The efficacy of the sign twirlers.

**Pontifex Maximus** · January 26, 2019, 08:19 PM

This may be a regional phenomenon, but has anyone witnessed or participated in the marketing technique that is twirling or using a sign on the street to direct business into a physical sales location? I drive past two venues on my afternoon commute every day where clearly two seniors in my community twirl signs to advertise certain businesses. Now, I'm a fan of open markets. There is every chance that these few retirement age men prefer to do what they do despite my observations. But supposing they hate it and must do it to make ends meet, I find it disgusting. My opinion is informed by the fact that they aren't Walmart greeters, they aren't volunteers at places, they are clearly working for an advertising wage and for me, I find this sort of advertisement to be completely contrary to the intended result. These businesses are usually trashy (title loans, pay day loans, etc) and it seems to be that when businesses engage in this sort of advertising, they can be rightfully characterized as predatory and

. But I'm very curious as to other opinions. I've never relied on short term loans for example. Is this sort of practice absolutely bad? Does it serve a purpose?

**AqD** · January 27, 2019, 08:30 AM

Our real estate businesses use that as well. Trashy indeed.

no idea why people would want such loans, perhaps they cannot pass the credit check by banks for unsecured loan? Desperate options for desperate people.

**Noble Savage** · January 27, 2019, 08:38 AM

Short terms loans are a cancer . I despise the firms that offer them . Luckily in the u.k they have been slapped around a bit by legislation and citizen's advice charities . Their advertising options have also been reigned in . As I'm a non professional worker , I have seen colleagues taking these sort of loans out , pay them back on payday then take the loan out again on the third week of a pay period. I take money out using my credit card but then pay it back as the interest and costs are so much lower than these piece of poo companies .
Regarding the advertising using twirl and sandwich boards , I fully agree . Occasionally we have fast food restaurants using these techniques and they are usually accompanied by sad and embarrassed looking people dressed in really bad superhero costumes . The local campaign by Domino's pizza still makes me wince .
The whole thing looks tacky but I do hope those people involved get a decent wage out of it . That's the only way you would catch me or my family doing it and we are marginally above minimum wage .

**Condottiere 40K** · January 27, 2019, 10:53 AM

Predatory loans.

It's a fast way to make money, which is why it's popular.

It's easy if it's enforceable to get that pound of flesh, whether through legal avenues, or less savoury backstreet ones.

**♔Greek Strategos♔** · January 28, 2019, 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by AqD

no idea why people would want such loans, perhaps they cannot pass the credit check by banks for unsecured loan? Desperate options for desperate people.

That's exactly the reason

**conon394** · February 19, 2019, 09:24 AM

I've never relied on short term loans for example. Is this sort of practice absolutely bad? Does it serve a purpose?

Yep modern usury. Prying on the fact that credit rating system can easily send you into purgatory for one bad life event even if you get back on your feet. Although I do see a lot of them out for tax service about this time which is more I think trying to get people to maybe say hey I don't want to do my own taxes this year and H&R block and company usually have low key offices you could drive by 100 time and never notice.

where clearly two seniors in my community twirl signs to advertise certain businesses.

Interesting where I'm at SE Idaho its 100 percent teens. My son knows 2 who do the job part time - its to pay for their auto insurance and pay their folks back for their cars (they both opted for something more than allotment their parents were willing to pay for out of hand)

**Diamat** · February 19, 2019, 05:22 PM

I've seen some amazing sign-twirlers. I couldn't stop watching. But yeah, it was a liberty tax advertisement.

**Pontifex Maximus** · February 23, 2019, 09:56 AM

It's disgusting really. There are a number of car dealerships around where I work that do the same thing - the interest rates on their cars are near 30%. 30#!! I don't see how it's legal but I also can't understand why someone would get a car, I mean I get that their credit probably sucks but this isn't going to help things and you're going to default on 30% for sure and lose your car. Part of my job actually deals with this kind of debt and its a nightmare.

the sign twirling companies and businesses. Except the taco stand near the QT station.

**AqD** · February 23, 2019, 02:15 PM

they'd still exist if outlawed, like here, except they'd be out of sight and neither side would be protected by the law, and because of that they'd have to resort to extreme measures.

Here there are guys who'd paint your door with blood or even kidnap and torture you if you owe them too much.

