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Warning: For Pet Use Only. This is Not a Childs Toy

Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 3 months ago to Economics
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So, I bought a yellow "flying disk" (frisbee) at my local Petco and was playing with my boxer puppy this morning trying to explain to her that part of the game of "frisbee" was giving it back to me after she gets it.

Finally retrieving it I turned it over and noticed a sticker on the back in bold upper case letters: WARNING: FOR PET USE ONLY. THIS IS NOT A CHILDS TOY.

It went on for a paragraph on other warnings such as to make sure that the toy was large enough that my pet wouldn't swallow it (That would be one big dog!).

I read it to my wife and said, "But it's a frisbee!". Her theory was that it would have required extra testing if it were a child's toy.

When a frisbee says that it isn't for children and that you should make sure your dog can't swallow it, we're in regulatory and litigation hell.


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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 3 months ago
    It hardly pays to make any physical items these days- the regulatory and liability issues are too great. Better NOT to invest in equipment and fixed items because you could lose it in one regulatory action or lawsuit overnight.

    Let the chinese invest in equipment; buy goods from them and resell them here at higher prices and spirit the money out of the country or into your backyard repository.

    I used to make medical equipment until the FDA got into regulating it. The risks were just too high. One of our competitors ran afoul of one of their reporting requirements, and their $80 million company was padlocked and never regained their position. It was definitely a wake up call for me.
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    • Posted by lrshultis 8 years, 3 months ago
      But don't fall for Trumps nonsense that when you buy from the Chinese, that the money still belongs to the USA in some kind of balance of payments problem. If you trade money for a product, that money is no longer yours. Trump does not seem to understand that.
      Also, no jobs go overseas. The jobs do not exist if you cannot work for a market wage where the market is not reduced by governments.
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      • Posted by term2 8 years, 3 months ago
        Your comment about the jobs going overseas is right. I buy a lot of subassemblies from china because we cant pay for the labor to make them here. Even though we know HOW to make the stuff. The workers here are undercut by the chinese workers in terms of $$ and output per hour.

        I am sending about $200k of dollars to china every year. I dont know where it goes, but we certainly arent getting FREE stuff from china. The chickens will come home to roost at some point.
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        • Posted by lrshultis 8 years, 3 months ago
          The roost might be increased inflation with the Chinese actually purchasing goods that will make every one happy getting their cash back but may chase already manufactured goods in great supply which will compete money wise with already available money thus inflating the money supply. The near zero rates now are inflating the supply but it is not being lent out at such low rates and goes toward more risky investments. As soon as rates rise the influx of money along with that from China, Britain, and other countries hording US funds will create real cost of living problems. Not there are not those problems already with rising prices and smaller amounts of products in containers at greater cost.
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          • Posted by term2 8 years, 3 months ago
            My chipotle salad is getting close to $13. Used to be $9 a few years ago. I say inflation has been running 10% but we haven't seen it because of the chinese competition holding down prices
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            • Posted by lrshultis 8 years, 3 months ago
              Inflation really means the increase in the the amount of fiduciary media. Price rises can be the result, but not always. All depends what happens to the new money. The last decades had the excess going into new housing, dot.com s , and all kinds of other services and luxury products which makes it possible for pensioners to not get cost of living increases at times. It's all a kind of smoke and mirrors. It can all start collapsing once the Fed starts to ease up and let that money loose for general spending.
              I just had to get some urinary track cat food for my old cat. The last time was 3 years ago but a 4 pound bag rose $22 which is at least $2 a pound more than I spend on myself for a pound of food. Glad I don't have to eat $13 salads, though I tend to only eat at home and not eat much green stuff. I bet things are so easy for most diners, that they can just dump most of those $13 salads.
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              • Posted by term2 8 years, 3 months ago
                I think you have a good grasp of inflation. Actual inflation of the money supply has been huge and we see it in only certain items. Actual price inflation of specific items= money inflation minus deflation effects of cheap Offshore labor minus efficiency effects due to automation, changes in demand patterns etc. government inflation figures should be reported as straight monetary inflation only and not cheat by including other egfects
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 8 years, 3 months ago
    Might have been made with cancer causing materials and/or, made in china...never know what it's made of with them. They don't care if it kills your pets.

