By Erica Johnson
Josh Bauer (Senior) brought out his iconic duffel bag for the first time at the end of his sophomore year. Now, almost two years later, administration has put an end to his iconic on-campus snack-selling business. This article reveals our in-depth interview with the PL snack man himself as he reflects on his career and plans for the future.
Everybody knows Josh. He was never empty handed, darting from building to building during lunch to sell snacks from his duffle bag. It became routine, but it was not easy.
“I do think what I did was something that many wouldn’t have done,” Josh says. “I carried a 40-50 pound duffle bag every day.”
He would restock his snacks from Smart & Final and Business Costco. His top sellers were Hot Cheetos, Munchies, Flamin’ Hot Funyuns, Lays, Freetos, Doritos, Nutty Buddies, and Gummy Worms. The variety and convenience made Josh an instant success with PL students. In just one month, he made $2,100.
In accordance with Adam Smith, with success came competition. Many freshman grassroot snack sellers emerged, but none rivaled Josh. These freshman sellers actually led to Josh’s demise. One of the freshman was caught. Ties to Josh were established. Once administration found out, they had to halt his selling due to state laws, which regulate the “competitive foods and beverages” sold on campus.
“Josh was a very ingenious entrepreneur,” Mr. Becker said, “but we need to follow California education code and district procedures.”
As for his future, Josh said that he will miss selling snacks because of the income it brought him.
Expanding on what he will miss the most, Josh noted “I’ve done it so long that it has just become something that I’ve done every day at school and I got to positively influence so many people’s days.”
He got that right. In fact, Josh is being hailed as a hero. Memes have been made (see below) comparing him to Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda.
After asking Josh about these comparisons, he said, “I think it’s kind of ironic and I’ve received so many messages from customers after posting what happened on Snapchat.”
He concluded the interview by acknowledging those who bought snacks from him.
“I’d just like to thank everyone who supported my ‘local business’,” Josh said, “and who bought snacks to support my savings for college.”
Josh, thank you for your service to the PL student community. Your snacks will be missed.
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