**Diamat** · February 23, 2019, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Pontifex Maximus

It's disgusting really. There are a number of car dealerships around where I work that do the same thing - the interest rates on their cars are near 30%. 30#!! I don't see how it's legal but I also can't understand why someone would get a car, I mean I get that their credit probably sucks but this isn't going to help things and you're going to default on 30% for sure and lose your car. Part of my job actually deals with this kind of debt and its a nightmare.

the sign twirling companies and businesses. Except the taco stand near the QT station.

If someone is stupid enough to buy a car at a 30 percent interest rate, then he is a fool who probably deserves it. This seems to be a uniquely American problem. Europeans can't really understand Americans' laxness with credit. When I bought a new car in the US, I was constantly confronted with stupid financing offers, which I wasn't interested in. I bought the car in cash. Understandably, the dealership makes less money this way, but it is the smartest approach for the customer. My philosophy is that if you don't have the money to buy a specific car, then you need to save until you can afford it. But Americans don't even know how to save. That's what made me laugh during the recent government shutdown, as federal employees had to take out loans just to survive. They didn't have enough savings to survive more than a month! And the funny thing is that the news never even asked themselves why they didn't have savings, since it is such a common American thing.

**Pontifex Maximus** · February 23, 2019, 05:47 PM

You know what that is very interesting. Obviously I am in the minority of Americans because I could survive completely unemployed for 6 months with no income. That is my emergency fund.

**Condottiere 40K** · February 23, 2019, 11:03 PM

Pay day loans operate on a similar, if far more excessive, principle (or interest).

**conon394** · February 24, 2019, 08:33 AM

I mean I get that their credit probably sucks but this isn't going to help things and you're going to default on 30% for sure and lose your car. Part of my job actually deals with this kind of debt and its a nightmare.

Hard to have a job in the US w/o a car kind of a catch 22. Had a chance to be in London this summer. Sure with the quality of mass transit you can live outside of town and still reliably catch a job in London. Back in the day before the dot compost when I was living in booming Ann Arbor burger flippers were getting 15 dollars hour and up and that is mid 1990s numbers. In Detroit not so much. Catch that train and bus system to your job from Detroit to Ann Arbor - no. Catch the same to get community college - no.

**Pontifex Maximus** · February 24, 2019, 10:32 AM

I never use ride sharing because I think they're sketchy but do you know if uber would be cheaper than a car payment? Ubering both ways to work that is

**Condottiere 40K** · February 24, 2019, 10:41 AM

Several business models are being developed, including buying an autonomous self driving car, and then pimping it out to others when you're not using it, equivalent to tme sharing a property to cover the mortgage.

**AqD** · February 24, 2019, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by Diamat

That's what made me laugh during the recent government shutdown, as federal employees had to take out loans just to survive. They didn't have enough savings to survive more than a month! And the funny thing is that the news never even asked themselves why they didn't have savings, since it is such a common American thing.

Eh. I'd rather take a loan rather than withdrawing from my investment. Don't people live on credit cards anyway so what's the difference? The credit limit alone should be able to absorb spending for months - unless he runs out of it already?

I read back in the dot com bubble days the founders paid everything from credit cards. Credit limit is much higher in US? Here per-bank limit is about 3 times salary.

**conon394** · February 24, 2019, 12:41 PM

I never use ride sharing because I think they're sketchy but do you know if uber would be cheaper than a car payment? Ubering both ways to work that is

Does not work so well outside of urban areas.

**Pontifex Maximus** · February 24, 2019, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by conon394

Does not work so well outside of urban areas.

What a shame...

**Diamat** · February 24, 2019, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by AqD

Eh. I'd rather take a loan rather than withdrawing from my investment. Don't people live on credit cards anyway so what's the difference? The credit limit alone should be able to absorb spending for months - unless he runs out of it already?

I read back in the dot com bubble days the founders paid everything from credit cards. Credit limit is much higher in US? Here per-bank limit is about 3 times salary.

Credit cards have exorbitant interest rates (usually around 20-30 percent). Bank loans are indeed a better option, but many Americans do not qualify for such low-interest loans, since they already have credit card debt. Once you're in the credit card debt spiral, it's hard to get out, since the interest accumulation becomes impossible to keep up with at one point, thus leaving you but one choice: declare bankruptcy.

**Condottiere 40K** · February 24, 2019, 07:03 PM

In simple words, ‘ rent’ is used as a part of the produce which is paid to the owner of land for the use of his goods and services.

But, in economics, rent has been differently defined from time to time.

Thus rent refers only to make payments for factors of production which are in imperfectly elastic supply. For instance, it is the price paid for the use of land.

Or compound interest.