    Good thing your pet is not a hippopotamus...they could choke on one of those...
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    • Posted by $ allosaur 8 years, 3 months ago
      Just make dag nab darn sure that none of your kids catches that dog Frisbee in their mouths to return it to you in that mode.
      Also make sure they do not mount it on a stick to lick it like a lollipop.
      For that would not be sanitary even if there ain't no cancer causing materials.
      Further information may be obtained from the Department of Health and long phone listings of tort lawyers in the Yellow Pages.
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  • Posted by loachridge 8 years, 3 months ago
    Many people would argue that their dog is as much a member of the family as their children.
    While I wouldn't argue that point, I still wont admit to my sickly persistent wife, that my 12 year old boxer will die eventually. He just has to wait for me to pass first.
    Good luck with the Frisbee wrestling. I actually had to take hold of the object; Frisbee or ball; and make him think he was hurting me, Oow, before he let it go.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 3 months ago
    If there hadn't been a threat ...... like one hitting some kid on the return... but then it should have said dangerous to owner/operator.
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  • Posted by Ben_C 8 years, 3 months ago
    I call it "government creep" as the federal government as well as local and state governments slowly take over our lives. One day people will wake up and exclaim WTF happened? That will be too late.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 3 months ago
    Soon, all products will have some sort of CYA (cover your ass) notice on them. Note, the disappearance of see-saws and jungle gyms from parks while the same folks deride the lack of exercise kids get.
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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 8 years, 3 months ago
    There used to be a time when over the counter medication simply had instructions on dosage and frequency, but the warning information takes precedence, and I now have a hard time finding the dosage and frequency info. Every plastic bag now carries warnings about not putting it over your head.

    When a society is more concerned about protecting the mentally deficient than enabling the gifted, it's on the inevitable glideslope to the trash heap. Of course the power brokers would rather the population was majority idiot, since the stupid are more easily led.
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  • Posted by Hot_Black_Desiato 8 years, 3 months ago
    Therein is the one major problem with Government regulation.

    So let's look at the economics of that warning and how people can use Government to make profit.

    Pet toys, i.e. frisbee is made from the same materials that the "human" version is, same shape, same everything, with the exception of the "testing" and regulations that apply.

    So I make a Dog frisbee, which will sell for 2 - 3 x what a childs toy would just because it is a pet toy and dog owners tend to be product snobs anyhow. ( I am a dog owner).

    They can make this for 15 cents with a complete landed cost of 25 cents. Sell it for $5.00 or more.

    To make the human version adding in regulations the landed cost is $1.25.

    I can sell just as many of each, so that printed warning most likely makes them more money, and people will use it for kids anyhow.
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  • Posted by $ jdg 8 years, 3 months ago
    Google "Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act". A law written by lobbyists to destroy the toy industry except for Mattel and Hasbro. And it's also pretty much destroyed the used bookstore industry.
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  • Posted by mccannon01 8 years, 3 months ago
    Hey, all those lawyers and government bureaucrats have to make a living, too, right? Right?

    I'm waiting for the FDA requirement for a sticker on toilet paper: "WARNING! Danger of breakthrough unless multi-folded!"

    Actually, I have to give credit to Mad Magazine for that one, in which it appeared in an issue in the late '60s. I figure the FDA and the EPA lawyers have been burning taxpayer dollars in litigation against each other ever since then over how to come up with a sticker that is fit for human use and environmentally friendly at the same time.
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    • Posted by khalling 8 years, 3 months ago
      some lawyers do not litigate :)
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      • Posted by mccannon01 8 years, 3 months ago
        Oh, for sure. One of my good friends is a lawyer who hasn't litigated in court for decades. Not exactly sure of the details, but I believe his main function is to make sure companies that hire his services have contracts that don't violate Fed and State laws regarding whatever it is they do. I think that kind of research would bore me out of my skull, but he likes it.

        In my post above, right after I wrote the line "I'm waiting..." I got a visual of two giant government agencies arguing over what to do about a sticker on toilet paper. I just couldn't let it go...
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