Walker88

allanos said: Crypto, De-Fi, the NFT standard and the Metaverse represent the BIGGEST existential threat to the world of commercial banking, not to mention CENTRAL BANKING, that they have ever faced. No. The biggest threat to the world of commercial banking----"existential" or otherwise, is themselves. Failure to understand how the banking system works leads some to predict crypto replacing banks. Crypto is not a threat. Too volatile. If it ceases to be volatile, by the way, it will cease to draw in the Shoeshine Boys (see Joe Kennedy, 1929), because they cannot fantasize about being day trading geniuses. As it is wildly volatile (try to price options off of it!), 'borrowers' face an enormous risk. I guess lenders would, too, since they cannot find an efficient hedge. Then there's the supposed anonymity....how to do credit analysis on an anonymous borrower? If it's not anonymous, it loses a good part of its appeal, so might as well just borrow fiat (since banks create much more of that than sovereign govts do). Also, if a bank lends crypto, what are the reserve requirements? If it's like when a bank loans fiat, and reserve requirements are, say, 10%, then the velocity of crypto approaches that of fiat, which is to say it is anything but finite. If there are 100% reserve requirements, then lending is severely limited and world GDP flatlines or---because of defaults---shrinks in a vicious circle of decline until we go back to slaughtering each other just to get something to eat. In terms of use for payments, volatility is also a major drawback. No way to hedge revenue efficiently, so a seller has risk. It doesn't seem to bother folks that something conjured from nothing, that uses more energy than the combined energy of Google, Apple, Netflix and Amazon---entities that produce actual products and services---is a wasteful use of a finite resource (fossil fuels)---and that's just btc, not the other 5000 existing and growing cryptos. Also, a single btc transaction uses more energy than 200 Visa or Mastercard transactions. Hardly climate friendly, but hey, I'm going to get mine before the seas rise!

And if anonymity is its draw, how does a bank offering crypto do credit analysis? Just assume everyone has a FICO score of 900? That worked well in 2008. 'asymmetric bet' good choice of words. Also....FEES! Skim a little off the day trading geniuses. Of the major cryptos, .1% of its holders control over 25% of the coins. That makes Bezos', Gates', or Musk's company holding % look like pikers. Don't like to be long when others control the game, because I am their chump whenever they so choose. I think something like btc survives, albeit at a price of maybe $1000, or eth at $100, to be used mostly by preppers, kiddieporn players, drug dealers and terrorists.

Okay, let me ask the question this way instead..... Raise your hand if you DIDN'T issue a crypto this year. One crypto might be finite, but there is ZERO barrier to entry, so cryptos are infinite, but lack the taxing authority of a sovereign who issues fiat. I hear crypto day-trading geniuses who 'diversify' into other 'finite cryptos', failing to see the irony. Get a cute name, an even cuter logo, and amaze your friends by being Satoshi 2.0......or is that Satoshi 2x10^5? Besides being a horrendous waste of energy, crypto will never replace banks. Too volatile and no efficient way to hedge. Borrow at btc 20K but repay ar btc 50K? How do you say 'default' in crypto-speak? Also, if it's anonymous, how are debt collectors going to know whose legs to break? Sell a Tesla for 3 btc at 60K on a Friday, and on Monday the 'value' is half what it was? Volatility makes crypto a mere speculation, always in need of the proverbial Greater Fool. Yes, nobody has to work anymore. Nobody has to make anything. We'll all just sit in our jammies on the sofa trading crypto and get rich rich rich!. "Nothing from nothing leaves nothing"---Billy Preston (I spent many years as a successful hedge fund trader. I know one can make money trading this passing fad, just as one could have made money being long Pets.com until April 2000. Just don't marry a trade, especially when the Shoeshine Boys are now arriving in droves on the scene.)

