I think moreso about something I read a long time ago (perhaps in The Cynic’s Dictionary), which referred to PR as persuading people they would like something they otherwise wouldn’t, or that was inferior but convenient. Such as persuading folk that a FF burger was any substitute for what could be made at home. Or that attending community “food fests” - eating overpriced food in a crowed parking lot - was enjoyment. People don’t have to go through the effort of deciding what they really wan/want to do - when PR tells them. They can just go to the food fest, eat an overpriced mediore burger, and convince themselves that they are having fun, because they were told it was fun.
Yeah - expressed poorly and not universally applicable. But a kernel of it stuck with me.
I try to go the opposite way and remember the XKCD “Stop having fun!” strip where a guy tries to convince a group of people playing Rock Band that they can’t possibly actually be enjoying it due to all the “flaws” he’s pointing out.
Excuse my nosiness and I don’t recall, but do you live in a big city with public transportation or maybe in the Alaskan/Canada bush and travel by boat plane or skidoo? Maybe you’re on two wheels?
Neither I’m afraid, I live in a large city in SW Ontario, halfway between Toronto, where I started out, and Detroit.
I live in the urban core, a few blocks from city hall. Most of my life I could walk, ride a bike or catch a short cab to my employment. Don’t forget we live in a world where EVERYBODY has a car and is driving around. Pretty easy to catch a lift. There is a public bus system, but beyond the university it’s not that great. There is great bus and train access to Toronto, 2.5hrs, 4-5 trains a day. There actually are people who commute!
And once I was with my husband, he always had a car. Alas, he cannot drive now and we are carless. Fortunately it doesn’t freak me out.
Never been to Costco (none near here)
Never been to Sam’s Club (nearest is about 150 miles away)
Never been to IKEA (none near here, but I buy IKEA furniture online when I can score free shipping and love the stuff)
Never been overseas or on a cruise
Never been to a concert (outside of high school band/orchestra) as an adult (dad took me to see Aaron Tippin once as a kid)
Can’t think of a blanket statement regarding popular media that would be true, though I’ve seen very little in the way of “new” movies and television (with “new” defined as anything in the last 15-20 years)
I got gas at Costco for the first time last week. I was nervous because the one we used to go to always had long lines. I got a pump right away and saved 20 cents a gallon over even the carwash prices of other stations. I hardly drive but you could probably make back your $65 from that alone if you commute.
Depending on how long the lines are, and how much you value your time, that might eat into your savings. Also, if the Costco is not terribly convenient, getting gas there might only make sense if you went there to shop.
If no one brought up IKEA in this thread I never would have thought of it. It would never occur to me to put it on the same level as Walmart or Apple products. There are two stores in my state. I was only aware of one until I just looked it up. Both are in cities I don’t visit and are in no way convenient either by distance or traffic. It has never occurred to me to make a special trip to go to a store like that.
There are times when I’ve gone and the lines have been long. The wait is usually short. They have a lot of pumps and the workers are very efficient. We can’t pump our own gas here. The workers are about the best gas attendants around, mostly because the pay is better.
I’m probably out of date, but ISTR that 10-20 years ago, it was a kinda big deal when a big blue store opened up. Folk talk about meatballs. They were mentioned in a novel I read recently. Also - my impression was that many folk shopped there for themselves or their kids to buy inexpensive furniture during/after college.
Re: Costco gas, I don’t put many miles on my car, so it would talk quite a savings to make up $65. I’ve spoken with a few local members - including my kid. Apparently the stores vary considerably. The universal opinion seems to be that the one nearest to me is always a zoo.
Yeah, why I never went to the old one for gas. It’s not worth the membership fee for gas alone, but it is a nice addition. I saved enough on our last two computers to pay the fee for at least a few years, and there are some things I prefer there.
It helps that the new place is only a few blocks away from the place I get gas anyway, within walking distance. Not that I’d walk to Costco. Getting there is fine, but getting back with all that stuff is another matter.
I’m struggling to come up with things I have foregone. I shop at CostCo.
I’ve never been to an NBA game
I’ve never been on a cruise
I’ve never been to Asia or South America.
I’ve never read a Harry Potter book.
There are a few popular shows that I’ve never seen - Breaking Bad, MadMen
I’m not averse to trying any of these things when I get around to it.
Do you enjoy your food a great deal when you’re eating and that’s just what you prefer or do you just perceive it as necessary fuel? No judgement - I had a friend with a very unadventurous diet because they didn’t get much pleasure out of eating varied things, so they never saw a reason to bother. They did cook - but only something like a giant pot of lentil stew they would eat all week at virtually every meal. I suspect it’s an uncommon trait, but not a rare one.
It is a wonderful city to live in, though I only very rarely stray out of the core, where there’s lots of big trees, pretty century homes and parks.
When I was travelling I was always embarrassed around Brits who’d ask where I lived in Canada, to say London. But then one of them pointed out it was undoubtedly a result of actual British settlement, and that’s who should be embarrassed. Still though, a river Thames, Victoria Park/Hospital/schools etc, etc.
