What has sticker shocked you?

[Scanner]

WJC:

Yeah, beef is a treat now, isn't it? I guess that's not a bad trend though. I make a mean meatless taco soup with beef broth. . .that's my beef consumption except for the McBeef of a $1.00 burger I do indulge in, but I don't recommend like tobacco or alcohol.

[disneysteve]

This is essentially a microcosm of our economy.

WHO'S DOING WELL IN 2015

a. Dollar General
b. Family Dollar (lower class/poor/EBT cards)
c. Walmart

d. Nordstroms
e. Tiffanys (rich, upper class)

WHO'S NOT DOING WELL

a. JC Penny
b. Sears (middle class)
c. Macys

There is no middle class anymore.

That's very true. There has been an upscaling of America (there was a great book about that a number of years ago). People have gradually upgraded their lifestyles and the products they purchase as well as upscaled where they shop. Restaurants have seen the same trend that you mention with department stores. McDonald's and Burger King are suffering while Panera and Pei Wei are booming. People are seeking better quality and better experiences. The lower end chains have tried to adapt with varying degrees of success but it often amounts to putting lipstick on a pig (I hate that expression but it fits).

[scfr]

Clothes & Shoes: It seems like it is getting harder to find a great deal, and fashion is not something I value much.

Re Motel 6: I agree with Scanner. I don't think of the chain as anything other than basic, but definitely NOT "sleazy." We stayed at Motel 6's when were moving from Seattle to Austin. They had convenient, right-off-the freeway locations and clean rooms. Rates were good and they are pet-friendly. I'd rather stay in a hotel with more amenities when vacationing, but when all you need is a clean place to sleep & shower before hitting the road again, why pay for more?

[disneysteve]

I have always thought Motel 6 fine

Re Motel 6: I agree with Scanner. I don't think of the chain as anything other than basic, but definitely NOT "sleazy."

My apologies to the Motel 6 fans.

Around here, the low end motels tend to be located in less desirable parts of town and attract a less desirable clientele. They aren't the kinds of places you'd want to stay with your family.

Personally, I'm okay staying most anywhere but my wife can't stand the places with worn out beds, scuzzy bedspreads, people screaming and yelling at all hours of the night, empty beer bottles outside, people knocking on random doors for no reason (or looking for their friends in the wrong rooms), etc. I'm happy to pay an extra $20/night to avoid all of that drama. The low end places are also right on the road so they tend to get a lot more traffic noise. The place we're staying is in a hotel park and is a couple of blocks off the main road. Couldn't be any quieter.

[Scanner]

DisneySteve,

Nah, I know what you are saying. . .I was just kidding. I get it. Under certain circumstances, Motel 6 is fine. . .and it's usually when making a x-country travel.

But like you, when I am at a seminar (which thanks to the internet and webinars, I dno't have to do as many), I used to do this:

Stay at the cheaper motel. . .get up early, drive to more expensive Sheraton or Marriott for the conference. . .be there at 8 a.m. to sign in. . .now, I just pay the Marriott or Sheraton rate and stay right in the hotel and take the elevator down to the lobby/conference room.

[scfr]

No worries, disneysteve. I imagine it depends on the location. In a beach town a Motel 6 might appeal to partying college kids who are just looking for the cheapest room to get drunk in. I wouldn't want to stay in a place like that.

Where we stayed (along major freeways in Boise, Cheyenne, and Amarillo) the other guests looked a lot like us: middle aged folks just looking for an inexpensive and clean place to crash before they moved on to the next town (the front desk was pretty busy with the early-morning checkouts). I think Motel 6's can also be good "overflow" hotels if you have too many family members coming from out of town (again, just a place to sleep & shower since all meals and recreation time is spent with the family).

In your shoes I would have picked the Comfort Inn too as it sounds like the best value (spend a few extra bucks for a much nicer room). Glad to hear you found a warm place to crash!

[disneysteve]

But like you, when I am at a seminar (which thanks to the internet and webinars, I dno't have to do as many), I used to do this:

Stay at the cheaper motel. . .get up early, drive to more expensive Sheraton or Marriott for the conference. . .be there at 8 a.m. to sign in. . .now, I just pay the Marriott or Sheraton rate and stay right in the hotel and take the elevator down to the lobby/conference room.