Having lived in a number of countries over the years, one thing I have come to believe is that experience does not always equate to expertise. Someone claiming 'more time here than you' only says that person wants to believe he knows more than others, but may, in fact, have the analytical ability of a flatworm. There's also a bit of "I was here first and I need to feel special and unique". Thus, we see many 'voiding' contests taking place. Without naming names, I'm reading 'experts' who both go after 'newcomers' who have generalized opinions about Thailand that offend them, to the same people making statements that also generalize Thai society-----and not in ways that would seem moral or kind or understanding to someone from a different culture. So 'good people' would NEVER link up with someone (who might be the salt of the Earth) just because her skin is a bit darker? Wow, so morally superior! I'd be honored to associate, after my 30+ years here, with such fine human beings! Yes, we see whom the Hi-Sos look down upon, as if the Hi-Sos possess some sort of superior morality and can diss a poor Isaan farmgirl, who ends up trying to survive by using the assets a random Universe handed her, while the Hi-So gains by paying tributes to politicians or police or whomever can control the national purse strings. Spreading brown envelopes in the halls of power is moral; spreading one's assets for food money is morally reprehensible? Odd calculus there. I'll be corrected if I'm wrong---or even if I'm not wrong---but there does seem to be a marked change in how younger generations view things vs their parents and grandparents. The young seem to be more open to different views and less stuck in 'tradition'. There seems to be a lot less respect of age and authority merely because it's age and authority. The young, increasingly, have no 'gods', not even the most revered. The young also seem to have different views on what is moral and what is not. I have a number of young staff in my company. They are pretty much middle class Thais, whatever that means. University educated---again, whatever that means. I have been told that many of their friends, from similar socio-economic backgrounds, earn a little extra money doing 'favors' for Hi-So businessmen and politicians. That sort of behavior is not frowned upon by the peer group. On the other hand, to a person these young Thais hate the corruption that is endemic at the highest levels of Thai society. As has been relayed to me---perhaps not a universal position, but the one I hear most often---is that what one does with one's body is up to the person and carries no negative connotation, but those who engaged in corruption to gain fortunes are morally bankrupt. A young woman waiting in line to get into the Chanel store, who earned her money by using her physical assets, is viewed as superior to the young woman in line in front of her who has daddy's Black Amex Card, since daddy is in bed with politicians or generals, or is one himself. We all choose how we want to live. Society influences our views to be sure, but society and culture are dynamic, not static. Things change. Views change. Sometimes change comes in waves...static for a period, and then society gets swamped. It does seem that today a tsunami is hitting Thai society, and it is being reflected in the youth movement. Yesterday's Thailand is being replaced. Now to jump across cultures---what of the expat who arrives and becomes smitten with that brown skin the Hi-Sos diss? Is he immoral if he gives in to temptation (It was Oscar Wilde who said, "The only thing I can't resist is temptation")? Whose morality? Who is being hurt? Is there some eternal damnation associated with consensual acts, or is eternity felt exactly the same way as pre-eternity, in other words, once nothing, again nothing? Heck, it isn't as if anybody's deity is moral, so it does seem those who need deities cut their lords an awful lot of slack. Why do sanctimonious theists hold mere humans to a higher standard than gods? To quote another Brit whose morality was occasionally called into question, Somerset Maugham once said that he'd met many men who lived the straight and narrow their whole life, but who had regrets at the end that they never sowed any wild oats, but he had never met a man who gave into his passions who had any regrets at the end.

Back row from left to right....Ploy #55, Cake #52...... Well, that's what somebody told me.

Willful ignorance is a new fad and a point of pride for many. The willfully ignorant do 'research', which is to say engage in confirmation bias. They tend to have minimal education, below average intellect, and zero science background. History, it is said, may not repeat, but it rhymes. We are rhyming.....entering a new Dark Age where ignorance reigns supreme. That trend is certainly front and center in the Western world, and opportunistic and immoral politicians are taking advantage of it.....yet the 'free dumb' types call us 'sheeple', when they are the captured ones, embracing all sorts of nonsense spewed by the Neo Charlatans. Of course Darwin will have some say about who makes it to the other side. I wear a mask for several reasons. First, let's say I am positive but asymptomatic: if I can stop even 10% of my viral load from infecting someone who might be vulnerable, it is worth it and a very small price to pay. Second, those who play golf know that even if a tree is '90% air', lots of balls still strike a branch when one is trying to recover from an errant shot. (That's a mask analogy.). Third, as a tall and fit farang in Thailand, I'm a bit visible. I don't want to give any Thai people any reason to think I do not care about their well-being, nor do I want to add to any negative impression any Thais might have about farangs. The Thai government has asked us all to wear masks, so I am being polite and respectful by abiding by the rules they have established. If I don't like it, I can hail a taxi and head to Suvarnabhumi.

In a previous career, we used to say the Second Oldest Profession was spying. Given the Oldest, that makes sense. "Where did you say you went tonight, hubby?" Oh, and "virgin" births. Yeah, right.

