Posted on 02/02/2015 11:58:58 PM PST by csvset
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Independent bookstores have faced tough times for quite a while. In San Francisco, neighborhood businesses have been passionately protected, so it's hard to believe that an initiative passed by voters to raise the minimum wage is driving a Mission District bookstore out of business.
San Francisco's minimum wage is currently $11.05 an hour. By July of 2018, the minimum wage in San Francisco will be $15 an hour. That increase is forcing Borderlands Bookstore to write its last chapter now.
When actor Scott Cox took a job at Borderlands Books he didn't do it for the money.
"I've been a longtime customer of the store," he said. "I love the people, I love the books."
The work let him squeak by while nourishing his passion for sci-fi and fantasy.
"Everyone who works here does this because they love books, they love stories, and they love being booksellers," said book store owner Alan Beatts.
That's why store owner Beatts found it so tough to post a sign in the front window that the store is closing. "We're going to be closing by the end of March," he said.
Borderlands was turning a small profit, about $3,000 last year. Then voters approved a hike in the minimum wage, a gradual rise from $10.75 up to $15 an hour.
"And by 2018 we'll be losing about $25,000 a year," he said.
It's an unexpected plot twist for loyal customers.
"You know, I voted for the measure as well, the minimum wage measure," customer Edward Vallecillo said. "It's not something that I thought would affect certain specific small businesses. I feel sad."
Though it's caught a lot of people off guard, one group that wasn't completely surprised was the Board of Supervisors. In fact, they say they debated this very topic before sending the minimum wage to the voters.
"I know that bookstores are in a tough position, and this did come up in the discussions on minimum wage," San Francisco supervisor Scott Wiener said.
Wiener knows a lot of merchants will pass the wage increases on to their customers, but not bookstores.
"I can't increase the prices of my products because books, unlike many other things, have a price printed on them,"
Wiener says it's the will of the voters. Seventy-seven percent of them voted for this latest wage hike.
"Borderlands Books is an phenomenal bookstore, I was just in it yesterday," Wiener said. "I hope they don't close. It's an amazing resource."
But Alan Beatts said he can't see a way to avoid it.
Gee Eddie, you probably thought that you were "sticking it to the man".
You succeeded.
“You know, I voted for the measure as well, the minimum wage measure,” customer Edward Vallecillo said. “It’s not something that I thought would affect certain specific small businesses. I feel sad.”
liberal ignorance defined
“It’s the will of the [mob].”
He just doesn’t want to pay his fair share in higher book prices!
Elections have consequences, moron!
Of course, who needs your steenkin' bookstore when we have AMZN?
Wiener knows a lot of merchants will pass the wage increases on to their customers, but not bookstores.
“I can’t increase the prices of my products because books, unlike many other things, have a price printed on them,”
sure they can increase the price. Just add it as an extra charge when the customer pays at the cash register.
Dang this is amusing. Soon SF will become to pricey for the poor and middle class to live. Too bad they can’t be forced to stay there since they voted for the increased cost of living.
Now who bars science from the people? That is right, liberal government does.
“...so it’s hard to believe that an initiative passed by voters to raise the minimum wage is driving a Mission District bookstore out of business.”
It’s only hard to believe for morons in SF who live in a made up world where consequences don’t exist.
Can’t they become a commune or a co-op or allow those employees who aren’t there for the money to work for free??
It will become a People’s Bookstore and people will just pay what they want. It’ll be gone in days.
“It’s not something that I thought would affect certain specific small businesses.”
ALL OF THEM, idiot, it’s going to affect all of them.
Dang!
Seattle Tacoma next on the list to feel their own pain. Same minimum wage hike on the books.
What part of communism and taxes they do not understand other than it bars people from books, business and science if they are not part of the thug gang.
Liberals think they could be friends and cool with Che Gevara in charge of their lives.
Democracies fail when the people realize that they can vote themselves money.
“It’s an unexpected plot twist for loyal customers”
Unexpected!
“You know, I voted for the measure as well, the minimum wage measure,” customer Edward Vallecillo said. “It’s not something that I thought would affect certain specific small businesses. I feel sad.”
But, but, but we didnt think the consequences would apply to us!
Morons.
Too rediculous to blame the business’s demise on the modest increase in the minimum wage. If the owners margins were that slim he had other far more significant problems.
There are reasons to be against minimum wage increase but i hope FReepets are smart enough to see through this one as bogus.
Reminds me of when Hillary sniffed that she “can’t be responsible for every undercapitalized business out there.”
Interesting that none of the people say anything about trying to reverse the minimum wage hike now that they’ve gotten a taste of the consequences.
If I had been the business owner I might have tried tacking on a minimum wage “tax” of some sort rather than just close the doors. Of course such a counterrevolutionary act might have earned the spite of their clientele, so maybe it was less awkward to just sort of commit hari kari.
“If the owners margins were that slim he had other far more significant problems.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
$3,000 profit last year.
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