We all ask favors of our friends at times–and this is a wonderful thing; I need not illustrate why.
But I’ve noticed something interesting recently.
When folks have friends that provide a service or product–perhaps carpentry, art, food, whatever–they tend to ask if they can get that for a discount.
It’s what a friend would do, right? It seems a widely-accepted practice that if you provide a service or good, it’s polite to give a friend discount.
Here’s something to consider: why shouldn’t it be the other way around? That is, why wouldn’t a good friend offer to pay above market rates for a product or service? Why does the provider and producer bear all of the burden of this aspect of the friendship?
Does it indicate anything broader about how we think about economic relationships between producers and consumers?
Something to consider.
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