With the economic recession and the end of Wall Street, many things have changed in this world – there are less people working than at any other time since the Great Depression, and there is a lot more unemployment. Nowadays, people are moving towards craftsmanship as opposed to mass production, which means that people can now start making their own furniture. Who makes highland dunes furniture ? It’s never anyone from the big corporations, like IKEA. It’s really under the radar, because this industry tends to get “nerded” out and underground – mainly due to its expensive process to produce it.
On top of that, highland dunes furniture is very hard to produce due to the sand itself. The booms have very large amounts of sand on them, making them heavy and difficult to move around. The only way a boom can fit into a truck is if they use hydraulics and large steering wheels, a feat that takes lots of time and money.
9 Reasons You Can Blame the Recession on Who Makes Furniture :
1. No Worker Rights:
Although workers’ rights are lacking in a lot of companies, the boom operators have little regard for safety. The wetting and drying cycles make it almost impossible to keep things clean, and prevent them from getting the kind of attention they need. In order to protect themselves from the side effects of being next to wet sand, they often opt for protective clothing and masks.
2. An Unstable Industry:
Although there is a shift towards craftsmanship in furniture making, there isn’t much stability in this industry. The boom operators do very well during the summer, and still have to work during the winter. However, they are not given proper compensation for the time they spend making their products.
3. Unfair Competition:
With a newfound interest in DIY furniture, commercial companies, such as Ikea and Walmart have tried their hand at producing it – however even with their large volume production systems in place, they can’t beat out the highland dunes furniture makers. Walmart probably has more money than any other company on Earth right now, but they can’t figure out how to make a boom that is comparable to those of highland dunes furniture makers.
4. Cheap Labor:
The boom operators, who often come to the boom area because they have little money to work with, are forced to work for less than other companies. The boom operators of the highland dunes industry get a small wage that pays for everything needed each year – such as rent, a place to live and food. They have very little time to enjoy life and focus on their own success. On top of that, they often use their time to make furniture pieces because they can do it much cheaper by hand instead of using machines or doing it in a factory setting.
5. No Occupational Safety:
Although there are a lot of lawsuits and complaints against companies that have been accused of unsafe practices, there aren’t as many against the boom operators. The reason for this is because there isn’t any compensation for any injuries caused if the operator is injured or killed during the days that they are working – and sometimes those deaths are caused by the boom itself falling on them. Even though this is such a big problem, there hasn’t been much reached in terms of remedy.
6. Quickly Exploding Booms:
One of the biggest issues with the boom operators is that they tend to produce a boom every single season. This usually costs money, because all of the extra sand that is knocked out of the sand. This can lead the operator to spend money on expanding the sand so that it stays dry – or they might just be forced to hire more people to help them. Either way it just costs them extra money and they are in debt.
7. Lack of Funding:
The highland dunes industry has no funding – whether it’s from big companies who want some products or from local businesses who want someone who can make their product for them. This means that they have to accept any jobs they show up to – even though they have to rent a truck and pay for the sand-even if that job is not profitable.
8. Risky Job:
The operators are going into what is possibly one of the most risky jobs around. They know that there is a possibility that their boom could fall on them, or that their highland dune product could be stolen from them by someone else who wants to sell it for a higher price.
The operators risk a lot when they go into their boom field and spend half of the day making things. If their products aren’t worth the money they make, they will still have lost their job, because they will have to pay rent and buy the bulk materials that are needed each year.
9. Lazy Boomers:
The operators are often called lazy boomers because they seem to take it upon themselves to do everything from start to finish – from moving sand, to chopping wood, drilling holes and finally selling it on Amazon for high prices. They also have little regard for the area where their products are made – which is basically next to a wet sand pit or in completely close quarters with other people’s equipment.
