I would suspect that this is why I have had so many orders over the years to OZ for outdoor gear even with the high shipping fees I have to charge (it is about the priciest place to ship to from the US!). Many a stove and pot has gone your way......

""And American workers generally do NOT get 30 days a year off with pay!"

Neither do Australians - the standard is 20 days a year, not 30. Don't know what the other 12 days are that Franco is referring to - Christmas Day and New Years Day are holidays in most western countries, so that's nothing more than standard."

In the states you don't get 20 days paid vacation. I get 15, my wife just started somewhere new and gets 5.

We both get the pretty standard 6 holdiday paid days off as well.

New Years
Independence Day
Memorial Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas

Banks and the federal gov't being the exception with lot of extras.

How is the economy in Australia? Unemployment? Real estate prices? ...

I wonder if this has anything to do with that?

Economy is way too complicated to conclude anything, but it seems like things are pretty screwed up here, dispite low prices of some goods.

I've posted similar from time to time...

Growing up in Taiwan, I could only salivate over "cool toys" advertised in US comic books and magazines. A few of them could be had locally at a stiff markup to reflect their "upscale import" status. Most were simply unavailable locally at any price!

So, for ye fellow hikers who wish to buy a particular gear piece or three, either you or I can order them using my US address, and I'll ship them over to you. All I charge is actual cost (purchase price + California sales tax + USPS postage). Most everyone pays me via Paypal -- processing it so the net amount comes in US dollars and covers my actual outlay.

My two caveats:

1. Purchases must be for personal or family use only -- onesie and twosies -- and items must be "reasonable" in size and weight. No flipping or buying to put on Ebay, etc. No bicycles or kayaks either.

2. Once shipped, the items will be out of my control and I will not be responsible for any loss or damage. At your discretion, you can choose to buy USPS shipping insurance. Most people don't, and I've yet to lose a single shipment over the years, but one never knows...

Anyway, feel free to PM me if interested.

Ben.
The Gear Enabler.

Edited by ben2world on 07/18/2011 16:39:33 MDT.

> How is the economy in Australia? Unemployment? Real estate prices? ...

I'd wager better than the US economy... which at the moment isn't a particularly high bar to clear. :-/

In Norway it varies but most of us have five weeks (25 days) in addition to New year; two days (December 31 and January 1), Christmas; three days (December 24-26), Easter (three days), May 1, "independence day"; May 17, Ascension Day and Whit Monday.

Just move to Alaska...we get hit with all sorts of added "fees".

Free Shipping to the Continental US...last I checked we were still on the North American continent but, sorry...although many now say contiguous US so we can't argue our case.

The mysterious "Alaska fee" that is added with no explanation, just "policy"

Sending damaged goods intentionally knowing that most won't mess with the whole return and wait thing...

The price increase due to "added shipping costs"..this is the local vendors favorite one to use to jack up prices..the stuff comes up in cargo containers but somehow adds dollars to the cost of even small items....

Oh, and we are still paying $4.10 a gallon gas. When I asked why it has been that price for over a month when it has dropped everywhere else in the country, I was told "we are still trying to catch up"....yeah, with payments on your condos in Hawaii or Palm Springs....


Ah, the price of living in paradise I guess where the air is fresh, the water clean, salmon plentiful (and where there is little competition).


I'm sure Hawaii has similar complaints...

I live less than a kilometer away from the plant that make the most gas that Canada and what we export to the US, and its 1.11 a liter (4.55 a gallon). you guys in the states have it good when it comes to prices, you loose in the economy department though...

"I live less than a kilometer away from the plant that make the most gas that Canada and what we export to the US, and its 1.11 a liter (4.55 a gallon). you guys in the states have it good when it comes to prices, you loose in the economy department though..."

Maybe we should raise gas tax $1 a gallon so we'll have a healthy economy like yours : )

We'de have to do a few other things too, like regulate banks so we don't have financial collapses...

"you loose in the economy department though"

based on what economic metric?

"based on what economic metric?"

Canada unemployment rate is 7.4% compared to 9.2% in U.S.

