Post date: Aug 18, 2015 5:34:29 PM
I find it very difficult when people ask me about my favorites!
It is difficult for me to converge on a single favorite thing. I don’t understand how some people have their favorite food, place, color, fruit, person... etc etc... Anyways, I like almost all the places where I lived (for different reasons). I was thinking if it has to be one single place that I like most in New York City - it is central park.
So this weekend we walked, talked and relaxed for almost 4 hrs/6 kms in park and at the end I had a little nice conversation with a water cart vendor in park.
I asked him why a bottle of water is so expensive.
…and He explained to me the economics of his cart.
He asked me – “how much you think we have to pay for this cart?”
I started guesstimating his sales and profit... but before I can guess he told me – “two hundred and thirty six thousand dollars for one year!” That was way beyond what I would have guessed… by any standards that is a lot of money.
I said – “Wow! That’s a lot of money.”
“My friend, I sell a bottle for $3 and i get it for 50 cents. Now you understand why? Okay. How much you think I sold today?”
“500 bottles?”
"no, no tell me my sales for the day"
"1500 dollars?"
"Five thousands! "
"Wow! in a single day? You are a rich man!"
"No! You think I own this? I was just explaining you why it is $3 in park and $1 in street. Rich people from my country own all carts here. They have a lot of money; they don't need to sell water in park. They must be enjoying their weekend somewhere. I don't make much... and not all the days we sell for this much. but on a nice summer day like this... this was one of the best days for us.”
I took a bottle for $3, said thanks to which he responded – “pleasure my friend and sorry for the money!”
When he said ‘my country’ I remembered another conversation with a horse carriage coachman. He had said the same thing that people from a particular country own almost all of horse carriages business in the park.
Anyways… the economics of Thelas in central park are like bund bund se ghada bharta hai ! :)