When is a sale not a sale?

When the shop is not going out of business and they are willing to sell something for a 90% discount.

As I've mentioned before, I find it amazing that people are willing to pay for things that cost next to nothing to be made in China, shipped in containers to our shores and then have a couple of zeros added to the price tag.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. If a shop can afford to remain in business and unload its stock for a fraction of what it was selling it for a few months ago then either that shop is going out of business or you were a mug if you were buying from that shop before the sale.

Things are a lot cheaper than we imagine them to be. However, we live in a society of just-in-time supply and have been brainwashed into accepting a culture of "must have". Combine these two things together and we must all have something that is in short supply and are willing to pay anything to have it.

No wonder we are in a financial mess. Hopefully, the mess will open a few eyes. Because we are in a financial mess, we are spending less. Because we are spending less the steady trickle of just-in-time goods is now a mountain of goods that need to be shifted. To shift the goods, prices need to fall because demand is down but supply up. Prices won't start going up until we start demanding more and the mountain of goods is gone.

The lesson to be learned is that you must play the corporate game right back in the face of the corporations. Who cares what your neighbour has bought? Who cares what the television says is the must have item? Keep your money in your pocket until the corporations beg you to buy it but only then if you really need the item and you are getting at least the 90% discount.

Personally, I prefer to get last year's whatever it was for nothing on Freecycle or for 90% off on eBay or better still, not to bother having it. iPad? iLaughed at the price. What kind of a mug pays extra for the word "Apple" on a gadget? There will be plenty of decent tablets on Freecycle when people get bored of them.

And why would you want a laptop without a keyboard? I am a 50 word per minute typist and so using a tablet or a mobile phone to type with, is an aeon's length step back in time for me. I wouldn't bother writing this blog if I couldn't knock up a rant in 2 minutes flat.