[EricH]

Originally Posted by yarden.saa

I liked the store idea but it will be financial crysis to FIRST. because they would have to get more components tp the extra orders that not necessarily will be sold. This time they will not need to have extra part for (500 teams) it will be for (1900 teams)

Not necessarily.

Figure that there are about 300 rookies per year. That means 300 rookie KOPs with the full kit. Let's say that they order 500 compressors one year, 300 for the rookie KOPs, and 200 for the store. Get a few extra rookies? No problem, the store gets a few less. Got a few too few rookies? No problem, the store gets a few more.

Now, here's the fun part: Those 200 compressors will not all be sold in one year. Maybe only 50 sell. That leaves 150 compressors to be sold in following years--they don't have to buy as many compressors the next year if they don't want to. Maybe the store eventually winds up with 2500 compressors, which just so happens to equal the number of teams that year. Guess how many teams get a pleasant surprise when they open up their kits? Yep, 2500.

The really fun part: The more you buy, the lower the cost per unit, as a general rule. Buy a large roll of resistors, then buy a small packet of the same type of resistors. Price out the cost per resistor, and the roll will win out.

Plus, inflation happens, so if FIRST keeps the prices in the FRC store down to right around the cost when they got the last shipment of X item in, it ends up being a little bit cheaper for the teams.

Financial crisis? I doubt it. I would even bet that they could come out slightly ahead, if they were careful, which benefits all of us in the long run.