Subject: Re: [Harp-L] B-rads

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Smokey - your and 'Crazy' Bob's posts both spoke to me. I'd already written 
 and sent in my own thoughts about Brad and the B-Radical since out of the 
three  of us I'm an actual customer who bought a couple of them, but you 
both made  a great deal of sense. 
 
Trust you to break it down to the dollars and cents as well. Most people  
simply don't understand what an enormous undertaking it was, and how many 
people  worked so hard along with Brad to try to have this company succeed.
 
I'm also very sad for all involved.
 
Elizabeth 
 
"Message: 8
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 13:41:46 -0400
From: Joseph Leone  <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] B-rads
To: harp-l _harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx) 

I don't know if people understand that IF Brad were to pay his employees  
(5..I think?) 1.5X min. wage (or $10.88 per hour), his cost for labor ALONE  
would run almost 10K PER month. One would have to sell at least 100 harps 
PER  month JUST to make payroll.  That's 1200 per year, btw. That says nothing 
 of leasing a space,  risk insurance, light, heat, storage, shipping,  
packaging, postage, transportation, taxes, licensing fees, accident insurance,  
an emergency eye wash station, fire extinguishers, or a salt tablet 
dispenser.  I'm not so sure that they were making that many harps. 

Now if one were  to sit down at their kitchen table and make a harp 
completely by hand, I  extrapolated that the cost would be $808.70 per harp. And 
that's with none of  the above other than Coolie wages for the builder, AT his 
own home, with none of  the ancillary expenses. 
Now IF  one could buy the reeds from a source  (at, say $2.oo per reed), 
one could reduce the labor costs of making the reeds  and bring the price down 
to $239.61. BUT, this could also be a problem in and of  itself. Why would 
you want to buy a harp with marginal reeds while paying for  PREMIUM reeds. 
AND, what supplier would sell you reeds...unLESS your price point  was going 
to be in an area which would NOT cause them competition? 
If one  could sub out some of the parts and add some machinery, maybe get 
the price down  to $70.99.

BUT, a company that has been in business for a long time and  has already 
amortized their machinery and buildings and spread the costs out  among 
thousands and thousands of harps, the cost could be $21.03. And THAT dear  
friends, is exactly what is being done.  Because the labor costs for a harp  are: 
(and this includes pension plan & health insurance for the workers)  $6.23 
for labor & a 'whopping' $1.84 for materials. Everything else are what  I 
like to call lost money costs. 

I am really bummed out over the whole  thing. As the entire bunch involved 
in this endeavor are super people.  

sadly....... smokey joe