Zach & Whitney 8: #ad, #sponsored & Whit Finds the Time!

[Melissa1977]

7 hours ago, GracieLou Free Duggar said:

Training him early--Zach has a silly belt holster--I know they didn't have cellphones at this time, but I feel like it's a placeholder

If Zach is 30 and was 10 at the picture, yes there were cellphones then. Of course he hadn't a cellphone himself, but he could have  a toy one, or just the belt to feel like an adult. All fundie men wore those...

[rebeccawriter01]

On 2/11/2023 at 5:00 PM, JermajestyDuggar said:

The only reason why that boutique is doing well is because the Bateses had a reality show. If there was never a Bates show on TLC or UP, Zach and Whitney would be working class. Just like millions of other families. 

I agree that is the reason the boutique stays afloat. They present it as successful but we don't really know other than apparently everyone can work there. However, there are a few factors that make me question how well it actually does long term and if it is sustainable.

1. Their friends and family days that they open the shop seem overrun by fans who want to meet them and the other Bates. However, are these people buying anything or just looking and experiencing? This customer base is reliant on excess income, which brings me to #2...

2. What's the plan for an economic downturn? Recession? A conflict with China that disrupts supply chain? When money is tight, adults tend to buy fewer clothes and make due with what they have for another season. You buy kids' clothes because they outgrow things, but that new dress for church is going to wait. 

3. They seem to have a lot of overstock and returns when they do their sale days. Looks like they haven't mastered buying yet. They are doing okay with it, but again if things get wonky they could find themselves in trouble. Inventory taxes aren't a thing in Tennessee? But there are always hidden and not so hidden costs of having a large inventory.

It is scary (for me who is conservative with money but not socially) that you have two sets of couples relying on the income for their livelihood. I would want to diversify a family income more, but it is not my life. Yes, they have their influencing, but that too could tank should we have another recession. We've never had an economic downturn since social media influencing became a thing. How well will shilling $150 a month hair treatments do when your influence base is out of work or worried about rent?

The husbands have career options, but Zach's is a bit less possible the older and more out of shape he gets (as we all do). Zach has lived through his parents' self-inflicted lean years more than Carlin did. I am sure he will figure it out. When he quit being a deputy, he claimed he was going back into tree work with Gil. He could always lean heavier into that, I guess.

[HereticHick]

I find it really troubling that these 2 expanding families are dependent on an online business that sell low grade made-in-China fast fashion and provides no health or retirement benefits. We don't even know if they are making a profit. We don't know if either or both families are living within their means. Unexpected medical debt could ruin them.

Sure they have a fan base, but with every passing day, the memory of the Bates as C-list tv stars fades.

As Whitney's kids get older & need more homeschooling "supervision", I think she's going to find it harder and harder to devote as many hours to the boutique. And if Carlin gets pregnant again and/or continues to have health problems, will she be able to continue to do as much work? I guess they could recruit some younger Bates ladies into the boutique workforce--like Lydia, or Addallee. Hiring a non-family member would be meaning expanding the payroll.

Its not as if online clothing boutiques never go out of business.  Bates women used to shill "modest" dresses just a few years ago from "Citrus and Lemon" and that seems to have gone under.

 

[gobucks]

9 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

Unexpected medical debt could ruin them

 

This is true of almost all lower and middle class Americans. 

[SassyPants]

There are many elements of their lifestyles that leave me scratching my head. The non- stop consumption of things: homes, matching clothing; remodels, cars, travel and restaurant meals, but more importantly, the lack of tenacity/stick-to-it that runs strong with most of these folks in regards to work. How long are the Stewarts going to be hanging out/vacationing/helping in NJ? Are they working during this time? These folks are all young which has both good and bad associated. Good, because there’s time for them to rebound and have long term, successful careers, and bad because although they are seemingly successful and secure now, that can dissolve as time moves forward and the Bates star fades.

I don’t think the G-2 Bateses or Duggars have had decent parental role models when it comes to working long and hard in order to support ever growing families. The Balkas, Smiths (thanks to Balka), Websters and Dillards might be the most secure. I do not know much about the Clarks, so will not comment on them.  Austin hustles, but the economy could be his foe, especially if his business/$$$ sense is limited (not saying it is, but it could be). The Vuolos are also in a very precarious position as the live in a high COLA and like the finer things in life.

