Maybe I am behind the times on this. If it's now acceptable, I think I might join in and line my pockets.
I'd probably need to change my name to something like Tristram , Piers or something equally gormless sounding, as people trust these names. They'd never volunteer for someone named Del boy or Arfur.
Anyone got any ideas what we could get the volunteers to do, that we could charge expats and tourists for, or even sell on?
The Flicks is for sale - It's volunteer run?
- Miguelito
- Ordinary Schmo
- Reactions: 219
- Posts: 7053
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 11:19 pm
- Location: Penh's Hill
UKJ, I'm not sure why you think it is so outrageous. The "volunteers" know exactly what they're signing up for, and it seems that by most accounts they enjoyed the experience. True they could stay in a dorm for really cheaply elsewhere, but I think this is more than just looking for the cheapest way to live. It gives them a safe place to live, not just a bed in some dorm. It offers a sense of community, both with the other volunteers and with the expats/tourists that come in as customers. Maybe someone wants to spend a month getting to know Phnom Penh, but doesn't want to be bored, so are happy to do this for a few hours a day. Maybe they're huge movie buffs, and this is extremely interesting to them to both watch movies everyday and see how running a small movie house works. Perhaps they're independently wealthy, or have enough saved up for a gap year or whatever, and this is just a fun experience for the hell of it. Maybe they just need something to tell mom and dad that they're doing other than eating happy pizzas all day. Who knows, but what I do know is they are certainly not "slaves," and not even "wage slaves."
You've closed a deal. Where do I sign up?Miguelito wrote:UKJ, I'm not sure why you think it is so outrageous. The "volunteers" know exactly what they're signing up for, and it seems that by most accounts they enjoyed the experience. True they could stay in a dorm for really cheaply elsewhere, but I think this is more than just looking for the cheapest way to live. It gives them a safe place to live, not just a bed in some dorm. It offers a sense of community, both with the other volunteers and with the expats/tourists that come in as customers. Maybe someone wants to spend a month getting to know Phnom Penh, but doesn't want to be bored, so are happy to do this for a few hours a day. Maybe they're huge movie buffs, and this is extremely interesting to them to both watch movies everyday and see how running a small movie house works. Perhaps they're independently wealthy, or have enough saved up for a gap year or whatever, and this is just a fun experience for the hell of it. Maybe they just need something to tell mom and dad that they're doing other than eating happy pizzas all day. Who knows, but what I do know is they are certainly not "slaves," and not even "wage slaves."
You could say the same thing about McDonalds / exploited workers around the world! Maybe they just like working, meeting people, the uniform. A sense of community. To stave off boredom. They know what they are signing up for.
I think you are on to something. 99.9% of businesses have it wrong, and The Flicks have it right. Businesses should stop paying workers. In fact, you have given such a list of benefits, that workers should be paying the business owner.
- Miguelito
- Ordinary Schmo
- Reactions: 219
- Posts: 7053
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 11:19 pm
- Location: Penh's Hill
I know you've been to the workaway page, but did you even bother to read the reviews left by volunteers? There are 25 reviews from volunteers - 23 are 4 stars (excellent), and 2 are 3 star (very good). Here's a quote from the 3 star post:
A few more quotes:
Your sarcasm for this is just showing that you're kind of a douche.Really enjoyed the atmosphere and met some really great people. The work was easy and the accommodation good. Really nice to have a kitchen as we love cooking. I can honestly say I've never seen so many movies in one month before. Awesome little cinemas that I would definitely recommend.
A few more quotes:
This was my first WorkAway experience and it totally surpassed my expectations. Ramon is awesome and I loved working here. My only regret is that I didn't stay longer.
The job itself is so easy and enjoyable, after the first days training you know what to do. Having venues 2 and 3 in hostels means you talk to lots of travellers and in location 1 you meet a lot of ex pats, so it's a nice mix! If your travelling for a while I'd recommend it for you to just take some time to chill and have a break from always moving about, and if you have an interest in Phnom Penh it's a perfect opportunity to explore the city. Overall, I had a fantastic experience here, would highly recommend it and if I was ever there again I wouldn't hesitate to go back. 3 weeks was not long enough!
IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!If you feel like coming to Cambodia and jump into some more than just being a tourist, this is the place to feel home, watch movies, have a private room in a flat (and sharing breakfast and some cooking as well) and feel like part of town... THIS IS YOUR PLACE!!!
