# Franchisers, the lowest of the low. (Long) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 20, 2022, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839 "2022-02-20T20:54:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/281 "2025-11-03T14:08:12Z")
A lot of people get sucked into it via pressure tactics and slick marketing from the franchisor. It reminds me of tactics used by the slimy MLM companies. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/282 "2025-11-03T14:11:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > As a general matter, you don’t get any learning until after you’ve signed away your life. And you also signed a non-compete to not start a separate business that’s in competition with your franchise. Very true, but one can get an idea of what’s needed by downloading the FDD here: > **[DFI Franchise Search](https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/FranchiseSearch/MainSearch.aspx)** Using the above, one can look up “Scoop Soldiers” which will take you here: > **[Filing - Details](https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/FranchiseSearch/details.aspx?id=639060&hash=951720025&search=external&type=GENERAL)** And at the very bottom is a “Download” button, which downloads the FDD into your downloads folder. One thing all FDD’s have is the table of contents to the operations manual (OM). You can find Scoop Soldier’s OM starting on page 71. While the entire OM is not replicated in the FDD, this outline can give the nascent business owner an _idea_ of what is important, how important it is (is it 1 page long or 22 pages long?), etc. Scoop Soldier’s OM is _heavy_ with military terminology - clients are called “Allies”, employees are given ranks - private, PFC, Sergeant, etc., which goes to my point above - many franchisors prey on the psychology of military veterans trying to find a footing in the ‘bookless’ civilian world. Anyway, if one wants, they can take this outline and spend a few months filling it out themselves for their own business. Hell, much of this stuff can be filled out by Chat GPT via careful prompting. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/283 "2025-11-03T14:12:56Z")
To be a little fair, the franchiser does national advertising and you get to use their branding. It probably does bring in business for some ventures. In this specific case you get the special spray but I don’t see what that even does. It’s a ridiculous business idea on the face of it in this instance. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/284 "2025-11-03T14:14:14Z")
No need to be fair about a franchisor which has sold almost 100 units of a $100k poop scooping franchise to retired military veterans. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/285 "2025-11-03T14:18:46Z")
True dat. It’s like anyone who is willing to pay for poop pickup probably already pays for a person to do yard maintenance and removing the poop is part of that job or you do your own gardening and it’s not much extra work to do the poop part plus a lot of poops happen during walks. I know my experience isn’t unique but I just don’t see the use case. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/286 "2025-11-03T14:25:00Z")
I just did some Googling and there is a competitor called Doody Calls that’s been around for eight years longer than Scoop Soldiers. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/287 "2025-11-03T17:53:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > As a general matter, you don’t get any learning until after you’ve signed away your life. And you also signed a non-compete to not start a separate business that’s in competition with your franchise. I probably lacked complete understanding, but I vaguely recall reading here on the Dope that SCOTUS had found non-compete agreements to be unenforceable. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/288 "2025-11-03T18:37:44Z")
RE: non-competes - it’s a bit of a sidetrack but that’s not exactly the case. Laws still vary by state from completely unrestricted to partially restricted to almost completely disallowed. Last year, the FTC put out a rule that would make nearly all (a few exceptions for senior executives) non-competes unenforceable. That decision was put on hold by court order, which the FTC appealed. With the change in administrations, that appeal itself has been dropped, so non-competes are still largely enforceable as we’re back to a patchwork of state laws. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/289 "2025-11-03T19:26:08Z")
Plus I’m guessing the non-competes that at-will employees without a contract are required to sign to get a job are a legal different category than franchisees, who are not employees, and are actually signing a contract. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/290 "2025-11-03T19:29:53Z")
Also non-competes are a different thing than trade secrets under NDAs. You may be able to compete but you can’t use certain information. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/291 "2025-11-03T19:53:36Z")
Especially when dealing with Zuper Zecret Zcoop Zoldiers Zhit Zcooping! ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/292 "2025-11-03T20:28:52Z")
I’m guessing anybody who has served in the military (or corporate America) is quite well versed in shoveling shit! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/293 "2025-11-03T23:32:04Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s like anyone who is willing to pay for poop pickup probably already pays for a person to do yard maintenance and removing the poop is part of that job or you do your own gardening and it’s not much extra work to do the poop part plus a lot of poops happen during walks. I have a side yard with artificial grass, so of course I don’t have anyone doing maintenance there. Our dog goes out there and poops. There is so much poop and it’s nasty, exhausting work. If somebody was willing to do it for less than $25 on occasion I’d pay that. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/294 "2025-11-03T23:38:49Z")
You should look into it. I just Googled and the place near me (Poop Patrol) and it’s $18/week (after paying a $60 one time initial fee) and that’s Santa Barbara prices. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/295 "2025-11-03T23:40:10Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > You should look into it. I just might. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/296 "2025-11-04T00:31:27Z")
Not to be mean, but how hard is it pick up once per day with a poop scoop? Every morning I go out and pick up the couple of piles. Clean yard that the dog(s) and kid(s) can play in without stepping in crap and tracking in. Takes me no more than 3 minutes per morning. I couldn’t imagine letting it build up for more than a couple of days. 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/297 "2025-11-04T00:41:44Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > Not to be mean, but how hard is it pick up once per day with a poop scoop? My friend used to pay her kids for scooped poop by weight. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/298 "2025-11-04T01:23:38Z")
Wha? Did they install a special poop scale? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/299 "2025-11-04T01:56:59Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > Not to be mean, but how hard is it pick up once per day with a poop scoop? When it’s raining, when my back is so bad I can barely move, etc. Pretty fucking hard. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839/300 "2025-11-04T02:00:05Z")
Sorry, didn’t know you had physical difficulties. As I said, not trying to be mean. For me, it is the easiest daily chore timewise and physically. Now I can see the need for this service. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franchisers-the-lowest-of-the-low-long/959839.md?page=16)