It is interesting to watch from afar.

[CanadianMamam]

15 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

If Zach is 30 and was 10 at the picture, yes there were cellphones then. Of course he hadn't a cellphone himself, but he could have  a toy one, or just the belt to feel like an adult. All fundie men wore those...

The picture was taken in 1997, cellphones were around but super common yet. I kind of thing it looks like a fanny pack that is just twisted to the side. Fanny packs were super common then.

[Bobology]

Zach's belt festoonment could also be one of those Leatherman (or off-shoot) multi-tools.

[ifosterkittens]

On 2/13/2023 at 10:55 AM, rebeccawriter01 said:

2. What's the plan for an economic downturn? Recession? A conflict with China that disrupts supply chain? When money is tight, adults tend to buy fewer clothes and make due with what they have for another season. You buy kids' clothes because they outgrow things, but that new dress for church is going to wait. 

I doubt they have planned for that. Their business works for now, and they've learned some stuff through trial and error (as all business owners do), but I highly doubt there is an in case of recession/economic downturn plan. 

[dawn9476]

I totally called that once they finished the renovations and settled into that new house, they would have baby number 5 this year. As soon as they finished all the work  that needed to be done, they probably started trying.

Edited February 16, 2023 by dawn9476

[CanadianMamam]

I just realized that I less someone else is secretly pregnant and due before late August, Whitney will deliver both the 1st and 25th Bates grandbaby. That is a little bonkers. 

[EmiSue]

Apparently they're announcing the sex of the baby tomorrow. That probably means the name too. I'm always curious what people name their kids and why, but the sex of a fifth baby in a family that already has 2 and 2 isn't keeping me on the edge of my seat.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Like always, I hope it’s a boy. The Bateses have so many granddaughters. I feel bad for them. Especially the 4 Webster girls.

[CanadianMamam]

I feel boy but the Bates have yet to have more than a single boy grandchild I. The same calendar year and are currently 4 to 1 in favor of girls, so current logic says girl.

[Cupcake79]

On 2/13/2023 at 10:35 PM, gobucks said:

This is true of almost all lower and middle class Americans. 

As a European I have troubles understanding this. If you have insurance, which I would assume most middle class Americans have, isn’t it suppose to cover medical costs? Isn’t that the idea of an insurance? E.g. if our house would burn down our insurance would cover most of the value of the house. As our health system works in a totally different way I can’t really grasp that illness could be a financial disaster. That would not happen here.

[JermajestyDuggar]

26 minutes ago, Cupcake79 said:

As a European I have troubles understanding this. If you have insurance, which I would assume most middle class Americans have, isn’t it suppose to cover medical costs? Isn’t that the idea of an insurance? E.g. if our house would burn down our insurance would cover most of the value of the house. As our health system works in a totally different way I can’t really grasp that illness could be a financial disaster. That would not happen here.

I’m no insurance expert so I bet there are others who can explain this so much better. The US health care and insurance system is completely fucked. Basically if you have a very low income with kids, you could qualify for Medicaid. Which covers everything but only some places will take it. So most hospitals will take it but maybe some private practice places won’t. Same for insurance. Some places won’t take your insurance so you have to be careful. And even if you have insurance, not everything is covered. Like when it comes to birth. You will still have to pay some money for your birth. Especially if it was a long nicu stay with complications. What happens so often is that people just can’t pay. So they don’t. There are so many Americans who work but don’t have insurance. If you are in the military, basically everything for you and your family is covered. Honestly that’s how the US system should work in my opinion. Everyone should have free coverage. It shouldn’t be tied to your job. And you shouldn’t only qualify if you’re very poor, in the military, or elderly. Everyone should qualify in my opinion.

[front hugs > duggs]

I have decent insurance and still had to pay about $1200 for a hysteroscopy recently because even though I pay for my insurance things are only at best 80% covered. 

