Summary of the Core Issues
This commentary sharply highlights the underlying contradictions in the current snack vending industry, as represented by Zhao Yiming. It argues that relying solely on consumers or regulators to destroy weighing scales and punish individual rogue stores only treats the symptoms, not the root cause of the problem.
The real issue lies in the imbalance in the profit distribution mechanism between brand owners and franchisees: Brand owners exploit franchisees by increasing costs and squeezing their profits, severely limiting their viability. To survive, some franchisees resort to short-sighted and illegal tactics such as weighing less than the actual amount. As long as this structural disparity—where brand owners reap the benefits while franchisees suffer losses—remains unaddressed, the problems will persist, even if the names of the companies or owners change.
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Detailed Analysis
To help you better understand the logic behind this, we break down the issue into the following five aspects:
1. Destroying weighing scales is just a symptom, not a solution
Many people react with anger when they hear about shops weighing less than the stated amount, believing it reflects dishonesty and calling for stricter punishments. However, this is like treating a fever with just painkillers without addressing the underlying cause. The problem (the dishonest weighing scales) is just one of the tactics used by franchisees to make a few extra dollars. If we focus only on the scales and ignore the reasons behind their actions, destroying Zhao Yiming’s scales will not prevent others from using more concealed methods (such as hidden packaging, mixed weighing, or even direct product substitution) tomorrow, as the driving force—severe survival pressure—remains unchanged.
2. How brand owners exploit franchisees: Uncovering the profit gap
Why do brand owners exploit franchisees? In the snack vending industry, the relationship between brand owners (headquarters) and franchisees (store owners) is not one of equal partnership but of extreme exploitation:
- High purchase prices and low selling prices: Brand owners require franchisees to purchase goods from them at higher prices than the market or wholesale rates. To attract customers, store prices must be kept low, leading to thin profit margins or even losses.
- Numerous additional fees: In addition to the purchase cost, headquarters charge various fees for management, marketing, system usage, and mandatory promotions, further eroding franchisees’ already meager profits.
- Inventory pressure: Brand owners encourage franchisees to stock large quantities of goods. If these sell poorly or expire, the losses fall on the franchisees, while the brand owners benefit from stable supply chain profits.
Under this model, franchisees become mere laborers and risk-takers, while brand owners remain the unscathed profit earners.
3. Franchisees’ survival logic: A last resort under pressure
People might wonder, “How can they dare to cheat?” The answer is that under extreme financial pressure, cheating becomes a rational choice. When a franchisee struggles to make ends meet after covering rent, labor, and other expenses, and finds that selling snacks results in losses, cheating becomes a means of shifting costs:
- If a bag of snacks normally costs 10 yuan and costs 8 yuan to produce, the franchisee loses 2 yuan. With a dishonest scale, they can sell the same bag for 10 yuan, effectively covering their costs or even making a small profit.
This is not due to inherent dishonesty but because the brand owner’s business model leaves them with no other choice. They know it’s illegal, but between legal operation leading to continuous losses and illegal tactics providing a glimmer of survival, many choose the latter. This is a systemic moral hazard stemming from the pressure imposed by the brand owner.
4. Why changing names doesn’t solve the problem: The structural issue persists
The comment suggests that new problems will arise with different brands, highlighting a cruel reality: As long as the profit distribution mechanism remains unchanged, the issues will continue to replicate:
- Low entry barriers: The snack vending industry has low entry barriers, and brand owners recruit new franchisees quickly to gain market share. New franchisees, often inexperienced, are more susceptible to the brand owner’s promises of high returns and fall into the same trap.
- Lagging regulation: Current enforcement relies on post-event investigations, which are costly and inefficient. The brand owner’s exploitative practices are hidden in complex contracts and financial transactions, making regulation difficult.
- Information asymmetry for consumers: It’s hard for consumers to verify the weight of snacks at the point of sale, giving rise to fraudulent practices.
Therefore, as long as brand owners continue with their profit-squeezing model, new franchisees will join, and new dishonest practices will emerge. Destroying a scale only solves a temporary issue; the broader industry problems remain.
5. The true solution: Reconstructing the community of interests
To eliminate dishonest practices, we need to address the issues at the system and profit distribution levels:
- Transparency in the supply chain: Brand owners should disclose key data such as purchase prices and profit margins to ensure franchisees understand where their money goes and where the profits come from.
- Fair profit margins: Brand owners should adjust their pricing strategies to allow franchisees to make a reasonable profit while operating legally. If they want to make money, they should reduce supply chain costs through scale.
- Strengthened regulation and accountability: Authorities should not only target dishonest scales but also investigate forced sales, unreasonable fees, and fraudulent practices. Severe penalties for brand owner violations will encourage them to change their business models.
- Consumer empowerment: Encourage the use of portable scales and establish convenient complaint channels to create public pressure for change.
In summary, the problem with dishonest weighing practices is a conflict between the logic of capital expansion and the realities of small-business survival. Only when brand owners shift from exploiters to enablers and when franchisees can earn a decent income through legal operations will such practices truly disappear. Otherwise, new problems will emerge, driven not by individual owners’ conscience but by the structural flaws in the industry.