Bloodco

Blood drives irritate me. They are so inconvenient. If you work, you cannot go to donate without taking time off. If you suddenly feel like you have too much blood, you can never find anyone to take it from you on short notice. The Red Cross gets away with this because they have a monopoly on blood and if they are inefficient, they can just raise prices and make a big stink in the papers about how badly they need blood.

I propose an entity which would compete with the Red Cross for blood donation. Alternatively, they could procure blood and sell it to the Red Cross. Bloodco would rent space in big malls and run blood donation during all mall hours. If you felt guilty after a day at your desk and wanted to help the world, you could go to the mall and donate right then. Better: nonshoppers accompanying spouses to the mall could go donate blood to pass the time. Best: mall stores could give coupons, movie tickets, etc to donors, who would then remain in the mall, feeling good and a little giddy, and spend their money. There would be plaques on the wall honoring all time big donors. There would be glossy posters of the accident victims and little kids who are being helped by your blood; these would gaze down gratefully at the donors in their lounge chairs. You could opt for donation in the back, shielded by a curtain, or in front so you could smugly watch the passers by, knowing that you are a doer of good.

Bloodco could make extra dough by offering stat cholesterol tests or other similar labs - you already are getting the blood drawn, so why not find out what your PSA is at the same time? By the time you had been bled, the lab tests would be ready.