Yes, prices seem random many times, and people can struggle to make ends meet. Yet, price gouging in many contexts has created bloated costs. And this gouging is due to greed. Indeed, some products are still relatively inexpensive (e.g., bananas, pasta, a used Chromebook sold by a fair-minded person), but "what the market will bear" does drive choices about pricing. Do we have to spend so much to get what we want? Unfortunately, yes, although a bit of research can make for smarter consumers. But do we have the time and/or energy to be critical thinkers? I suppose that part of that depends on the importance of the product or service a person wants to purchase and how much money they have. Additionally, people need to realize that price-setters are aided by political policies. So do people apply this cost-benefit equation when they vote? Unfortunately, in large numbers, they don't. If they did, they wouldn't be ignoring aspects like the Republicans' trying to push trickle-down economics again--which has been shown to not work and has been roundly ripped into by most economists. Yet, once more we come back to greed--and most people don't benefit when the rich get major tax breaks.
It costs $25 for a soda and popcorn at the movie theater near us. My son told me his friend taped candy to his back with scotch tape to sneak it in. I fully support that.
I had been thinking similarly, but could not put it into words the way you did. Thank you! My wife and I play a game called “Guess how much this costs?” The results are completely random, which adds to the amusement.
Yes, prices seem random many times, and people can struggle to make ends meet. Yet, price gouging in many contexts has created bloated costs. And this gouging is due to greed. Indeed, some products are still relatively inexpensive (e.g., bananas, pasta, a used Chromebook sold by a fair-minded person), but "what the market will bear" does drive choices about pricing. Do we have to spend so much to get what we want? Unfortunately, yes, although a bit of research can make for smarter consumers. But do we have the time and/or energy to be critical thinkers? I suppose that part of that depends on the importance of the product or service a person wants to purchase and how much money they have. Additionally, people need to realize that price-setters are aided by political policies. So do people apply this cost-benefit equation when they vote? Unfortunately, in large numbers, they don't. If they did, they wouldn't be ignoring aspects like the Republicans' trying to push trickle-down economics again--which has been shown to not work and has been roundly ripped into by most economists. Yet, once more we come back to greed--and most people don't benefit when the rich get major tax breaks.
It costs $25 for a soda and popcorn at the movie theater near us. My son told me his friend taped candy to his back with scotch tape to sneak it in. I fully support that.
The evolution of this substack strongly suggests that we are about three or four posts away from the old man yells at cloud meme.
You see this quarter? It used to be a nickel.
I had been thinking similarly, but could not put it into words the way you did. Thank you! My wife and I play a game called “Guess how much this costs?” The results are completely random, which adds to the amusement.