You will be doing quite hours with a lot of time for reading, watching movies and getting to know everyone coming to the cinema (easy to become friends of guests)...
So yes, I DO RECOMMEND THE EXPERIENCE and Ramon the hosts is such a happy energetic human being... so GO!
There are a lot of young barangs working in bars in sihanoukville and probably Siem Riep , do they get paid? Does it really matter if they are only working for bed and beer, in Australia back packers often work for nothing for three months to qualify for their second year visa. Here in Cairns there are back packers everywhere working for bugger all. If I needed a hand with some building work I wouldn't pay a strong young man more than $100 a day.
I think the worst thing about working at the Flicks 1 for free is that Martinis has closed down.
I think the worst thing about working at the Flicks 1 for free is that Martinis has closed down.
The Flicks cinemas have tangibly improved the quality of life for (mostly foreign) residents in PP by providing access to largely independent films that otherwise would not be shown here:
-Is it an NGO? IMO no, but at least it has done something positive for the city - unlike many other organisations here that currently call themselves NGOs, and take the benefits the title allows while giving nothing in return;
- Why does it call itself an NGO? Presumably so it won't have to pay corporation tax on its activities;
- Is it wrong that it does not pay tax? Depends how you view its operations of course, but IMO it is as wrong as for the countless other non-performing NGOs and 1,000s of businesses in the country that do not comply with legislation either. And given the benefit it gives to the city I would rather see it in existence and not paying tax, than not existing because of an inability to comply with local business legislation (profitably, after the imposition of patent tax, profits tax, minimum tax, VAT, Khmer New Year Tax and whatever else the tax department deems fit);
- is it exploitive as regards its volunteers? Not if the volunteers are fully informed of what is expected of them and what is given to them in return. And remember that most of these volunteers will plaster the fact that they have done this 'volunteer work' in Cambodia all over their forthcoming CVs when applying for their jobs with Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. It's not exactly digging fields in the sun or nursing Ebola patients, so they can considerably profit too from the relatively easy and relaxed experience even after they leave the country.
-Is it an NGO? IMO no, but at least it has done something positive for the city - unlike many other organisations here that currently call themselves NGOs, and take the benefits the title allows while giving nothing in return;
- Why does it call itself an NGO? Presumably so it won't have to pay corporation tax on its activities;
- Is it wrong that it does not pay tax? Depends how you view its operations of course, but IMO it is as wrong as for the countless other non-performing NGOs and 1,000s of businesses in the country that do not comply with legislation either. And given the benefit it gives to the city I would rather see it in existence and not paying tax, than not existing because of an inability to comply with local business legislation (profitably, after the imposition of patent tax, profits tax, minimum tax, VAT, Khmer New Year Tax and whatever else the tax department deems fit);
- is it exploitive as regards its volunteers? Not if the volunteers are fully informed of what is expected of them and what is given to them in return. And remember that most of these volunteers will plaster the fact that they have done this 'volunteer work' in Cambodia all over their forthcoming CVs when applying for their jobs with Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. It's not exactly digging fields in the sun or nursing Ebola patients, so they can considerably profit too from the relatively easy and relaxed experience even after they leave the country.
I think you need to do a 180. How can I be the douche, when someone is running a lucrative business, yet won't pay people any wage, never mind a fair wage? He even puts a limit on dirt cheap alcohol! You are positively extolling selfish greed. It's you that's the douche. I cannot think of a single reason why a lucrative business can't pay it's workers.Miguelito wrote:I know you've been to the workaway page, but did you even bother to read the reviews left by volunteers? There are 25 reviews from volunteers - 23 are 4 stars (excellent), and 2 are 3 star (very good). Here's a quote from the 3 star post:
Your sarcasm for this is just showing that you're kind of a douche.Really enjoyed the atmosphere and met some really great people. The work was easy and the accommodation good. Really nice to have a kitchen as we love cooking. I can honestly say I've never seen so many movies in one month before. Awesome little cinemas that I would definitely recommend.
