Getting a Fair Price

  It seems these days our country is fixated on getting the best price for our money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that as competition is always good for the consumer. In a time when so many of our expenditures seem not to be negotiable people want to make the most of an opportunity to save.

  Christmas seems to display this attitude in spades, almost to the point of silliness. The retailers play into this mentality with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday sales to initiate the holiday shopping season. I have my doubts of whether the real savings is worth the hassle of joining the fray so I generally don't. I saw a long discussion about the price of tamales the other day. Should I feel stupid because I willingly pay more than what appears to be a "good price"? I had several items in my cart on Amazon this weekend on which the price changed from the time I put them in the cart to the time I pulled the trigger on the purchase. You snooze, you lose, or sometimes gain?

  I think it is time for a little reality check. Some of my more seasoned readers will tell you that there is nothing new about getting the best deal for your money. During hard times it could mean the difference between meat or beans, or anything to eat. Growing up in a poor family of six it wasn't a matter of a new television. It was paying the utilities before they were turned off! So it is somewhat amusing to watch someone spend all day on Thanksgiving in line to save a few hundred bucks on a big screen TV. Why is that so important?

  Here is my theory. I really don't think it is about the money. It is about people wanting positive recognition. In their way of thinking making a "good deal" makes them look more savvy than the dude that paid $200 more for the same TV. It's a victory to stack up against the losses on taxes, utilities, and healthcare costs where they have little say in what they pay. They beat the system and it feels worth the 12 hours they spent in line to do it. It seems to me a pathetic way to get your validation but, hey, it's a free country!

  So you should never expect to see me anywhere near those doorbuster sales. I will continue to pay $9 per dozen for my tamales because 1) they are great tamales, 2) I have made more tamales than any other gringo man I know and appreciate the work that goes into them and 3) because that two dollars difference is much more crucial to Maria than my being able to brag about paying $7. My eye is on the ball of taxes, utilities and healthcare costs. I achieve small victories from time to time and that works for me.