To this I would have to say "Nonsense." Since this discussion centers, at least somewhat, around food, let's use that as an example. In many parts of the US, and certainly in my area, there are many Farmer's Markets, where produce and other food and craft items are sold directly to the consumer by those who produce the goods. Not only does the system work well, but it's growing to encompass many more markets in many more communities throughout the country.
These "open air" markets have been seen in Europe and other countries for hundreds of years, and seem to have worked quite well for many people, both producer and consumer alike. The "middleman" not needed in all situations, although in some scenarios the middleman can be valuable in getting goods moved from the source to the consumer. It just depends on the products and the situation. Nonetheless, for many products and in many situations the middleman is just another source for increasing the price of a commodity and slowing down the transfer of the goods. And yes, without middlemen there would only be producers and consumers. You say that as though it were a bad thing. Is there something wrong with having only a producer and a consumer? Shel > [Original Message] > From: P. J. Alling > In terms of a machine middle men are the lubrication that makes the > system work. Like oil or graphite in a machine. Societies without them > soon create them. By the way the retailer, if not the producer, is a > middleman. Without middlemen there would be only producers and consumers. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