Not me. I still stay at the cheaper hotel and drive over. The only exception is one conference I go to in Atlantic City. It's held at Bally's and I'm able to get my room comped there so I stay onsite.

[ANewHorizon]

Funny that you mention kitchens. We took delivery today on our new refrigerator. We were surprised when we went shopping at how costly they have gotten. My wife was expecting to spend $600 or so. I was figuring $1,000. We were lucky to get away for $1,200.

The problem isn't so much that refrigerators have gotten more expensive but rather that they've gotten fancier and fancier with more bells and whistles: ice maker, filtered water, LED displays, multi-level doors where you can open just one section or the entire door, and numerous other things. Plus almost everything is stainless steel which costs more. We really had to search to find one that was white, not stainless, and had no unnecessary extras. We got one with no ice maker, no water dispenser, no fancy stuff. Had we gotten what apparently is a "normal" fridge today, we would have spent closer to $2,000.

Wow that is seriously depressing. It is nuts that a no frills fridge was still over $1200!! I'm amazed that people are willing to hand out $2000 for one of those fancy fridges. I don't want fancy, you know why? More stuff to break. More maintenance. More upkeep. And if it breaks and you don't want to pay the maintenance, then you are stuck with a broken fancy gadget.
I wish somebody somewhere would churn out high quality reasonably priced appliances for people like us.

[ANewHorizon]

Beef!
I just bought a roast for $3.99 a pound and that was a great sale. Not too long ago, it would have been $1.99.
Ground beef for over $4.00?
Outrageous!!

Yes, it is completely outrageous, and so is the government's assertion that inflation is what? 3%? 4? Ya right.
Roast beef here is $6.99-$8.99/lb, and $4 is the sale price. Like you said, it used to be $4-6/lb and $2/lb on sale all the time.
Ground beef here is now $4.99/lb - 4 years ago it was $2.30/lb regular price. Last summer it went up to that outrageous price and has stayed there. $3/lb is now a stock up price.

[disneysteve]

I wish somebody somewhere would churn out high quality reasonably priced appliances for people like us.

I've said the same thing. A few years ago, I posted about buying a new hand shower in our bathroom. The quality goes up as the number of features go up. A plain simple one with no adjustable modes and multiple heads is cheaply made of plastic. If you want good quality metal, you need to get the oversized head with 6 spray settings plus water turn off switch plus massage setting plus other nonsense that we didn't want or need.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Everything. Do you know what the movies cost these days? Since we go about 1 maybe 2x a year I'm shocked at the prices. But it is a big date night usually so whose going to complain?

Just about everything shocks me at the increase in costs.

[disneysteve]

Everything. Do you know what the movies cost these days? Since we go about 1 maybe 2x a year I'm shocked at the prices. But it is a big date night usually so whose going to complain?

I agree that they're expensive, but at least around here, the price has been steady for several years so at least that's good. What's really crazy is what they charge for the 3D and IMAX shows. We're fine just doing the regular projection. My wife can't see 3D anyway.

LAL, one way to save on the movies, if you're interested, is with the discount gift cards I've posted about before. Cardpool.com sells gift cards to AMC for 17% off, Cinemark for 20% off, Regal and Fandango for 10% off.

[MonkeyMama]

Just about everything shocks me.

Yeah, I can agree with that. We mostly buy used or are creative in our purchases, and so when I see the full price of things I find them shocking at times.

This discussion reminded me that we were in an electronics stores and we walked passed some full-price Blu Rays for like $40 or $50. I did a double take! My spouse collects movies and he loves his Blu Rays, but he has certainly never paid that much for one. WOW!

[disneysteve]

over the counter meds.

Being a doctor, I have access to most meds that I or my family needs, so we rarely have to go out and buy things retail. When we do, I'll admit I'm often surprised by how much things are.

[Scanner]

Being a doctor, I have access to most meds that I or my family needs, so we rarely have to go out and buy things retail. When we do, I'll admit I'm often surprised by how much things are.


Yeah, Mucinex for my allergies. . .that stuff used to be like $1.00/pill. Sheesh. . .still that much?

Generic yet?