City of Portland inks contract, all Office Depot purchases delivered by tricycle

[SlyPokerDog]

You just can't make this shit up.

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-26341-city_hall_portland_to_get_office_supplies_by_tricycle.html

 

[Natebishop3]

This city is so blinded by all the bullshit that they just don't get it.

What do they spend money and time on? Bike lanes and greenways and mass transit.... that's great.

What are they ignoring? Traffic, low-income housing, and economic sustainability. Thousands of people move here every year and there's no jobs for them, but hey, we've got Office Depot delivering on tricycles!

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Office Depot delivers for free if you spend more than $50.....

Update: Kelly Ball, a spokeswoman for the city, says Portland's contract with Office Depot is worth $6 million over five years. Office Depot subcontracts with a delivery company called Dynamex that subcontracts with B-Line.

So they subcontract to two companies and have a contract for $6 million dollars for a service that is free?

 

[Natebishop3]

Office Depot delivers for free if you spend more than $50.....



So they subcontract to two companies and have a contract for $6 million dollars for a service that is free?

Kelly Ball works for the Office of Neighborhood Involvement... not sure how they fit in here.

 

[LOTBfan]

Their purchase contract is 6 million, not their delivery bill. Who give a shit who office depot wants to have run their free delivery service down the street... if someone gets paid to write a story about it, and someone gets paid to ride around outside, I don't see any loss... probably cheaper than paying their own guy to head there.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

where does it say purchases?

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Office Depot delivers for free if you spend more than $50.....



So they subcontract to two companies and have a contract for $6 million dollars for a service that is free?

Given our mayor, why am I not surprised.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Honestly, it's not a horrible idea if you're subsidizing environmental responsibility (though investing in a company with 3 trikes and 10 employees for a 5yr contract is risky), but paying Home Depot to pay Dynamax to pay B-Line introduces two levels of middlemen that don't add value, but add cost.

 

[barfo]

Thousands of people move here every year and there's no jobs for them, but hey, we've got Office Depot delivering on tricycles!

Seems to me that delivering stuff is a job. And if every delivery was done via tricycle, there would be a lot more delivery jobs.

barfo

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

plus, the middlemen who get taxpayer money too!

 

[barfo]

plus, the middlemen who get taxpayer money too!

Exactly. Not to mention the stock clerks at office depot, the lawyers to write the contracts, the newspaper reporters to write about it, and all the $$$ Denny gets from the traffic on this thread.

barfo

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I would prefer them to support local companies versus a soulless corporate giant though.

 

[blazerboy30]

Seems to me that delivering stuff is a job. And if every delivery was done via tricycle, there would be a lot more delivery jobs.

barfo

What we need is to pay more people to dig holes, put taxpayer money in the holes, and then fill the holes. Job creation is easy!

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I would prefer them to support local companies versus a soulless corporate giant though.

Don't think a samll company could handle this contract well. if gov't goes with local companies, it could cost a lot more. Go with big corporation that can deliver the goods consitently and reasonably priced or the small local company trying to keep up with the big boys?

I don't see a problem with using tricycles. Should they have hired a company that uses hummers?

 

[andalusian]

I don't see a problem with using tricycles. Should they have hired a company that uses hummers?

If it works for Bahgdad...

 

[maxiep]

Seems to me that delivering stuff is a job. And if every delivery was done via tricycle, there would be a lot more delivery jobs.

barfo

Search: Bastiat+Frederic+"Broken Window Theory" and you'll see where your thinking went wrong.

 

[barfo]

Search: Bastiat+Frederic+"Broken Window Theory" and you'll see where your thinking went wrong.

It was just a joke.... however, I do thank you for the suggestion, because now I know what the Broken Window Theory is, and I hadn't heard of it before. And I like learning stuff.

barfo

 

[maxiep]

It was just a joke.... however, I do thank you for the suggestion, because now I know what the Broken Window Theory is, and I hadn't heard of it before. And I like learning stuff.

barfo

I apologize. It's tough to tell when someone's joking on this forum, and I'm especially bad at picking up sarcasm.

Bastiat's Broken Window Theory does demonstrate, however, why make work--while on the surface helpful--is at best a break-even enterprise, and usually a drag on the economy.