Does capitalism have some sort of random price generating machine at its heart?
I understand, of course, they have to pay someone to come up with all the names. “Desert Sand” doesn’t write itself. Nor does “Nordic Fury”, which I personally always use as a synonym for “white”. And whoever came up with “Hog Bristle” has a right to demand $4 a can, with an extra $1 for the required Eastern Suburbs addendum: “quarter-strength, thanks”. All the same, it would be cheaper to cover the walls with beaten silk.
For those of us with a middling level of self-esteem, this is a problem. We know our hands, which are pliable and elegant, are worth more than 40 cents, but have our doubts about the larger figure. At $44.90, we remember the old L’Oréal commercial and mumble to ourselves: “You know what, I’m just not worth it.
A spare part for my dishwasher, a tiny plastic thingamajig which must cost 20 cents to manufacture, is on offer for $84.61 - the precision of the price designed, presumably, to baffle the consumer into believing it’s a sum that’s been arrived at a method other than: “So, what price do you reckon the mugs will pay?”Most ridiculous of all is bottled water. It’s identical – or worse – than the stuff that comes out the tap, and yet people queue to buy it.
Australians, perhaps, are not so extravagant. We make do with bottled water which may have touched the ground.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kanye West sued over alleged $7.1m unpaid fees for production companyPhantom Labs, which crafted stage sets for West’s concerts, accused rapper of ‘weaponising fame and reputation to take advantage of eager collaborators’
Read more »
WA city where you can 'eat, drink and be Aussie' makes prestigious top 50 travel listOnly two places in Australia made Time Magazine's list of the 50 best places to travel in the world.
Read more »
Australia’s unemployment rate falls to 3.5% – the lowest in almost 50 yearsFall in unemployment rate from 3.9% to 3.5% is higher than forecast by most economists and brings rate to the lowest point since August 1974
Read more »
$7.50 for a toaster or $91.90 for a bucket of paint? The price is wrongWhy are the prices of things so random? I bought a box of staples this week. It cost $5.35 for 5000 staples. At the rate I use them, those 5000 staples will last 30 years. Without being too miserable about it, that box of staples will see me out, writes...
Read more »
$7.50 for a toaster or $91.90 for a bucket of paint? The price is wrongDoes capitalism have some sort of random price-generating machine at its heart? | OPINION by rgloveroz
Read more »
Vincent Van Gogh self-portrait found hidden behind another paintingExperts at Edinburgh's National Galleries of Scotland say the previously unknown work was found on the back of Van Gogh's painting Head of a Peasant Woman, which they were X-raying ahead of an exhibition.
Read more »