LogFAQs > #976169349

Colegreen_c12 posted...

Still, that tells me the fair made ~$6,400-$6,925 to then split their other costs like wages.

To your point, I'll recognize this sentence is carrying a lot of weight. S'all good on disagreeing, let's hash that out and see where that lands.

(showing my work and figuring this out here)

Wages theory #1: if hourly, it's probably minimum wage for the hours they're open -- maybe more time for open and close duties like moving their stuffed animals to and from each day. The fair was usually open noon to 10:00 PM, and I'll add an hour each day for extra work. Eleven hours of work for ten days is 110-220 hours (recognizing they have two employees regularly working the game but not always together). Minimum wage is $7.25, so that's ranging between $797.50 and $1,595 to cover their staff for this game the ten days.

Wages theory #2: if commission, quick Google search suggested carnival game workers get 20% of commissions -- I don't know if that means per person or split between everyone working. Returning back to my estimate that the fair made ~$6,400-$6,925 to split costs like wages...this could be one extreme of 40% for two employees from $6,400 to equal $2,560 (leaving $3,840 with the fair after wages), or it could be something else as different as the other extreme of 20% for one block of employees from $6,925 to equal $1,385 (leaving $5,540 with the fair after wages). I don't know.

Making a range out of the middle of each of these ranges so far because I don't really know for sure and these numbers need to be contained...simplified estimate here:

Fair made: ~$6,662.5
Hourly wages theory: ~$1,196.25
Commission theory: ~$1,998.25
Averaging these two theories: ~$1,597.25

Fair's ~$6,662.50 minus wages' ~$1,597.25 equals the remaining amount of ~$5,065.25

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To the rest of your point: let's hit this again with corporate income taxes this time:

Fair's taxed to ~$6,229.44 minus wages' ~$1,597.25 (employees will see ~81% of this) equals the remaining taxed amount of ~$4,632.19

Transport fees: no idea

Days off between fairs: this seems like they would have Monday-Thursday every two weeks where the fair is closed, assuming they are staying with the same fair and not like freelancing between different fair companies. I don't know if they have four days off after ten days on, if they're working for "free" like it's salary during these four days, if they're working hourly during some portion of these days, or what. Those fairs move during that timeframe, no doubt, but I don't know what pay expectations are for them.

Lodging: here's a reddit link asking a similar question:

https://reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/s/Q89Hokbi06

Sounds pretty common for people to sleep on-site or in vehicles, but those are only a few responses and some are old.

Food: not listed here, but that above thread made it sound like food banks are a thing and then if you're living on side for minimum wage I have to imagine the food has a discount or is maaaaaybe even free.

Regardless, definitely some other costs here and that's just for this game. I'm sure that goes for all games to some degree and also has to account for the fair's bigger picture like marketing, land rental, etc. as well as the fair's potential for subsidizing costs like entry fees and parking. I just don't know how those numbers turn out.

Colegreen_c12 posted...

Would you have the same kind of reaction if you went to build-a-bear or target and asked for stuff animals to donate and they said no?

Asked for donations many times and have been turned down many times, I respect that. This is a game and a contest though...little different, and I have seen them change the rules as a reaction to me (which I'll own, I know I am hard on their business model despite my belief they plan around people like me for their business). That said, Build-A-Bear would also still sell me a stuffed animal -- the fair's choosing not to sell to me after banning me from playing their game. No further official interaction with their business, in that sense, and that's more messed up.