This year's cost for "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

[duaneiac]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/new-economy/2014/1201/12-Days-of-Christmas-gifts-cost-116K.-Geese-a-laying-prices-surge-74-percent

I'm not sure how they go about figuring the cost of the human gifts. I mean, the 12 drummers would make about $238 apiece at the rate listed. Is that a flat rate for the gig or some sort of union scale? The 11 pipers, for some reason, would make slightly more -- almost $240 apiece. The 9 ladies dancing would come home with $839 each. For that price one might expect some rather "exotic" dancing!

And how about the 8 maids a-milking? They would make what appears to be less than minimum wage! But are they paid on an hourly basis or on the basis of total volume of milk produced? Is the milk included in the estimated value of the gifts? Because that would be a bonus since a lot of folks advocate for drinking raw milk these days. And the milk would have to come from cows (or goats, I suppose), so how come they don't list the value on 8 head of cattle. Or do all the maids milk the same cow?

And $1,000 each for the stupid swans!?! Surely Costco or WalMart can beat that price.

[jazzbo]

I think the hardest thing would be those Lords a-leaping. First off, find Lords who can leap! Then try to compensate them reasonably and try to schedule them all together.