gloryjoy
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,332
Jun 26, 2014 12:35:32 GMT
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Post by gloryjoy on Oct 4, 2014 14:55:08 GMT
Wedding stuff. My son is getting married next spring and they have started looking at things, pricing things out. He said to me the other day "Mom, did you know there is a whole industry based on weddings?" .
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Post by BeckyTech on Oct 4, 2014 14:58:14 GMT
I agree, printer ink is a huge ripoff. I'm sure the packaging (ink jet or laser) costs much more than the ink itself, but it comes down to $2,700 per gallon according to the last estimate I saw. Insulin is another one. We pay nearly $200 for 1 vial (good for 90 to 100 days) of Levemir for Kayley. Yes, it is a better quality than the inexpensive dog insulin, and keeps her more even, but she is insulin resistant and we have no choice. Most people pay about $25 for a vial. According to this BuzzFeed article, nail polish comes in at $890 per gallon. And what's up with Corn Nuts? $1 for 4 oz.? That's a racket. How about breakfast cereal? I don't eat it, but I can't believe the prices. When they raise the price of gas for stuff that is still at the station, I get really steamed. OTOH, I don't mind the car/emissions inspections that I have to get once every two years here. They cost $25 or so here in Colorado. Oh, and check the $1 store for greeting cards. The selection isn't bad and many of them are less than $1.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 11:26:40 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2014 15:08:34 GMT
College Textbooks
There are tons of things I think are overpriced, but that's different than a racket.
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Post by Skellinton on Oct 4, 2014 15:14:09 GMT
My local paper. They went down to 3 actual printed papers delivered a week (used to be daily) and on top of that it is about 25% of what it's original content was (seriously it is probably 20 pages altogether) and 1/2 of it is sports. Do you think they reduced the price when this happened? Nope. Not one cent. Complete racket.
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Post by kayk on Oct 4, 2014 15:23:34 GMT
College textbooks. New editions every year. A complete racket.
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Post by kayk on Oct 4, 2014 15:27:45 GMT
College textbooks. Ridiculous prices. And now so many courses have customized "packets" you have to buy that are only available through that institution's bookstore so you can't even shop around for a better price. It usually turns out to be some badly bound xeroxed copies and a CD-Rom of some sort. Now that's a racket. This. The biggest racket ever. And to make it more ridiculous, If a student receives a book voucher thru a government program, they can't use it to rent a book for a lesser price, they must buy the book. Your tax dollars at work.
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Post by melanell on Oct 4, 2014 15:34:24 GMT
Kids' party venues. Pay eleventy hundred dollars for the basic package which included one piece of pizza and 1 drink. Oh, yeah, we know they've been running around playing and will be hungry, so here are your choices for over-priced extra food you can provide for them. And remember, no outside food allowed! Now, while we're here, let us show you our lovely loot bags full of crap for another $50.00.
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Mr styler
Junior Member
Posts: 50
Jun 29, 2014 19:31:27 GMT
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Post by Mr styler on Oct 4, 2014 16:13:35 GMT
Greek yogurt. $1.55 for 6 oz? I remember regular yogurt used to be 8 oz and would go on sale for 35-40¢ each. 50¢ at most.
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krbeah
Junior Member
Posts: 92
Jun 25, 2014 22:27:48 GMT
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Post by krbeah on Oct 4, 2014 16:23:12 GMT
Postal shipping Textbooks Cereal Razors
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LeaP
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,939
Location: Los Angeles, CA where 405 meets 101
Jun 26, 2014 23:17:22 GMT
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Post by LeaP on Oct 4, 2014 16:29:22 GMT
Textbooks have increased 800% over the last 30 years: link. A racket if ever there was one.
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M in Carolina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,128
Jun 29, 2014 12:11:41 GMT
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Post by M in Carolina on Oct 4, 2014 16:38:53 GMT
College text books. The absolute worst is when you have to buy the newest version just to find out that the teacher is still teaching last version and/or the book won't even be used much in class. I just wanted to scream--do you *know* how much money I just spent? I was very thankful my parents paid for my college and books, but I felt so angry for my friends who were just barely hanging in there working all the time. And this was at a Christian college where they are supposed to be budget conscious not to mention extra ethical (their teachings).
Dental care. Now that doctors know how much mouth health affects cardiopulmonary health and other inflammation in the body, I'm just so surprised that dental care costs SO MUCH.
My mom took Boniva for her osteoporosis and it turns out the bone that regrew is different and can't support weight/isn't as strong as they thought it would be. (that alone pisses me off so much I can't see straight) She lost bone in her jaw and has lost two or three teeth on that side and can't eat well. The cost quote for fixing her issue?
