Friday, August 19, 2005

Sticker Shock

Two sticker shocks in two days.  I wonder if my system will recover.

One: a wheel chair cushion.  A square piece of foam with a cover. Essentially, a small pillow.  Should cost, say, eight to ten dollars.  Right?

   When the price was quoted, SIXTY THREE DOLLARS, I rebelled.  "No way."  I rejected it.

   But it is not just a cushion.  You live on it. It is your home, so to speak. The substitute may not cut it.  If I cannot adjust my sitter, I will have to readjust my thinking and buy it.  Yawk!

Two: A laundry sorter.  A few bits of tubing, four tiny wheels, and a cloth bag.  I took it off the shelf and started for the cashier, musing, "Well, $14.95 is a lot to pay for this simple device. But I need it, so pay it and don't say anything."

   At the cashier, another shock.  The sorter and two other items was $51.96.  "Ha ha, the cashier made a mistake."  I pointed out her error.  She informed me that the sorter, was one penny shy of two Andrew Jackson bills: $39.99. I had looked at the wrong price tag on the shelf.

   I was born in the twentieth century when Pepsi was a nickle, a flashlight battery was ten cents, same as a cup of coffee.

   I am having rrouble adjusting.

 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello friend, I love your journal. I too must use a wheelchair. I am 40 with the body of a 150 year old. My aunt gave me a cushion that fits in a car. It has a seat and a back. It is made of fake sheep wool. It isn't heavly padded but works for me and they are fairly cheap if you can find them.

Anonymous said...

Hi have you tried to find a cushion on line? some times you can get them alot cheaper. Love this journal thank you :)

Essayons

Deb

Anonymous said...

And what do you think of the price of gasoline? I must face those pumps soon. Paula

Anonymous said...

I think you can improve on the price of the first item.  I'm sure my mom's didn't cost that much.

Karen

Anonymous said...

It's good looking back to the "old days", but it's a shock to face the present. Watch your ticker, if you are considering anymore shopouts. Keep smiling.
Sylvia
http://journals.co.uk/sylviam4000/JottingsfromtheSticks/

Anonymous said...

The sorter I can see...but 63 for a pillow?! Yeesh! That seems high indeed!

Anonymous said...

Try shopping online.  You can easily compare prices between several retailers without having to go from one store to another.  Even if you have to pay shipping charges (and sometimes you don't) whatever you're after may be cheaper that way.  Try Amazon.  It's a sort of online mega-mall.  But there are lots and lots of other places to look, too.

Re your experience with the laudry sorter:  In my state, we have what is called an Item Pricing Law - requires retailers to affix a price tag to every item in the store so you know for sure what you will be paying before you get to the cashier.  Prices on shelves don't count -- too easy for things to get shuffled around.  You don't get 100% compliance 100% of the time, but it does help.

elleme

Anonymous said...

I would have made you one myself. That's just crazy! I've been thinking the same thing about prices lately. Seems like everything is going way up. grrr! ~ Lori

Anonymous said...

Chuck, would love to communicate with you about the Ferris name.
Jim Ferris
www.ferristree.com
jgferris@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Hope you are able to get your items without to much problem.   I enjoy reading your journal.   I am way behind on my alerts.    Take care,   mark
http://journals.aol.com/mtrib2/landscapeartwork
http://journals.aol.com/mtrib2/MarksDailyJournal