|
Re: Proposal: A New Way to Run FIRST Choice
In my mind the solution to making this process both fair and orderly seems obvious. There is only one aspect missing, and the solution does not require drafts or algorithms or ranking or limits. It is the same system used by the entire commercial and retail world every day, and it works very well: Pricing. Pricing which matches value.
Who understands the logic of all items having roughly the same price regardless of their real value? A flat ribbon cable has the same price as a laptop computer? Huh? Obviously insane. A yet this is how FIRST Choice was set up. This situation simply invites teams to overwhelm the system in a panic rush to hoard high-value items. Why would you not gobble up all the high-value items when it costs you no more? It should be expected. There is no normal law of supply and demand because there is nothing to make you consider how much to spend on each item.
The inventory of high value items would last much longer, perhaps even to every team that wanted them, if their price was related to their value. If credit prices were related to value, every team's 100 credits would buy approximately the same total value of parts, and every team would end up with an equivalent KOP comprised of the items they chose to spend them on. If credit prices were properly assigned, all supplies could potentially last until every team had there chance for them, with no mad rush to see who could get there first. High value items would remain available, and low value items would be bought up instead of being left virtually untouched. Every retail operation functions this way. Value is reflected in price, price regulates demand, demand matches supply. It is not a problem when a store has 400 of an item in a town with a population of 2800. They simply price it accordingly so that the supply matches the demand at that price. If properly balanced the entire inventory could be distributed AND every team could end up largely with what they choose.
I already used this analogy in another post: Imagine a store where 2800 customers standing outside are each given $100 to spend, and everything in the store is $10. The ones who make it through the doors first and can run the fastest get 10 flat-screen TVs. The ones who were behind 2800 others trying to get through the doors 1 minute later get 10 pairs of socks. Most of the 2800 are frustrated and disappointed with what they got. Exactly what you would expect to happen. And yet real stores operate every day without any of this happening. The reason is PRICE matching VALUE. Merchandise is available to everyone no matter when they get there, and everyone is able to choose what they want, because the prices regulate the demand.
What am I missing?
__________________
Last edited by jspatz1 : 11-12-2012 at 20:34.
|