Well, then go ahead and turn off your computer and mobile, toss out any electric lights you have, pull the plug on your fridge, trash the car, don't use busses, don't even use a bicycle, because some science guy figured how to pull dirt out of the ground and make fenders and chains and spokes..... Did you swim to Thailand from your home country? I'm guessing everybody from Wilbur and Orville to James Clerk Maxwell and Michael Faraday and even Jack Kilby played a part.

Anyone who thinks the world is overpopulated is welcome to put his or her money where their mouth is and leave.

Does this mean I'm not really 'han sum'? When I walk passed massage shops the folks always tell me I am. They even say they want to have my baby. And some who call that out to me are ladyboys, so my appeal would seem to be not limited by gender nor biological possibility. It's primal, or so I thought. I so wanted to believe there was no prostitution in Thailand, because my ego needs to believe I'm han sum and baby-daddy material. I hate to think I've been fooled. Where's a mirror? I AM han sum! Please nobody call 1599, I cannot bear to face a world without true love!

One of the 'pre-existing conditions' to be added to the list, at least in a world of The Onion-like humor, is: "conspiracy theorist" The un-vaxxed, fearing a Bill Gates microchip or violation of Free Dumb, will be given a Darwin Award.

Haven't tried Frankies, thank you. Personally, I DO care about a good Napoli-style pizza, and would welcome suggestions for any city in Thailand, as not everyone suffers from agoraphobia and many do get around. You may not care, but it seems helpful, even polite, to add info on a city most Patts' residents visit from time to time, and who may be looking for the same dinner favorites 'far from home'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but "Who cares" would seem to qualify as the phrase of a 'smug member'.

I've looked....and tasted...but never found a good pizza in Pattaya. It's a lot easier in Bangkok. Pizza Massilia is good, and Vesuvio off Sukh Soi 8 is always busy with Italian expats. Can't go wrong with either one. They put all the other shops---Pizzamania, Gallery, etc. to shame. They're Napoli style, not NY or Chicago. Both places are wood-fired and produce a great crust....thin in the middle but full on the rim and cooked just right. Most meats and other toppings are imported from Italy, and both have about 20+ different pizzas on the menu. Pizza Massilia offers two sizes, but the larger ones (the same size as Vesuvio's) are more expensive than Vesuvio's.

I'm with you there (re social behavior), and while I'd like to think that is TAT and Thailand's leaders view, I think their real goal is just big spenders and pretty people who look like the party goers in designer vodka commercials or in the pages of Town and Country. They want the folks who fill the Lodge at Pebble Beach or dine at The French Laundry.

I know what you mean, but in a sense your argument is that we're good at creating the illusion of decency. I'm not sure that denotes any kind of moral superiority, but maybe it does look nicer, like a fresh coat of paint on an old house. Of course I don't walk around Bangkok or Pattaya in my Brioni suits and Stefano Ricci shirts, and a well-turned ankle both draws my eye and might even elicit a passing carnal thought. I blame my Y chromosome for that, not my net worth. My former colleagues do tend to dress well and maybe take better care of themselves, so they are unlikely to be the beer-bellied, wife-beater-wearing guy who has planted his fat <deleted> on a barstool by 11am and doesn't leave it until late. Still, they are as likely as the aforementioned wife-beater wearing guy to link up with a short term friend. I am not any sort of sexual deviant, perhaps lacking the imagination to have perversions, but I cannot say the same for all my hedge fund buddies. As I wrote in the post you quoted, substantial wealth doesn't suppress the libido; it often lets it loose. In the way Thai authorities define 'quality', I would guess they would agree a guy with $150 billion is a quality kind of guy, but the reality is that guy sent (nickname for Richard) phone pics to his paramour, leading to the most expensive divorce in history. Thus decency and proper decorum are not some monopoly of the wealthy. I guess Thailand is looking to create a Potemkin Village of tourism, where the glossy facade is aimed at hiding base behavior, so long as wallets are opened early and often.

