# Once-premium services which are now standard **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 27, 2019, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151 "2019-06-27T13:19:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/41 "2019-06-29T18:55:48Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > I remember when movie theaters used to charge you extra for extra butter on your popcorn. > > Or at least maybe that was all my cheap movie theaters near for most of the 80’s and 90’s. All my local movie theaters now have the butter station in the open free to use. That’s not butter. Closest it got to a bovine was passing a farm on the interstate. Another premium item: Power Windows. When was the last time you saw a crank? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/42 "2019-06-29T19:49:55Z")
> [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > Another premium item: Power Windows. When was the last time you saw a crank? In a U-Haul rental truck that was already ancient when I rented it over 10 years ago. If I had to guess, that’s probably the last place you can still find manual crank windows – in bare-bones trucks that get sold to fleets. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/43 "2019-06-29T20:04:58Z")
I sort of appreciate power windows on cars that I own, but there is the phenomenon I encounter a couple times a year of people in front of me at drive throughs whose power windows have broken and they can’t afford to fix them or haven’t gotten around to it yet and so they have to open the door to interact with the restaurant. I’d say no manual option is a downside even though that’s never happened to me. If I had to wave my wand, I’d have a car with power windows _except_ on the driver’s door, to forestall situations like that and to make sure that when I want to roll down the driver’s door I don’t roll down the wrong one by mistake. I do appreciate when I’m alone in the car and have to roll down a window other than the driver’s and so I don’t have to lean. ---
**Author:** ![fedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/44 "2019-06-29T22:44:59Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Many banking services. With my first checking account years ago, the account cost something like $5 or so a month plus a charge for each check. I had to buy the checks too. My first cash machine card cost me 45 cents for each use. A bounced check cost $25. Now my checking account is free including checks, my cash machine card is now a debit card that I can use just about anywhere and I have free overdraft protection up to $1500. > I have noticed that a lot of retail establishments are charging to use credit or debit cards. I stopped at a small town gas station yesterday, they wanted $1 plus 10 cents a gallon more than the cash price for gas. that’s because of fees they have to pay to visa/mastercharge/americanexpress ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/45 "2019-06-30T06:50:01Z")
> [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > That’s not butter. Closest it got to a bovine was passing a farm on the interstate. > Another premium item: Power Windows. When was the last time you saw a crank? My 2000 Honda Civic had power windows but my 2014 Toyota Yaris still has a crank. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/46 "2019-06-30T14:29:00Z")
> [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > Another premium item: Power Windows. When was the last time you saw a crank? Up until sometime in the '60s, even heaters were optional on many low-priced cars, especially air-cooled models like the Corvair and Volkswagen Bug. > **[Automotive History: Corvair Warm Comfort - Heating Optional (1960-1961); Your...](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-corvair-cold-comfort-heating-optional-1960-1961-your-choice-of-gasoline-or-engine-heat/)** > > (first posted 6/15/2017)     I may fancy myself a bit of a Corvair-O-Phile, but there’s still lots to learn. The trip to the Ypsilanti Museum yielded some new information about \[…\] ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/47 "2019-06-30T21:25:31Z")
> [@fedman](#): > > that’s because of fees they have to pay to visa/mastercharge/americanexpress Again, that’s not true, the fees are tiny and there are fees for cash and especially for checks. If they insisted upon a fair fee to be equal with the costs for cash, it might be 1%. The fees are usually 2% to them. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2019, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/48 "2019-07-01T05:41:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > [ul][li]Call waiting, call forwarding, **party lines**. Presumably other things like caller ID. [/li][/ul] (Emphasis mine) Are you sure you know what a party line was–or maybe you meant conference calling? A party line was a line shared with one or more of your neighbors, but you would all have different rings. It was more common when land line service was expensive and many people couldn’t afford or didn’t see the need to have their own individual phone lines. Every phone on the party line had its own ring pattern, like “two shorts and a long” so you’d know if the call was for you, but depending on the system you might hear your phone ring when someone else on the line was being called. Nobody would want a party line today. