Franchise Follies
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal had an article on struggling Cold Stone franchises. The story confirmed my suspicions about the dangers of franchises. The franchisees get locked into buying inflated supplies and equipment from the parent company that, in part, puts them into a financial bind. It's like those real estate infomercial schemes that are good for the sellers but bad for the buyers. I guess this is why two small ice creams at the Cold Stone nearest my house cost $10. I haven't been back since.