all right, hold the phone. in any store, in any mall, or by itself, there's a back room for employees only. customers don't go there. employees go there and they have meetings, and they discuss business plans and other stuff that customers are not privy to. (they eat their lunch there and whatnot, as well, but obiviously that doesn't apply here.) they discuss policies and sales and advertising etc etc. are you gonna have a spazz now that stores have secret meetings in back rooms? you know what they're plotting in there? how to sell you stuff. you wanna run in and bust 'em? so that's what the big secrety mystery forum is for: the employee back room. if something gets screwed up in the store, the vendors run there and yell and jump up and down for somebody to fix it before we all embarass ourselves and make the customers wonder if we're a buncha incompetent goons running things, here. you know how customers get upset over the least little detail going wrong. perception of quality, etc etc etc. so far, i havent seen a big conspiracy to put subliminal messages in the forums to make you buy more stuff. or any bill-gate-like plans to force you to pay for stuff even if you don't buy it. honestly, people, store goings-on are really rather boring, and why do you wanna be bothered with it, anyway? now as for this guild idea.... i did have an idea that the commercial poser artists (at least the independent ones, if not all of 'em) should band together in some kinda group who could pool resources like lawyers and accountants whatnot, should any of the group need them. which would probably mean the membership would be a paying one, which has its own problems. but i take it, mehndi, that your group doesnt have any plans for anything like that.