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2019, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/49 "2019-07-01T06:03:19Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > And every business that takes cash gets charged by the employee who has to spend time counting the cash that’s received, and by the bank that provides them with rolls of change, etc. Well now, if we had coins that were worth something, and got rid of the pennies and nickels, then retailers would be getting more coins from their customers instead of mostly from the bank. Just today I asked for $20 cash back at the grocery store because I was going to pick up some take-out, and the $20 bills were under the cash drawer, the way you used to see only with fifties and hundreds. Most of the available slots in the insert were occupied by the four common denominations of coins and extra rolls for each. ones. The store clerks are going through their stock of coins so fast that they need to have new rolls constantly available, while $20 bills are under the drawer. And that’s really not that much money these days. Insane. If the retail industry wants to encourage us to pay cash, they should advocate for more sensible denominations. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/50 "2019-07-01T13:22:25Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > While stopped in traffic in front of an old bar yesterday (“Est 1959”), I noticed the sign touting the air conditioning and color TV. > > My first car, a 1968 Plymouth, didn’t have a passenger-side side mirror. I just saw a sign last week in Pennsylvania that offered free Radio! I was like huh? I’ve seen the AC and TV ones before but never the radio one. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/51 "2019-07-02T02:23:55Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > (Emphasis mine) > > Are you sure you know what a party line was–or maybe you meant conference calling? > > A party line was a line shared with one or more of your neighbors, but you would all have different rings. It was more common when land line service was expensive and many people couldn’t afford or didn’t see the need to have their own individual phone lines. Every phone on the party line had its own ring pattern, like “two shorts and a long” so you’d know if the call was for you, but depending on the system you might hear your phone ring when someone else on the line was being called. > > Nobody would want a party line today. Ha! We just watched [Pillow Talk](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053172/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1) on TCM. When introducing the movie, the announcer had to explain exactly what a party line was, otherwise the movie would make no sense. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/52 "2019-07-03T06:23:59Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Free breakfast at hotels seems to be much more common now. Do you ever see this at higher end hotels? IME free breakfast usually comprises coffee and a muffin, and the establishment usually has no provision at all for lunch or dinner. That works for a lot of people, but not if you need to have the option of taking a meal in your room, or at least on the premises. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/53 "2019-07-03T10:16:11Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Do you ever see this at higher end hotels? I only rarely stay at what I’d consider a higher end hotel, but it is standard at Embassy Suites, which I would consider at the higher end of the mid-tier hotels. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/54 "2019-07-03T10:20:31Z")
Plus, if the establishment has no provision for lunch or dinner, then I wouldn’t consider it a higher end hotel and in fact might not be a hotel at all depending on location and setup. It might be a higher end _motel_ if has a lot of other amenities, but while some motels have lounges or restaurants, I wouldn’t consider it a proper hotel if it didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/55 "2019-07-03T11:24:22Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Are you sure you know what a party line was–or maybe you meant conference calling? Sorry, I’m going through a tunnel… can’t… you’re br… k… _kkggghhhhshhhh_. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/56 "2019-07-04T16:29:56Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Plus, if the establishment has no provision for lunch or dinner, then I wouldn’t consider it a higher end hotel and in fact might not be a hotel at all depending on location and setup. It might be a higher end _motel_ if has a lot of other amenities, but while some motels have lounges or restaurants, I wouldn’t consider it a proper hotel if it didn’t. I always thought the difference between a motel and a hotel was in the parking arrangement. A motel has parking for each room either right next to or very close to the room and assumes that all or most of its clients arrived in their own cars; a hotel has a separate parking area, which may not include enough spaces to have one for every room rented as many of the people staying there may have arrived by plane/bus/train/taxi and have no car with them that needs parking. In some cities some hotels may not have their own parking areas at all, but may rely on city parking facilities. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151/57 "2019-07-04T18:02:27Z")
I tried to encapsulate that in the “setup” part of my post and it may indeed be the dictionary definition. In fact I’d say that upon seeing your post I sort of did change my mind a little: if a hotel is not set up with motel-style parking then it’s fair to call it a hotel. But the opposite is not always true, since so many people drive to their destinations these days. I can consider a place with motel-style parking a hotel if it is otherwise like other hotels except for the parking, such as attached restaurants and room service. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-premium-services-which-are-now-standard/836151.md?page=2)