Comments on: The Internets Celebrities looks at street vendors: “The VenDiagram”

By: rafi

rafi — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:24:05 +0000

I understand your point, though I’m not sure you can make it based on assumption. There’s a lot of research you can do via a mail order business and a lot of volume you can do that way. Also running a shop isn’t the same as being a street vendor.

We did learn while making this that Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s both started out as pushcarts. A bunch of other big businesses did as well.

Thanks Info for the post!

By: YouNG-FReSH2D

YouNG-FReSH2D — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:18:58 +0000

In in his own words, “In 1970 I founded Virgin as a mail order record retailer, and “shortly afterwards” I opened a record shop in Oxford Street, London. In 1972 we built a recording studio in Oxfordshire where the first Virgin artist, Mike Oldfield, recorded ‘Tubular Bells’.

http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/autobiography/

Do your own Venn Diagram. Mail order purchases Vs/and physically buying records in stores, in which circle do you expect to find the bulk of the business?

Do not confuse e-business with mail order, mail order was just a pic of the front cover of a cassete and price and had to wait weeks for postage & shipping.

My point is Mr Branson’s “eureka moment” to build his record studio e.t.c came from the marketing research he did with the face to face consumer interaction, thats why he went on to open a chain of stores worldwide. Virgin megastores was known for having the turntables at the corner of the store for people to sample before purchase which you don’t get on mail order, however, some went there to steal needles off the turntables.

The same goes for these street vendors somebody will have an eureka moment selling goods on the streets rather than on mail order, and thats based on probabilities and facts.

Not quite a stall on the streets but face to face interaction is what really build business, e.g dude with the bag of cd’s e.t.c knowing what the consumer wants is key to the success of any business.

By: Ehhhhhhh...

Ehhhhhhh... — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:00:15 +0000

Ha, I was about to say what’s this dude talking about?!

By: Breezy

Breezy — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:29:19 +0000

Nah… Actually, Richard Branson started Virgin as a music mail order company in the late 60’s in London and then it became a retail store shortly after when the British Postal Service went on strike for 6 months straight, making it impossible to run a mail order company. It was never a stall on the streets.

By: YouNG-FReSH2D

YouNG-FReSH2D — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:39:35 +0000

I got a lot of respect for street vendors, there’s a lot of money to be made on these streets and the city need to let the people trade and feed their families.

Virgin megastores started as a stall on the streets, to the conglomerate it is today, i’m just sayin.

By: ace4nwk

ace4nwk — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:44:20 +0000

Vendor Power!!!! LOL

By: Jenn

Jenn — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:25:02 +0000

Damn typos: “but in all HONESTY’” ****

By: Jenn

Jenn — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:22:37 +0000

Very educational! But in all honestly, when people think of NY they think of vendors. From hot dogs to knock off bags. They cant erase that. POWER TO THE VENDORS!!! ;o)

By: Ehhhhhh...........................

Ehhhhhh........................... — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:40:16 +0000

3:10: RIP Sacer…

Dude got a lot of XXXXXXL Polo.

By: Doom

Doom — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:20:35 +0000

Info you are sexy as hell!!!!!!!!!