A few more quotes:
This was my first WorkAway experience and it totally surpassed my expectations. Ramon is awesome and I loved working here. My only regret is that I didn't stay longer.The job itself is so easy and enjoyable, after the first days training you know what to do. Having venues 2 and 3 in hostels means you talk to lots of travellers and in location 1 you meet a lot of ex pats, so it's a nice mix! If your travelling for a while I'd recommend it for you to just take some time to chill and have a break from always moving about, and if you have an interest in Phnom Penh it's a perfect opportunity to explore the city. Overall, I had a fantastic experience here, would highly recommend it and if I was ever there again I wouldn't hesitate to go back. 3 weeks was not long enough!IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!If you feel like coming to Cambodia and jump into some more than just being a tourist, this is the place to feel home, watch movies, have a private room in a flat (and sharing breakfast and some cooking as well) and feel like part of town... THIS IS YOUR PLACE!!!
You will be doing quite hours with a lot of time for reading, watching movies and getting to know everyone coming to the cinema (easy to become friends of guests)...
So yes, I DO RECOMMEND THE EXPERIENCE and Ramon the hosts is such a happy energetic human being... so GO!
It speaks volumes that guys like that have to run these "scams" in third world countries, exploiting naive students. Apart from students, nobody is dumb enough to work there, and first world countries would jail him.
The hand picked ( for gullibility, no doubt) exploited young students opinions don't matter. I'm sure some Bangladeshi garment factory workers may think they are getting a great deal, but I haven't heard anyone claim they aren't exploited.
RBD wrote:The Flicks cinemas have tangibly improved the quality of life for (mostly foreign) residents in PP by providing access to largely independent films that otherwise would not be shown here:
Oh please. This is the " Business forum". Not the " Bullshit forum"
I could maybe get The Flicks being a worthwhile cause for volunteers if they helped the locals. But they have targeted expats and tourists. It's a money grab.
- Lucky Lucan
- K440 Knight Captain
- Reactions: 761
- Posts: 22525
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 12:24 pm
- Location: The Pearl of the Orient
UKJ wrote: I think you need to do a 180. How can I be the douche, when someone is running a lucrative business, yet won't pay people any wage, never mind a fair wage? He even puts a limit on dirt cheap alcohol!
A tray of beer for $3? Maybe in the 19th century or something.UKJ wrote: Free drinks were limited to less than a tray of beer a day. What's that worth? $3 retail?
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
After I wrote that, I thought it was too much! Maybe PP has bigger trays than the ukLucky Lucan wrote:UKJ wrote: I think you need to do a 180. How can I be the douche, when someone is running a lucrative business, yet won't pay people any wage, never mind a fair wage? He even puts a limit on dirt cheap alcohol!A tray of beer for $3? Maybe in the 19th century or something.UKJ wrote: Free drinks were limited to less than a tray of beer a day. What's that worth? $3 retail?
I've solved it anyway, for my new business plan, seeing as Mig has educated me to the new standards of Concious Capitalism. I'll get the suckers to brew their own beer. In their own time obviously! , and I could sell them the brewing kit at a profit.
Flicks is based on a scam, steals intellectual property, exploits backpackers, dodges Cambodian taxes and could poison your karma for $65K.
-
- No Joke Howard is my Hero
- Reactions: 0
- Posts: 641
- Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:14 am
Has UKJ ever been to Cambodia or does he just live his life vicariously through this forum? His late night drunken bursts of outrage are entertaining though. They remind me of Lucky Lucan of old.
I know I'm unloveable. You don't have to tell me. I don't have much in my life, but take it - it's yours.
Aaaah - to repeat. Its a worthwhile cause for volunteers because they get to put it on their CV back home at minimum effort to themselves while here. It's got SFA to do with 'helping the locals'. And that, IS business.UKJ wrote:RBD wrote:The Flicks cinemas have tangibly improved the quality of life for (mostly foreign) residents in PP by providing access to largely independent films that otherwise would not be shown here:
Oh please. This is the " Business forum". Not the " Bullshit forum"
I could maybe get The Flicks being a worthwhile cause for volunteers if they helped the locals. But they have targeted expats and tourists. It's a money grab.
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
- 1 Replies
- 2120 Views
-
Last post by ricecakes
Thu Aug 05, 2021 3:14 pm
-
- 4 Replies
- 1761 Views
-
Last post by Thorix
Tue Feb 16, 2021 6:22 pm
-
- 23 Replies
- 4484 Views
-
Last post by Ibenthereto
Tue Sep 07, 2021 12:31 pm
-
- 0 Replies
- 2308 Views
-
Last post by dingens2019
Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:45 am
-
- 5 Replies
- 2392 Views
-
Last post by ajieajie02
Sun Jun 16, 2019 8:03 pm