TAT and senior govt officials project the kind of morality they want everyone to believe they have on to foreigners who are wealthy, and that is so silly and far from reality. The guy sitting next to you in Pin-up or Billboard may well be worth tens of millions of dollars....in other words, he's the kind of 'quality' Thai officials claim to seek. Wealth doesn't destroy the libido. Quite the opposite. It often sets the libido free, because price is no object. Some folks buy the Lambo because driving it is a kick, but a good many drop the dosh for an Aventador because they think (hope) it's a babe magnet. Morality and the number of digits in a bank balance have no relation, or if they do it is likely negative. In most major cities of the world very high end escort services exist. Their customers are not pinching pennies or living off a govt pension. $10K+ for a romp in the hay. The so-called 'gentlemen's clubs' in places like NYC cater to the Wall Street/Hedge Fund/RE Mogul demographic. I know that because as a buy side trader I used to be wined and dined by IBs and Prime Brokers, partly anxious for my business, but more interested in pursuing their 'passions' on the company dime, and I was the excuse they needed to go play. Most of these guys made at least $1 million a year, so they reek of 'quality' according to how that term is defined in Thailand's halls of power. Those in Thailand who want everyone to think they are moral keep mia nois or other paramours. They are embarrassed that the world views Thailand in a certain way, but the majority of those embarrassed are into the same activities that brings the sex tourist to Thailand, albeit engaging in it in a slightly more discreet manner. In any event, just as the Thai elite are not going to stop pursuing their carnal instincts, neither are single male tourists who choose to visit Thailand. Because of the latter, the venues where such tourists can pursue their wants will continue to exist, and they will drop lots of cash while on holiday. Thai authorities might as well define 'quality' in ways that reflect reality, not illusions.

Are you not an economist? A 4 million baht condo (~$120,000) is hardly out of reach of many pensioners. Perhaps the "30-170 million baht starting price" of Q on Sukhumvit in Bangkok is a bit out of reach for many, but 4 million is kind of chump change worldwide in terms of accommodation, even a second holiday home. As for the returning Lambos, Ferraris and Porsches each evening, these cost a bit closer to the 20 million to 50 million baht range (Lambo Aventador). Starting at "6 million baht" might get a buyer two doors and a cigarette lighter, or a Toyota. I might guess that your perception of what 'sexpats' or those who married a Thai woman spend is equally misinformed. Lots of 'sexpats' save for a year to play Two Week Millionaire when they visit Thailand, and when they leave another planeload is arriving. While I'm not one who married a Thai "hooker" (rather a rude term for someone born less fortunate than you), I do know a few and what they spend is likely a lot more than someone who shelled out for a $120K condo. In fact, I even know one who just ordered another Ferrari. Yes, 'another'.

First, I would guess 95% of males who came to Thailand for the first time had more than a passing interest in viewing the nightlife industry...and the other 5% are liars. Second, I'm not sure if Cheap Charlies and Sex Tourists belong in the same sentence, as the latter are often termed the "Two Week Millionaire". That guy drops some dosh during his stay. Third, I have long been of the view that to a much greater extent than anyone is willing to admit, the "bargirl" had more to do with Thailand's robust growth than any clueless bureaucrat. Location managers who came scouting out a spot for a new factory probably had a good time on Thaniya Street or Nana, and that impacted their write-up for the boss back home. Similarly, as a former tiny 'emerging market', to which investment banks would send only junior analysts, the recommendations of equity weighting in an EM portfolio were likely influenced by what said analyst did at night. As for tourists in general, I refer to my first point: the bargirl impacted travel destination decisions. There ought to be a statue, or at least a postage stamp. While Thailand does have some nice beaches, good food, and a temple or two, so do many other nearby nations. Myanmar was growing its tourist trade exponentially until this year's coup, now just making it a fellow junta-led country. Myanmar has Bagan, which dwarfs anything Thailand has. Its beaches are generally pristine, not yet sullied by industry and effluent, though they are screaming for development. Angkor Wat in Cambodia also beats anything Thailand has. Malaysia has some lovely beaches (Penang in particular) and delightful varied cuisine. Then there's Bali, and newly emerging Vietnam. Like it or not Thailand differentiated itself in a certain way and benefited greatly from that. Pride and national self-respect might have many wishing to move away from its past, but as yet nobody has a good alternative that can not only draw 'quality' tourists but absorb the redundant workers. Cheap labor and market access is not solely owned by Thailand; Vietnam is now drawing investment from firms that either previously located in Thailand or would have been prime candidates in years' past. A number of Japanese corps are shifting their base, as old Thai factories become obsolete or fully depreciated. The bureaucrats and dreamers had best be careful, because the masses, especially the youth, are already in the streets. In speaking with young Thai people, both men and women (some my staff), the nightlife industry doesn't hurt their pride in the least. They tell me tales of their university colleagues who 'chose' to become a paramour of a politician or military type, and they do not put any value judgement on that, so it's mostly the old and elite Thais who feel shame of what they likely helped create. Mess up the economy even more, all while being obviously driven by the wishes of the 1% who control 75% of Thailand's wealth, does not bode well for societal bliss.

