Photo by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash
For the past year or so, I’ve been changing a bit. Mentally, I mean. And it goes beyond acquiring some sort of maturity. And one of the places where I see it most is in my spending habits. Maybe it’s this place, where people who are somewhat different from the norm converge. Maybe it’s just that I am finally growing old. Happens.
But the other day, I went out to look for some sort of board game for my brother. Nothing specific, just you know, see if I can find something that sounds fun. And I went to the mall, what with Workers’ Day today and Easter last weekend, most of the other shops are closed.
And I was appalled that you can’t find a board game under 20-30 dollars, which is quite a bit here. I mean, it’s not a huge amount or anything, but you know, you can buy quite some food or necessities for that kinda money. And just spending it on a board game seems an exaggeration. Especially since most of them aren’t really all that special.
Sure, they’re kinda fun, but most are just a copy of other games, so you’re essentially paying for a bit of nicely (or not) drawn cardboard and some dice. A few cards, if you’re lucky.
There’s a whole board game trend going, I’ve noticed, and it’s sort of fun, but it’s also greatly exaggerated. Used to be (and I know I sound like a grumpy old woman here) you could get a fun board game for 7-10 dollars. As you can see, the price has gone up three times at least and what baffles me is that people stand for it. Not only are they not outraged at the obvious theft, but they gladly pay as well. How fucked up is that?
It’s not just games either, it’s everywhere. It’s takeaway, it’s makeup, it’s clothes. On my way out, I stopped to look at summer dresses and I couldn’t believe the shitty quality on most. And the ugly, ugly models. And they still cost a lot – the shitty plasticky materials and the ugly print doesn’t stop their price being pretty high.
And what I find weird is that people don’t seem to notice. I mean, if I, a 20 year old, notice how much the prices have gone up and how absurd this is, I’m sure people in their 30s and 40s could, if they cared to, notice it as well. But they don’t, because they’re too caught up in the latest Facebook scandal or whatever the MSM tells them they should care about.
It’s pathetic.
Another thing that annoys me (and yes, there are many) is movies, where if you want to see a (usually crappy) movie and eat some stale popcorn, you’ve gotta pay some 12 dollars, which I know doesn’t sound like much to you, but here, you can get good concert tickets for that money. You can again, buy quite a few things for that money. And it didn’t use to be like that, I asked… but does anyone care? No.
People pay because it seems normal. It’s not. And they’re all strategically placed, both the meals and the cinema, because by the time you get to them, you will already have passed by a few stores and, seeing the prices in those, the $7 meal or movie ticket doesn’t seem all that much. Could you finance a few days’ worth of meals (at least) on that? Sure, but do you care? Nope.
It seems normal. Even more, it seems a deal, a bargain to pay a way overpriced ticket or an overpriced meal. It’s a society thing, also. You don’t want to seem a cheapskate, do you? Because it seriously limits your outings – wanna go to a movie? No. Wanna pay a shit ton of cash on a gross coffee at Starbucks? No. And where does that leave you?
And I’m not saying be cheap or whatever. But you know, why not spend money on things that actually make you happy? Because these people aren’t happy. Shopping (or going to the movies for that matter) is a passive activity, where you achieve nothing in truth. You’re not happier that you bought another pair of jeans or another shirt you’ll wear once or twice before banishing it to the back of the closet never to be seen again.
You know, I think if people cut back on all these unnecessary costs, the need for work would lessen. Not for all, but many people. Because a lot of people today work a lot and then, in the evenings or at the weekends or whenever, head to the mall and spend money on some useless shit they don’t really need. Why? Because they can afford to. How do they afford it? By working so much? Why do they work? To be able to afford the things.
It’s a vicious circle, and they don’t seem to wanna break it. Weird.
Obviously, there’s a lot of people working to make ends meet and to have enough to save a bit for rainy days and all. But (judging by the masses of people inside the mall at any given time) there are also a lot of people buying useless shit, because it doesn’t seem all that expensive, taken separately. A 10 dollar shirt here, a 8 buck meal there, and pretty soon you’re paying a quarter of your salary on useless shit…
Just saying. In the end, I don’t really give a shit what you or anyone else spend money on. It’s your choice. It’s your life.
Except it’s not, is it? What with anyone buying at the mall, pretty soon, the mall is going to be the only place we have left. And that’s a truly terrifying prospect.
