We’re now in an economy where no one seems to be ashamed to put up their prices.
Take the giant corporations. Last night on New Year’s Eve I received an SMS saying that my Momentum insurance was going up as from 1 January 2024.
How’s that for a New Year’s downer?
But it’s all these big companies screwing you with an 8% increase or more every year. Meanwhile your income doesn’t rise by 8%.
Smaller companies are no different, even the small one- or two-person independent contractors.
They are out to get you with as much as they can charge.
The whole of last year, I had to be on guard for every type of service because of contractors or suppliers who want to take you for a ride.
I don’t know what it is. They just seem out to get as much money from you as possible, whatever the service.
I wonder how well these people live. In fact, a friend told me the other day that a doctor who knows a plumber very well told him that the plumber lives in a plush home in a snooty area, while he, the doctor, lives in an ordinary home somewhere in the suburbs.
It may surprise you that even second-hand stores are charging outrageous prices for all types of goods.
A WhatsApp group offers furniture, appliances and household goods that are higher than what the sellers bought the products for.
Can you believe it?
Everyone is out to get as much money from you as possible.
It’s laughable what prices are charged at so-called charity shops.
Charity shops have become money-spinners in clothing and household goods.
An ordinary woman’s dress, at some of them, will cost more than a grand.
What’s going on?
I can’t put my finger on it unless it’s as simple as sheer greed.
Look, no one is going to give you a bargain.
Those days are over.
But they will get a bargain from you unless you are very careful.
It could also be that times are so tough that people are so desperate and in need of money that they’ll sell for the highest price possible.
Of course, there are ways of avoiding these price gougers. And just being a price-taker for all sorts of goods and services.
One way is to look for cheaper alternatives, but there’s only so far you can go with cheap. Buy cheap goods and the quality drops considerably.
Even if you find an alternative insurance supplier, for instance, they might come in at a lower price than you are paying already, but once they’ve got you, they’ll stick up their prices for no rhyme or reason.
This is why I am careful about the prices I charge for my personal services. I am mindful of how others are treating me, and I don’t want to do the same. I try to charge a fair price for my services and give them as much value as possible.
I hate that word value, by the way, because what does it actually mean? For me, it means doing the job well, not cutting corners, and delivering on time.
