Here is an example of health inspection not doing much. One restaurant near my work which caters to hipsters and rich local folks selling 'organic meals' received letter C from health inspection in 12/2011 (data is available online). Yet they still post up the physical sign that says 'Grade Pending'.

Fyi, if you are curious about your local restaurant in NYC. Here it is...

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

[geoking66]

It's Rock Center, of course they're gouging the price to rip off idiotic tourists. But $3 doesn't seem very high to me, guess I've lived in NYC far too long.

[Fred314X]

The simplest explanations are often the best: they can charge $3 for a hotdog because they know they'll get it! (Particularly when selling to the aforementioned tourists). But if everyone refused to buy at that price, the vendor would lower it.

[Kefir King]

Originally Posted by Fred314X

The simplest explanations are often the best: they can charge $3 for a hotdog because they know they'll get it! (Particularly when selling to the aforementioned tourists). But if everyone refused to buy at that price, the vendor would lower it.

I wonder how it worked for Pizza (now at $.99 almost all over.)

[It'sJustMe]

Originally Posted by babo111

Dumb for same reason why some segment of people in our country complain about how gov't is over reaching and shouldn't force everyone to buy healthcare... When gov't already do the same about say car insurance.

Whether an individual is required to have car insurance is state mandated, not federally mandated as the health care law (if it's upheld) would be.

Other than that point, I agree with you.

[mathjak107]

Originally Posted by Kefir King

I wonder how it worked for Pizza (now at $.99 almost all over.)

i remember reading if you want to know the true inflation rate track a slice of pizza.

i rember as a kid getting a slice and a cup of soda for .25 cents.

i was 13 then and ill be 60 now.

i still remember my dad freaking out when he came home and said joes pizza place on ave L and east 92st in canarsie raised the price to .20 cents.

the bus was .15 cents and ice cream was .15 cents.

today most things are up more than 10x so pizza is just about right.

i was selling my hot dogs for .25 cents back then so 2.50-3.00 is right on target too.