Either I am getting old and crotchety or the whole consumer situation is getting more and more annoying...
It seems like retail hours have been cut significantly over the past few years. Best Buy used to be open from 9am to 9pm everyday but I was surprised to see that on Sunday their hours are 11am to 7pm.
And when did paint cost more than $250 for a five gallon pail of paint???
The GFCI switch in one of the bathrooms stopped working so I went to buy a new one which I thought would be around $5 but now the cheapest one is $20?!?
A week ago I bought a new cell phone. It is super cute but after using it for a few days the folding it and unfolding it every time I wanted to use the phone became annoying so I went and bought a new basic phone. I used to be able to return a cell phone if I didn't like it, now they charge a $45 "restocking fee".
I won't rehash the price of eggs as I have already covered this in previous posts but when I went to buy a gallon of bleach, it costs around $5! This used to cost $1! On a good note, gas prices are down over $1 per gallon; we now pay $3.59 instead of $4.99 per gallon.
Healthcare is similarly circling the drain. I watch this lady's YouTube channel and she noted how when she called an ambulance because she thought she had really hurt herself, they told her they could drop her off at the hospital but it could be a 12 hour or more wait. Meanwhile, one of our local hospitals just laid off 970 employees even though staffing at hospitals here and across the US are at critically low levels.
Finally, our weekly grocery store ads seem to have fewer and fewer great deals, just kind of meh deals and the produce section isn't looking all that great either.
That's enough rantyness for one day...
It's all rant worthy, and we're all dealing with it, sadly some have no means to keep up. The one that's really scary is the 12 hour wait in an emergency.
ReplyDeleteThat's definitely my concern--while I may be annoyed at the increase in groceries or my power bill, I am really worried about young families or others who literally can't afford these increases. What do they do, not feed their kids to keep the heat on?? Very sad for everyone.
DeleteThe price increases are truly shocking! I'm getting ready to do a bit of painting so I was really ticked seeing the prices you posted. Things are not looking good for the US.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was still thinking that a high quality paint was still $15-$20 per gallon. I guess it has been a while since I checked out paint prices!
DeleteYou are not wrong about any of it! It’s very concerning, to say the least. I’m just buckling up and trying to hold on tight!
ReplyDeleteThat's our plan as well! Hoping for cheaper days ahead for both food and energy!
DeleteI totally agree with your post and things are no better here in Canada!!
ReplyDeleteI remember when Canadians used to cross the border into the US for both gas and Costco. Not sure if that is still a thing but anything to save money I guess!
DeleteBeing a Canadian I can comment on this LOL. No longer find it cheap in the USA. Matter of fact.. we went south in November with our RV and came back three weeks later. Too expensive. Gas, food and even exchange of the dollar was terrible.
DeleteGCCI for $20? That is astounding. Fortunately, the produce in stores here is plentiful and the price has not gone up too much. I am glad I am not painting. I did not realize that an ambulance ride did not mean skipping a line. That's good to know.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your food prices are still reasonable. I think food prices vary by region? We still have better prices than our relatives in New England.
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