Consumerism

[fahoumh]

So for you guys, does full price equate to over-priced? Or does full price mean the average, non-special retail price?

In most cases, yes...but there are some things where the regular price is a good deal. My girlfriend thinks I'm cheap but I consider myself to be an economist. Plus, I work too damn hard for my money to just toss it away.

Full or retail pricing is over-priced. I've worked in retail before so I know a little about markup and it bothers me to pay it. Plus being an avid internet shopper, you can always find something cheaper online if you're willing to wait a little longer for shipping.

I've worked in a retail for most of my life and it's kind of driven me crazy with information. Like when I see HDMI cables for $70 I know it's a rip-off because I know the store's cost is like $7. The internet has really opened up the retail world for anyone who's willing to do a little work for potentially huge savings.

I see.

When I buy, the biggest moral issue I encounter within myself is whether I feel right about using a brick&motar shop as a showroom/live-demo for a product before buying through the internet. I've also worked in retail and while I understand that there's a good % mark-up for an item, the shop is should also be adding value for that via customer service, warranty assistance, live demos and timely purchases/convenience. It's fair to say that the survival between the retail and internet model should be decided by the revenue customers generate for them.. but I feel like I've taken unfair advantage of a shop if I used their assistance to make a third party purchase online.

I'm supportive of the "survival of the fittest" idea, but the above behaviour seems to compromise that.

I have that same moral issue. I feel bad going into stores just to try stuff out, fully knowing there's no way I'm paying retail for that item when I can order it online for a lot cheaper. So I read online reviews and talk to buddies for advice instead.

With Best Buy going the way of the dodo, I wonder how brick&mortar stores will compete in the future. Taxing Amazon purchases is one way to even the playing field, but not really. Maybe if they reduced taxes on in-store purchases, that would help. For now, storefronts will survive only because people aren't computer literate enough to shop online, and some outright don't trust online shopping as safe and secure.

We should move these last few posts to another thread, though I'm not sure which one.

I still like brick-and-mortar stores for the human interaction (assuming I get some decent customer service, which seems to be mostly dead here in Canada) and for the ease of returning something I don't like, is broken, etc...