Hershey to Close Reading, Pa., Plant

Forbes ^ | April 23, 2007

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

So, the end justifies the mean? Actually, the scenario I described was exactly the way it was for at least the first 150 years in America and we didn’t head to communism. Actually, what you appear to be a proponent for is much closer to communism than you seem to believe.

[mysterio]

My point is that if we ship a large number of jobs overseas and flood our workforce with enough cheap labor to drive down salaries and the standard of living, angry, uninformed voters are going to clamor for more socialism. It happens in ever case. All I’m saying is that we need to keep this in mind and balance the number of jobs we are outsourcing. Voluntarily, not through government edict. Right now, we haven’t experienced national wage deflation except in pockets of America. If we keep up at the pace we’re going, though, it will happen. I’m just trying to point out that there are consequences that we are all going to have to pay if enough uninformed people get behind some “populist” to counteract these policies.

[Ciexyz]

Clark bars used to be made in Pittsburgh, too - prob. the same factory that made Zagnut. One of my coworkers used to bring in boxes of those candy bars because her husband worked for the company.

[Ciexyz]

We should all eat less sugar to help prevent the onset of adult diabetes.

[DreamsofPolycarp]

Do you really think you or anyone else can compete or offer your services for prices lower than can be found under communist oppression?

The only places I know of who believe ANYTHING found in communism are Cuba and Venezuela. Raising the spectre of communism when talking about China is just a little disengenuous. The only thing the party members believe in in China is that the party should retain power. None of them believe in communism anymore, although there is the normal lip service given every so often. Are they totalitarian? Sure. So is every nation state in the middle east and most in Africa. Do I trust them? No way. However, it is silly to point to them like they were running around clutching Mao's little red book. In very many ways, they are more free market than we are.

[mysterio]

Ok, do you really think you can compete or offer your services for prices lower than can be found under totalitarian oppression?

[DreamsofPolycarp]

Well, you left out one thing, and that is best illustrated by an interaction I had with a client of mine. He purchased a service thru a national outfit (you would know their name if I gave it to you), who services some of their business thru a big call center in Orlando. The first thing that happened is that the company did a D&B search on this guy, found a CORPORATION he owned, arbitrarily changed his interest from a sole proprietor to the corporation, and charged him according to the D&B class. He cancelled the services, and they continued billing him for almost a year. They then "adjusted" his contract, but still demanded he pay the corporate rates until cancellation. This guy is not very business savvy, so I was helping him in this. It took me 4 telephone calls just to get this far. I then demanded that we review the contract and they justify claiming that the contract was with a different "person"(according to the law, a corporation is a "person"). They said they would get back. After two months, I called again. The girl said they lost the contract. "YOU LOST THE CONTRACT?" Yeah, they lost the contract. I asked why they did not notify us. They said they did call and there was no answer. I called her a liar, as there is an answering machine and we had no power outages and there are 5 incoming lines with rollover. I told her it was unprofessional to just ignore the request because someone there maybe called the wrong number. My letter had my mail, email, and fax number. She was very sorry (I know she was because she told me so!). I told her that she needed to credit the customer. She could not do so without "proof" that the original contract was with the sole proprietor. I also found out that his WIFE was classified as a snow plow operator for risk purposes (she is an accountant, and we MIGHT have snow once a year where I live). At this point I lost it and said "what kind of halfwit operation are you people running?" She was offended at my language (I know because she told me so). I asked her to please get me someone with sense enough to come in out of the rain, since I clearly had struck out with her. She was offended again (I know because she told me so), and I explained to her that if she would get me a supervisor, she would never have to be offended at me again. She hung up on me. I sent a certified letter, with a copy of the original contract. Nothing for 2 weeks. I called back and this time asked who was XXX's supervisor. I got some guy in the xxx dept. He said "the file is downstairs." I said "go get it, then. I will hold." He came back about 10 mins later and said, "yeah, you are right." I asked if we could correct the contract. He said "Yes" I asked when he would get a check back. He said "in a week or so." I thanked him for his help and hung up. Two weeks later, no check and another bill. I called again. XXXX was unavailable. Left number. Two days later XXX ws still unavailable. Left number. VERY important. Please call. no call. Three weeks later, called again. XXX still busy. I said "page him." No can do. I asked who his supervisor was. Can't give that info. I looked up the names of the CEO and CFO and called their offices (these are available thru most financial disclosure stuff on the web). I asked who the head of operations was in Orlando. I called and got head of ops office. I asked the admin to get that person on the phone after explaining my frustration, and documenting the dates of calls. She did give me the name, but didn't put me thru. I called, got the head of ops, office, and asked if she would call xxxx's supervisor, and patch me thru. (I think that was the only reason I got thru was because it came from the top down). I got a man on the phone, and I told him that this was my 26th call in 7 months and we needed to get this resolved today, and I asked him to please call xxxx (the "supervisor" who had assured me it would be fixed and then dodged my calls). I asked him to put us on speaker and then told him that if the guy standing next to him were my employee I would fire him. I detailed my calls from the beginning and said "this is NOT rocket science here. I am just looking for someone whose giveadamn is not broke." He replied (I kid you not) "I don't know about that, I mean I see PAGES of documented notes in this file." I said "yeah, and they all show that this should have been fixed months ago, right?" He said "I will have to review that." I said "look PLEASE, just get it fixed!" And........., it was! I wrote him a letter of thanks, and cc'd a letter I sent to the CEO and CFO detailing this mess, and put in big bold letters at the bottom of the page YOU SHOULD CONSIDER OUTSOURCING THIS WORK TO INDIA. THEY CAN SCREW THINGS UP AND BE JUST AS INCOMPETENT, LAZY, AND STUPID FOR A TENTH OF THE PRICE, I AM TOLD.

Don't tell me about the high motivation level of American workers nowadays. It ain't so.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Fair enough. The only question I have is who is going to voluntarily limit outsourcing? I think that the time may be close to being able to market “Made in the USA” again.

[mysterio]

I don't think anyone is going to voluntarily reduce outsourcing. I'm just saying that it would be in the best interest of greater capitalism if more did reduce it, because the people who are going to get appointed by uninformed voters to "solve" outsourcing and other work related woes are no friends of capitalism.

It's about looking long term. And PR is worth its weight in gold.

I'm just sayin'.

But I don't want the government involved in it. I think they should enforce our immigration laws and that's it. And I'd say H1B limits don't need to go any higher than they already are.

[girlangler]

Holy Moly, guess we’re ahead of this growing our own food. I had to ping you because I know how you feel about chocolate (sp), and LOL.

When we were growing up, we NEVER got commercially made candy, except maybe Christmas. Mom took canned coco powder and made fudge, and of course we had oatmeal and peanut butter cookies.

Course, that powder is now probably made in china.

I swear, Diana, I have thought seriously about getting myself a goat or two, and some chickens. I will always have plenty of deer, squirrels and fish (the lake I live on is one of the cleanest in the country, no factories, etc., it’s so rural).

I could grow some ginger and make ginger snap cookies.

Know what, we country girls will survive any food terrorist attack or crisis (grin).

[freekitty]

Another company in America bites the dust.

[Drago]

Hershey’s Oakdale, CA plant is closing also:

http://www.kcra.com/news/13227352/detail.html?subid=10100243

Jobs going to Monterrey, Mexico.

Reese’s PB Cups are about the only thing I will miss...Hershey’s milk chocolate is not great...will avoid all Hershey products and patronize See’s, M&M-Mars, etc.. Anyone know of a good domestic PB cup-like product?