Whatever TAT's goal, it doesn't seem to be working at the moment. Having been in Thailand throughout the Covid Era, the most visible change since borders re-opened has been the influx of single males. I would not be surprised---if arrival demographics were made public---that somewhere on the order of 90% of arrivals are single males. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I don't think these guys are coming for the temples. I watch the inflow of guests to my hotel. Almost 100% single males. When I share the elevator with others, and there are women present, the women are invariably Thai, and I don't think they entered the country on the same flight as the man they are with. Go out to eat in areas with lots of restaurants (Sukh Soi 8 is a prime example), and the foot traffic is NOT Western families, but rather Western (and to a lesser extent Asian) males and Thai females. Desire is what drives arrivals. The most powerful desire is behind the vast majority of arrivals. Warm weather, good food and lovely temples are hardly enough to overcome the somewhat onerous entry requirements or the thought of breathing in lots of 2.5 particulate matter, while those driven by the biological imperative will jump through hoops and suck in gritty diesel exhaust or the dust from burning fields to reach their goal of carnal bliss. It is what it is, TAT either has to come to terms with reality or accept a major and permanent loss of GDP, along with trying to 're-train' all the women, bartenders, service staff, security, etc., who have been gainfully employed in the 'entertainment industry'. Perhaps the Ministry of Labor will work with TAT and devise an ad campaign aimed at getting former nightlife workers to embrace work in a pre-Industrial Age farming sector: "Scything Rice for Fun and Profit" or "What Better Way to Get Your Vitamin D", or "A Study in Lovely Snakes: The Personality of King Cobras vs Russell's Vipers or Banded Kraits"

Have you been in Thailand in the last year or two? One very visible trend has been the shift in the demographics of the average punter. There is a much higher percentage of young men (20-35 years old, Asian and Caucasian) hitting the agogos or walking around Bangkok and Pattaya with women who may well work in the P4P industry. One can never be certain, of course, but the odds favor P4P if the woman is wearing a micro-mini dress or Daisy Dukes, has a significant # of tatts, breasts that she did not grow during puberty, and a piercing or two. I apologize if I'm generalizing. I don't know why the change, but these are not Incels....at least they do not seem to have that forlorn look of one well practiced in onanism or with an odd addiction to latex. The old balding, beer-bellied, sexpat may be dying off, but they are being rapidly replaced by guys much closer in age to the women they 'date'. If I can venture a guess, I would say this shift in punter demographics has been driven by multiple factors....in Asia it is that there are more professional women, interested in building careers and less interested in building romance, that has their male colleagues looking for love in all the right places, while in the West there are folks 'inspired' by movies like Hangover II or fearful of the Me, Too movement or the shift toward a more androgynous society. It could also be that many men just find Thai women more attractive (I'm not making a value judgement on Western women, but just guessing what factors might be driving this change. To toss in the usual disclaimer, "Many of my friends are young Western women")

Having never walked in their shoes, I am unqualified to pass judgement on what work they do (or did). What I do know is that 1) despite the supposed booming Thai economy from 2010-2019, many people---especially those with minimal education---were never able to find traditional work. Even 7-11s and Big Cs were wildly overstaffed, and 2) Anyone who is suffering during the Covid Era is worthy of sympathy, whether they're a laid-off hotel worker or someone who worked in the sex industry. Need is need. Many women in the industry found themselves with child at a tender age. Societal norms in Thailand forced many to leave school in addition to finding a way to earn money to pay for their child (since the baby dad almost always does a runner). Baby dad's life is unaffected, while a 16 year old mother has had her life permanently altered, whether due to a temporary lapse of judgement, moment of passion, or even an act against her will. Uneducated and with a mouth to feed, it isn't surprising some turned to the sex trade to get by. None of us, especially males, can say with certainty what we would have done in similar circumstances. To judge a woman based on what she chose is to delude ourselves into thinking we are somehow morally superior. Now the subject of the quoted article obviously never got pregnant, but as I similarly do not know his circumstances nor background, and because what he does has no victim, I'm not going to judge. Those who believe themselves to be morally superior by birth are welcome to play god and tell them how they should have lived.