[gobucks]

A lot of insurance requires you to pay $5,000 or more as your "deductible". So even though you have insurance, it doesn't cover anything until you pay $5,000 out of your own money towards medical bills before they cover things. A surgery may cost $50,000 and you pay that $5,000 and then they might cover 80% after that. So, a involved surgery could be $14,000 after your deductible and your 20%. A monthlong NICU stay can be $250,000. That would be $54,000 out of your own pocket after your insurance. In my area, for comparison, $250,000 will buy you a 3 bedroom house. A lot of middle class folks are 1 major illness away from bankruptcy! There are a lot of gofundme and fundraising for people going through expensive cancer treatments and all of that. It is so sad. 

 

It can get super "fun" too when a doctor will charge you for, say, an ultrasound. They will charge you $100 or whatever number. The facility will then ALSO charge you for the ultrasound. So, not only do you have to pay for the tech to run the test, the doctor to read the results, you also get to pay the facility for the use of the ultrasound machine. 

Edited March 25, 2023 by gobucks

[JDuggs]

A divorced friend of mine had an $8,000 annual deductible. She had a hospitalization in December and then a follow up surgical procedure in January.  Because of that timing, she owed $16,000 right off the bat.

[front hugs > duggs]

26 minutes ago, gobucks said:

t can get super "fun" too when a doctor will charge you for, say, an ultrasound. They will charge you $100 or whatever number. The facility will then ALSO charge you for the ultrasound. So, not only do you have to pay for the tech to run the test, the doctor to read the results, you also get to pay the facility for the use of the ultrasound machine. 

Exactly this. For my hysteroscopy, I had to pay a fee to the doctor, a fee to the surgery center, and a fee to the anesthesiologist. All to make sure my cyst was non cancerous (it wasn’t, thank God). 
 

[fluffernutter]

And then kicker is you have this deductible, and yet you are still PAYING MONTHLY for your insurance! At one point our insurance cost us $1700 a month. It was almost double our mortgage, which at the time was $960. You're essentially paying for a product (insurance) that isn't doing jack for you. It's so outrageous. (Our insurance was that high for maybe five years- it was when my husband was working for a very small company, around five employees. Now it's an affordable! 🙄 $800 a month because he works at a much larger company, but has a higher deductible per person).

[BullyJBG]

It's a girl. One of the daughters wants to name her Whitney after mom. Interesting. They don't post as much as the others, and I guess with all the confusing stuff with her family/families, she got tired of blocking/deleting questions. It seems it's just posts on their own family together and promotion of the boutique.

[just_ordinary]

Sounds like the deductibles we have with car insurance sometimes (you can go for a covers all option- crazy expensive though).

From my point of you - you get ripped off. There is one thing to pay fees for tests or procedures that aren’t medically necessary (as far as your doctors are concerned). But paying for a NICU stay? What exactly is the alternative? I sometimes wonder why not more people leave the US? I mean, even most companies with international branches have no problem with government regulated benefits in other countries but deny the same standards their US workers.

[gobucks]

6 minutes ago, just_ordinary said:

Sounds like the deductibles we have with car insurance sometimes (you can go for a covers all option- crazy expensive though).

From my point of you - you get ripped off. There is one thing to pay fees for tests or procedures that aren’t medically necessary (as far as your doctors are concerned). But paying for a NICU stay? What exactly is the alternative? I sometimes wonder why not more people leave the US? I mean, even most companies with international branches have no problem with government regulated benefits in other countries but deny the same standards their US workers.

The doctor will prescribe a medication, then the insurance company will message you and say they prefer a different medication. The insurance denied something my special needs' kiddo needed that several doctors and therapists agreed was needed! It is infuriating! Obviously, lots of us stay here for our extended families and friends. 

[CanadianMamam]

So the one boy pattern a year holds (unless Trace and Lydia breaks it). At this point I am fascinated by how many more girls there are than girls. 

[Keys]

My American friend sent me a screen shot of her medical bill from a recent ER visit. The breakdown showed that a CBC (complete blood count) costed over $200. And I was bewildered because I am a Canadian healthcare worker, and know that here, a CBC costs the taxpayer system $10! There is no possible way it could cost that much. Seemed like they just pulled ridiculous prices out of their asses because insurance/the patient was paying for it anyways. What a horrible system. I strongly feel that healthcare is a right, not a privilege.