Your second paragraph crushed my heart. I feel for you, so much. Here, take a virtual hug { }
This is an argument that’s never worked for me. I don’t use the self-checkout, but I do know the differences between Wal-Mart and the higher end grocery store in my area - the higher end one has enough cashiers (though it also has self-checkouts), has separate baggers, has much better carts, and has higher prices.
You want the cheap prices, then you get janky carts and fewer cashiers. People vote with their wallets and enough of them vote for the lowest possibly price, despite inferior service, because that’s what they want. People have priorities, and price has always been a major one. You are getting cheaper prices for checking out your own groceries. Now, if that’s not what you want, that’s perfectly fine, but the you (not you specifically, but folks in general) aren’t being victimized by it - you are getting something in exchange.
It’s same thing, to a degree, with airlines - if the majority of people were willing to pay enough more for better/roomier seats, then they’d fit planes with more better seats. Sucks when you are part of the smaller group and there’s not enough money in a business supporting your desires, but to some degree that’s part of being part of larger society (wants/desires of the largest body being more likely to be catered to). As much as I miss the caramel (rather than chocolate) sundae cones or my favorite brand of frozen pizzas, I acknowledge that not enough people liked them for it to be worth the opportunity cost v. more popular products.
Replying to my own post to add
Perhaps also kind of like when people moved to getting their own groceries instead of having an employee go get everything and bring it to them (though that got a big resurgence with the pandemic) - less service for less cost is a tradeoff many are willing to make (almost everyone, to some degree or another, since you don’t pay a couple full-time employees to wait on you at all times), even if they aren’t poor or desperate.
Somewhat related to this discussion is something that has always fascinated me - it seems to me that the entire media economy is kept alive through advertising dollars. There is just so much money sloshing around paying for ads to make a Facebook/Meta or a Google/Alphabet or Twitter/X astronomically wealthy. Sure, there is some subscription income in many corners, but that’s not where the real money is. It really makes one realize that every time I pay a dollar for a product, some significant percentage of my dollar is being directed back into advertising. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone took just a tiny step back? I’m sure McDonalds and Budwiser and Ford would still sell as much if they cut back their advertising budget by, oh I don’t know, 3%? Maybe passed that savings on to consumers? And the media economy would still be astronomically wealthy. It seems that there is just this absolute mania involved.
I know, I know, I’m a knucklehead.
You’re trying to sell me a Spice Weasel, aren’t you? BAM!
I would say that the people who use cheaply priced grocery stores probably do it because they can’t afford anything else, in which case it’s just yet another way people are punished for being poor. Your argument, if anything, makes me more convinced that lasseiaz faire capitalism is a fundamentally unjust system. Walmart can certainly afford better carts. They just choose to line their shareholders’ pockets instead of providing a better customer experience. They can get away with it because their patrons have no other choice. People gotta eat.
Walmart has turned off their air conditioning (and ceiling fans). It was about 85 degrees in there the other day. I’m never going back in there.
Oh thank you. That’s very kind.
I just thought I’d distill the argument to these two quotes.
I don’t mind paying more for groceries. But there’s only one grocery store in my neighbourhood, and there’s no physical space for a competitor.
I can, to some extent, vote with my wallet and my feet, but not only am I stuck with what we have, I have no effective way to communicate to the business what I’m willing to pay more for, because they only have one measure: price. Maybe we, collectively, would pay 1% more for a better in-store experience. But they’ll never consider that, because they’re already in a cutthroat model to keep the prices as low as possible while still making profits, which means cutting corners wherever possible (with the possible exception of the salaries and perks at the top).
I prefer self check-out, myself, and oddly it works best at the absolute cheapest grocery a few miles down the road. The regular grocery stores close them at night, which seems to defeat their purpose.
As a subscriber (free!) let me say that I appreciate your channel and your restraint.
If it weren’t for the plastic bags I’d have my groceries delivered. But we don’t exactly scrimp in the grocery department. Due to two household members with special dietary needs, our bills are outrageous.
At a certain point, though, it’s like saying the reason I pay $120/month for Comcast internet is because “that’s what people are willing to pay.” No that’s literally the only internet servicer in my area. Either I pay their ridiculous price or I don’t get internet at all.
It’s an argument that I’ve never understood, even though I’ve seen it fairly often, because I don’t know where it’s written (on stone tablets somewhere?) what is properly my job and what must be someone else’s. If I go up and down the aisles putting my own groceries in the cart, am I doing the grocer’s job for him? I’ve shopped at stores where I’m expected to bag my own groceries and stores where the cashier or a specialized bagger does it, and either way, I shrug and say, “Eh, whatever—that’s the way they do things here,” and don’t worry about it.
When fast food places started leaving their soft drink dispensers in the lobby and giving you an empty cup instead of dispensing it for you behind the counter, were they going against nature and forcing you to do their work for them?
What about all the poor out-of-work elevator operators, now that we’re forced to do their work for them and operate the elevator ourselves?
And am I really expected to dress myself and drive myself? Shouldn’t that be the work of my valet and my chauffeur?
All these things are describing viral memes that form and spread organically among social media users not some top-down corporate plan to opress you. Do you also think it is The System trying to bend your will when you see an angry woman pointing at a disgusted cat?
I thought this was apropos. Yeah I’m pissed about it.
They already jacked up the price of Prime this year.
Well, that explains the ad I saw on Prime Video last night.
So far, it’s only been before watching my selected show, not interrupting it within the show.
Yes, corporations try to maximize revenue. This isn’t a new thing.
So far, I gain more over the course of a year with an Amazon membership than if I didn’t have it. Not happy about the ad thing, but not surprised either.
Oh, and clearly, the current base membership is the “lower tier with ads”. The premium prime is, well, the premium no-ad thing.
So far all I’ve seen is ads for “Thursday Night Football” which I’m slightly less interested in than a root canal. Professional sports are just not my thing.
Paramount+ did this. I’m sure they are all about to do it. Prime may be the only service that does survive because of the frequency with which I use the service. My Netflix subscription is already ridiculously high. If they add ads, I’m done. At some point people are going to get over their FOMO and start cutting streaming costs in a big way. The amount of money these services are charging is outrageous. I’m not paying $17 a month just to watch Stranger Things.
My math might be a little different from some, in that I use Netflix and Amazon video almost every day so for me keeping those makes some sense. I’m not adding any more. If my sister didn’t keep me on her Disney+ I doubt I’d be watching that one.
Absolutely gospel, and there’s nothing wrong with profiting from one’s efforts. My only real gripe is when a corp is deciding between having more than enough profit, and getting under my nose every minute of every day to squeeze just a few more painless pennies from me (and half a billion other people), they inevitably choose to impose. And I’m not saying it’s wrong, per se. It’s just a matter of opinion whether being treated as a gold mine to be violated and plundered and cast aside is acceptable or not. Doesn’t sit well with me, some folks think it’s just part of living. Whatevs.
Thank you! I am in the very fortunate position of not having to desperately saturate every little aspect of it with monetisation (largely because I ran the channel as a hobby on the side of my day job, until it got to the point where it was big enough to become my day job).
Interestingly, YouTube has just removed creator control of the type and number of pre-roll and post-roll ads ‘so creators don’t need to worry about it’ (subtext: so we can maximise it). They have not yet made midroll ads mandatory but I can see that coming one day soon.
It bugs me.
Sometimes, I find it kind of funny though.
I search on a lot or weird stuff on the net because of the SDMB. Takes me all over the place.
I’ll get adds for things like “Buy a Used Ford Model T”. Nah. I’m looking for a new one.