32,000K yes, thirty two thousand!!! My mom is on medicare. She doesn't have that type of money. She's having to sell her house so she can afford to fix her teeth. Unbelievable. I pushed her to get a second opinion, and it seems it might not cost that much, but she has quite a complicated case. All those years of taking Boniva because it was supposed to be better, now to find out that it probably won't help keep her from breaking a hip or long bone...
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Post by whipea on Oct 4, 2014 16:47:41 GMT
Decent skin care products like Origins, great stuff but $76 for 1.7oz!
Shoes - Eccos & Born $150+
Classic Career Clothes - button down shirt that is not translucent $60-80, semi-decent suits like Kasper $200+
Cereal - $3.98 average per box not on sale
Greek yogurt - $1.40
Underwear, women's - $7.00-10.00 a pair for Jockey
Video Games - $59.00 per game
Interior and exterior house paint, $27.00+ per gallon
Ugh, I could go on and on and on.
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grinningcat
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,663
Jun 26, 2014 13:06:35 GMT
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Post by grinningcat on Oct 4, 2014 17:33:22 GMT
Anything that has the word "wedding", "funeral" or "baby" in front of it. It's all a scam... but you can make wicked money if you get in on the action. But it blows my mind how inflated things are when you attach those words. I got two quotes for cupcakes; one saying it was for a wedding one saying it was for a birthday party. The orders were almost identical (same categories of cupcakes)... the wedding order was more expensive. Freakin' scam!
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Post by cmhs on Oct 4, 2014 17:34:31 GMT
eye glasses - I know I need to try shopping online for them women's clothing - so I heard that the reason children and baby clothing cost just as much as adult clothing is because they have the same construction. It's not because the amount of the material. So why in the heck does women clothing cost more than ladies? Try Warby Parker for glasses-- they have great prices if you don't have a complicated prescription.
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tiffanytwisted
Pearl Clutcher
you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
Posts: 4,538
Jun 26, 2014 15:57:39 GMT
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Post by tiffanytwisted on Oct 4, 2014 18:03:57 GMT
I worked at a very expensive deli and that was something they taught you when you were trained. You ALWAYS put more on the scale then the customer wanted and then said those very words..."It's a little over, is that OK?". I know! We always assumed it was management, so when my sister said that it wasn't OK, we asked the salesperson if they were told by management to do this and she sheepishly said they were. We never blamed the people behind the counter.
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tiffanytwisted
Pearl Clutcher
you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
Posts: 4,538
Jun 26, 2014 15:57:39 GMT
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Post by tiffanytwisted on Oct 4, 2014 18:09:27 GMT
Don't EVEN get me started . . .
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Post by Skellinton on Oct 4, 2014 18:26:06 GMT
Emmissions testing (a test you have to have done to your car every two years in order to renew your licence) Womens dry cleaning Dentistry - why if I have insurance is something $200.00 if I don't its $80.00 I worked at a dry cleaners in high school and college, and people always complained about women's dry cleaning costs. The problem is that most women's clothing has to be hand pressed as opposed to the mans which is much less time consuming. Granted, if a woman is large the items fit the presses better and don't have to be hand pressed, but they would have to be pretty big. Also men's shirts go though a totally automated pressing, women's blouses have a lot more detail and are completely pressed by hand. The pressers where I worked always did the women's stuff first so they could get it out of the way when they were fresh and just whip through the men's items when they were tired and hot. Also, women's clothes require more prep for the person assembling, at least they did when I worked there, we had to stuff all the sleeves so they weren't crushed, skirts were a pain to hang, where as men's clothes you just threw on a hanger. It really isn't a racket, they are more labor intensive. Sorry about my soliloquy about dry cleaning! Anyone who wants a lecture on stain removal and what picrin smells like, what the fluid they use is and feels like (rofl)or what "cleaning the still" involves, just let me know!
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Post by peano on Oct 4, 2014 18:35:20 GMT
Apple computers concert tickets don't do much dry cleaning any more but the costs of cleaning women's shirts vs men's shirts most department store level cosmetics and skin care products printer cartridges movie tickets and food ebooks
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 11:26:40 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2014 18:52:22 GMT
Hummus. Now that the gluten free folk have discovered its wonders, it's doubled in price, and the tubs are smaller.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 11:26:40 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2014 19:04:41 GMT
School pictures and yearbooks.