No speculative bubble in real estate prices that caused a financial collapse because they didn't de-regulate their banks

No personal bankruptcies due to medical expenses

In Norway one liter og gasoline cost around NOK 14.50 now. That is about USD 9.8 for a gallon...

Many thanks to you, Ben, my favourite 'Gear Enabler'.

Your generosity is appreciated.

CQ.

I just burnt $20-30 of gas because I needed to sit in the snow this morning. I am OK with that. I felt the need to be at Rainier and I maybe used 7 gallons? Yeah, it is expensive at $3.65 or so (sale price for me) but compared to when it was $5.25 a gallon I can handle it. It was I might add a nice morning and I sat on top of 8 or so feet of snow and pondered about where global warming was ;-P

My issue is that I just got back from NM where gas prices were $.60 a gallon cheaper. And it really hurts when you heat your house with fuel oil and the price for it is even higher!

I can understand a few cents more a gallon for shipping but .60.....gouging because they can get away with it. And, it's not like we can counter that with buying it online!

Lets go back to just ONE of the many costs involved in running a shop, but before that let me say that one of the shops mentioned above pays 250k in lease per year and no it isn't all that big.
Hint : the Melbourne CBD is VERY expensive.
However if you are not there don't expect too many customers.
(shopping centers are about the same as the CBD)

And American workers generally do NOT get 30 days a year off with pay!"
Quote from DW :
Neither do Australians - the standard is 20 days a year, not 30. Don't know what the other 12 days are that Franco is referring to

This proves just how little the average person (IE not an employer/shopkeeper) knows about the reality of doing business.
(no offence DW, most of my co-workers and even some of the managers used to come up with lines like that)

We were up to 32 paid holidays a year.
That is not all there is...
We are entitled (and most take) 6 fully paid sick days a year.
If you do not take them they accumulate. I had several weeks paid when I left after 21 years .
So now we are up to 38 days that the employer has to pay.
But there is more..
Long service leave.
The entitlement is number of weeks worked : 60 x 1 week.
So for example after 11 years you would get 9.33 weeks of pay.
Lets call that 46 days , so add another 4 days per year.
We are now up to 42 days a year .
Of course not many work in a shop for over 10 years because even with the above conditions it's hard to remain enthusiastic for that long.
One of the reasons is that ,( apart from abusive customers that think you are ripping them off ), if you did work for Paddy Pallin and paid staff price (shop cost +10%) for that Western Mounteineering bag , you still could buy it for less from a shop in the US.
Staff turnover is high. So many do not get long service leave but to the employer that means extra costs in staff training.
Does anyone feel like investing in a retail shop here ?
Franco
Shop price on that WM bag. (oddly a mate of mine has that bag and worked there...)
There is a wholesale component built in to that price because strangely enough there are costs involved importing goods. But that is another story.

Edited by Franco on 07/18/2011 16:21:19 MDT.

"Many thanks to you, Ben, my favourite 'Gear Enabler'.

Your generosity is appreciated.

CQ."


Oooohh, that's heart warming. I am proud to be the gear enabler around here. You are very welcome, Chris. :)

For Bob Gross and some comic relief...

WM Board Meeting (end of)

oh guys, before you go.
tomorrow the warehouse is putting together the biannual order for Australia.

Voice from the other end of the table :
"so what do we do in the afternoon ?"

Franco

Franco - are these paid holiday/sick days required by law for all working Australians? Or, is your example a choice made by a particular employer?

It'd be interesting to work in a Gear Shop, make $20+/hour AND get 42 paid days/year. Most American workers don't get close to all that.

Aaron
Yes , those days are the legal requirement.
As for the wage there is a minimum for under 18 , the $16 .47 listed above.
So when a 16 year old kid walks into your shop, he is entitled to the $16.47 for 38 hours, plus the 20 days annual leave, plus the 6 sick days, plus the 12 Public holidays.
Of course when you are 30 with 10 year experience, you expect to get a bit more than that and many do get more than $20 per hour.
Franco