Good topic, and a very dangerous trend in the world, indicating the bad side of 'access to information', when information is manufactured by bad actors (e.g., Performance Artists like Alex Jones or Tucker Carlson, or Russia's GRU working as the Internet Research Agency) or batshoot crazies (like David Icke). There are degrees of ignorance, however. Folks who think Bill Gates is injecting microchips in them via Covid vaccines are simply too stupid to be allowed to procreate, unless the world is short of janitors. On the other hand, sometimes knowledge of people or entities is so limited that things like Hollywood B-fare or pulp fiction can influence opinions. An example of this latter ignorance is many people's beliefs about the CIA, where some consider it an all knowing, all powerful entity existing everywhere, keeping files on everyone. Reality is quite different than many people believe. Views about cabals 'controlling the world' are silly, but those without knowledge or experience might be forgiven for believing such drivel. The fact is there are far too many variables for any person or group to effectively control much of anything. Also, the 'elite' compete with each other, they don't cooperate on balance. Anybody really think Musk likes Bezos? Chinese billionaires like Indian billionaires? Places like Davos are not conferences aimed at controlling the sheeple; they are places rich folks go to show off the interiors of their new Gulfstream. it's a place folks go to compare (nickname for Richard) sizes. Same with 'clubs' like Bilderberg or Bohemian Grove. Heck, Bezos sent (nickname for Richard) pics to his paramour....he's not a demigod, he's quite human with faults most others don't have (unless sending nickname for Richard pictures is more common than I suspect). As for entities like the agency, it is in its interest to be considered BOTH omnipotent and a goofball organization, because that keeps its adversaries guessing. It traditionally is also a fallguy for Administrations who screw up. Iraq and WMD is a case in point. Because a negative cannot be proven, the agency could only give a minimal opinion on the existence of WMD (<15% chance, 85% chance Saddam nixed his stuff after the first Gulf War and just wanted to enjoy his 'booze, broads and palaces' and not be overthrown by outside forces). It was Cheney and the Neocons hellbent on war, and they co-opted then DCI Tenet. Anyway, disinformation and 'research' is likely going to bring about the end of democracy....until such time as autocrats and self-appointed monarchs are again sent to the guillotine and the world tries democracy again. We move in circles, and society is now moving headstrong into a new Dark Age.

I can come up with another answer: you have absolutely no concept of actual costs, customer flow, etc., involved in running a business. Let's take an example of a typical restaurant....maybe 15 tables max. A meal takes maybe an hour from sit down to check bin. How many customers on a Monday? How about Friday? A 7-11 customer is in and out in maybe 3 minutes. 7-11 has massive turnover relative to a typical restaurant. It also uses every available place to stuff products. Other than the aisles that allow a customer to walk and search, there is precious little wasted space, so covering rent is easier. 7-11 is also a major entity, so their purchase costs are much lower than a one-off restaurant that isn't part of a chain. Are you at least beginning to get the picture? (I was a hedge fund trader. To make decisions about what I should buy or short, I had to analyze businesses, commodity markets, consumer trends, psychology, nations' budgets and industries, etc. If I had gone at my job with the same degree of (mis) understanding you evidence re restaurants, I would have been fired instantly.)

Reading through these comments, it occurs to me that there are people who are made to be business owners, and there are people made to be just employees, because they have absolutely no concept of the totality of costs involved in running an ongoing enterprise.

You really have no idea of the actual costs. Talk to a restaurant owner. Get a list of all of their costs....rent, staff salary, equipment, raw materials, cutlery, electricity, VAT, water, insurance, basic maintenance, accounting, legal, and a host of other things. The cost of raw materials might not be too high, but the selling price has to not only cover the foodstuff inputs, but contribute to all of those other costs. There's a reason 95% of restaurants fail in the first year, and it's because they post prices based on your 'logic' of what foodstuffs cost. Also, riddle me this: how much burger meat should Owner Guy order for the next week? Do you think any of the food inputs go bad, or is every restaurant not only 100% efficient, but 100% prescient to know exactly how many 'meat pies' to make?