Ann
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Post by CarolinaGirl71 on Oct 4, 2014 19:10:09 GMT
Fudge shops on the boardwalk in NJ. For the many of you who may not know what I'm talking about, let me elaborate . . . So you want a pound of chocolate fudge. And this is what you tell the salesperson. They then proceed to take 3-4 PRECUT blocks of fudge & put them in a cute little box on the scale. AND THEN THEY SAY, "It's a little over, is that OK?". And, of course, you say that it's fine. Don't get me wrong, they're not cheating you, but they are getting you to spend more than you intended. Multiply that by the hundreds of customers they have in a day. And it's not an accident - as I said, the blocks are precut, so they know exactly what they're doing. And they ALL do this. Total racket. I definitely agree w/school pictures. They totally have you. This is not just on the boardwalk in NJ - everywhere I've ever seen one, they do this.
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tiffanytwisted
Pearl Clutcher
you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
Posts: 4,538
Jun 26, 2014 15:57:39 GMT
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Post by tiffanytwisted on Oct 4, 2014 19:15:44 GMT
I figured as much, but not having been to any others I couldn't assume. It's actually become a joke w/me & my sisters. Every time we buy fudge, we wait for them to say it and then we crack up (loudly) and then say that it's fine. There is always at least one other customer who hears the exchange and then we enlighten them.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Oct 4, 2014 19:18:20 GMT
I think it's a total racket that car insurance rates are based on your credit score. As someone who suffered a bankruptcy a few years ago, it's been slow going to improve my credit. Yet, I haven't had an accident in 22 years and have no tickets. That's what they should base my car insurance rates on.
And I think it's also a total racket that you have to pay more for homeowners and renters insurance if you have certain breeds of dogs. My dog would never bite anyone yet I have to pay more because she's a pitbull. Yet, I'm sure my neighbor with the mean little Yorkie that comes running out to bite my dog every time I walk past her house is paying less than me.
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Post by bc2ca on Oct 4, 2014 19:30:39 GMT
Concert tickets Tickets to any pro sporting event The crappy food they sell at said sporting events ( but hell yes, I'll eat it) The service charges if you buy tickets through Ticketmaster is a huge racket. We just bought tickets that were 25% cheaper going straight to the venue. I don't mind a few $ service charge, but 25% is a racket, especially when I get physical tickets from the venue and print at home through Ticketmaster.
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Post by lumo on Oct 4, 2014 19:34:57 GMT
Hummus. Now that the gluten free folk have discovered its wonders, it's doubled in price, and the tubs are smaller. Make your own! It's super-easy and WAY cheaper
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Oct 4, 2014 19:35:04 GMT
@skellinton -- Thanks for sharing the details about differences in dry-cleaning charges. That's one of the things I enjoy most about 2Peas/RefuPeas -- the little random facts you can learn here about stuff.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 11:26:40 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2014 19:45:02 GMT
Hummus. Now that the gluten free folk have discovered its wonders, it's doubled in price, and the tubs are smaller. Make your own! It's super-easy and WAY cheaper What recipe do u use? May have to try that. I eat it every day.
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~Susan~
Pearl Clutcher
You need to check your boobs, mine tried to kill me!!!
Posts: 3,259
Jul 6, 2014 17:25:32 GMT
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Post by ~Susan~ on Oct 4, 2014 20:33:03 GMT
Wedding stuff. My son is getting married next spring and they have started looking at things, pricing things out. He said to me the other day "Mom, did you know there is a whole industry based on weddings?" . This made me think of Icabod Crane on Sleepy Hollow this week, lol.
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Post by MsChiff on Oct 4, 2014 20:40:25 GMT
The beauty industry. They've brainwashed us into believing that women need overpriced skin products, hair color and make up in order to be beautiful. Men, on the other hand, are apparently beautiful as is. Cell phone plans and insurance. Designed to be as confusing as possible.
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gloryjoy
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,332
Jun 26, 2014 12:35:32 GMT
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Post by gloryjoy on Oct 4, 2014 21:49:58 GMT
Anything that has the word "wedding", "funeral" or "baby" in front of it. It's all a scam... but you can make wicked money if you get in on the action. But it blows my mind how inflated things are when you attach those words. I got two quotes for cupcakes; one saying it was for a wedding one saying it was for a birthday party. The orders were almost identical (same categories of cupcakes)... the wedding order was more expensive. Freakin' scam! Future daughter-in-law wants cupcakes at her wedding instead of a cake. I told her we will make them. I make 2 dozen cupcakes all the time with fancy icing on them. I made 100 mini ones last summer for my mom's 80th birthday party.
She told me no, that is too much work. To which I replied "we are not paying someone to make cupcakes".
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