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The Life & Death of Mister Softee in China

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  1. #1

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    The Life & Death of Mister Softee in China

    Good read:

    How China Drove Out Mister Softee Turner Sparks brought the iconic New York ice-cream truck to Suzhou. It was a hit. Then the hammer fell.

    Soon after, his tires outside his apartment were slashed. Then a fired driver showed up at Mister Softee’s office and threatened to kill the workers there. Things got more bizarre.
    Nearly a year later, with Sparks still operating without a new permit, officials proposed holding a lottery to dole out Suzhou permits to Sparks and the knockoff trucks. Around that time, police started ticketing Mister Softee trucks for parking illegally in spots they’d been working for years.
    That’s good news for Apple, but not for Mister Softee. Other major companies that have since bailed on China include Uber in 2016 amid tough local competition and stricter government regulations on its pricing, and Seagate last year as Chinese regulators moved to impose higher taxes on the electronics maker’s 2,000-employee factory.
    drumbrake likes this.

  2. #2

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    As Mr Gupta said, amazing the concept wasn't cloned sooner.

    Foreigners must be blinded by the "one toothbrush" tale when it comes to small business in China - I can't imagine why people even both (well, I do know, it's the potential $$$)

    It's a shame that this is still going on, but not surprising in the slightest.

    shri likes this.

  3. #3

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    not surprising
    - China is great
    - that concept will never work
    - oh shit it does work
    - where are the red packets
    - my cousin can do that instead

    civil_servant likes this.

  4. #4

    This is a very negative story. I am sure there are plenty of foreign companies operating successfully in China. The employee corruption problem is common and all companies suffer unknown losses. The tax problem is typical and all you need is one disgruntled employee to file a complaint and your office will be audited for years. These are from experience. In this cash business there is no way to prove your income based on the official tax receipts from your supplies. Even taxi drivers issue tax receipts for a 12 RMB ride. And the licensing...they’ll let you do it and then figure out if you should continue. This is not exclusively an anti foreign thing. Knock offs - this is China.

    civil_servant likes this.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by jonastainine:
    is not exclusively an anti foreign thing
    agreed. but it is anti-innovation. with the local copycat becoming the favourite

    Quote Originally Posted by jonastainine:
    licensing
    the food and environmental aspect is hardly rocket science

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by JAherbert:
    agreed. but it is anti-innovation. with the local copycat becoming the favourite
    Yeah. This is puzzling. They are killing their own future. Chinese brands with some exceptions are purchased by those who can’t afford foreign equivalents.

  7. #7

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    shri, mrgoodkat, JAherbert and 2 others like this.

  8. #8

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    It's actually like in a casino, if you have been lucky enough to make some money the next best thing to do is leave because the odds are against you

    huja and R.O. like this.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Morrison:
    It's actually like in a casino, if you have been lucky enough to make some money the next best thing to do is leave because the odds are against you
    But a casino in which you are not allowed to take your money out if you win
    R.O. likes this.

  10. #10

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    The ice cream guy made the mistake of not paying the high gov official.

    MABinPengChau and jgl like this.

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