Things That Aren't Value for Money!

Trying2SaveABuck on 14/04/2017 - 10:26
Last edited 14/04/2017 - 10:29

Ozbargin is full of deals, bargains and great advice!

But recently hitting the wise old age of 27 I look back at some of the times I've been ripped off or 'almost' ripped off and thought it be good to get a forum on the things people think are the WORST value for money.

So for example buying a car Brand new is generally considered a bad deal.

What i never new till i got old was how much i was getting ripped off getting my car serviced at the deal-ship (after warranty expires).

Dealership servicing is 50-100% more expensive then independents now whilst on warranty i think its best to get you car serviced by the manufacturer but a lesson i learnt is once that warranty ends you are being ripped of considerably.

Another thing that pisses me off are places that sell coffee for $4-6 but there coffee is absolutely shit. It cost 36cents to make a latte if your going to charge a ridiculous mark up the end product needs to be quality ie not burnt, not too cold etc

other examples

  • Certain private schools (fees for the education given had heaps of people complain about high school fees for inept teachers)
  • Taxi drivers (biggest rippers)
  • Insurance - Health/Car/home/occupational indemnity - especially when they dont pay out
  • Loans (Anything by the big four is usually over priced)
  • Almost anything from Harvey Norman
  • EB games (without price match)
  • Real estate agent fees (Can be really high and the service isnt always the quality you would expect)
  • Electronics Playstation VR, Fitbit (any of them), blu ray players when they 1st came out etc

If you got a story of being ripped off or someone/thing trying to rip you off comment below let the community know

General Discussion

Comments

    • c0balt on 15/04/2017 - 09:17
      +3

      I bet you that's happened to at least a few people who bought that $300 Tiger rice maker from a week or two ago.

      • Meconium on 15/04/2017 - 14:57
        +6

        Don't diss my deal, bro! Also I'll have you know that I've been using it almost daily and it rocks. Chuck a couple of cans of lentils, some carrots and chilies and you have yourself a tasty curry with no effort or planning. Also delicious rice, I just had some for lunch.

        • Momotsuki on 15/04/2017 - 16:47
          +4

          C0balt is clearly not Asian as he doesn't have an appreciation for Tiger rice cookers.

        • Meconium on 15/04/2017 - 16:58
          +1

          @Momotsuki: I'm not Asian but I do know your name means peach moon 🍑 🌙

        • [Deactivated] on 16/04/2017 - 07:45
          +2

          Chuck a couple of cans of lentils, some carrots and chilies and you have yourself a tasty curry

          Without any spices, your curry will taste worse than hospital food.

  • Turtlegirl on 15/04/2017 - 01:00
    +7

    Brand new textbooks in high school/uni before realising there was a second hand bookshop.

    Airport parking.

    Branded clothes that shrink in the wash after one wear.

    Cocktails - outside of and during happy hour.

    Cleaning products always seem overpriced.

    • boccos on 15/04/2017 - 08:05
      +2

      Now that is a low blow. Better have another go. Maybe, no mother, no you.

      • Meconium on 15/04/2017 - 14:58
        +1

        Nah just expand it to all of humanity instead of criticising half of it.

        Humans. Total ripoff.

        • gorge on 16/04/2017 - 08:14
          +1

          he means that sex with a mediocre looking chick isn't worth all the money you spend on them

    • Cusack on 16/04/2017 - 09:54

      Aaaw. Someone has "mummy didn't love me" issues.

  • bajillionaire on 15/04/2017 - 08:55
    +13

    Property in Sydney.

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 15/04/2017 - 09:46
      -6

      I actually dont agree with this how is property in sydney not value for money?

      I'd argue the taxes associated are a high rip off but the property itself historically has been incredibility good value for money

      • cwongtech on 15/04/2017 - 12:57
        +13

        I actually dont agree with this how is property in sydney not value for money?

        Explain how it is "value for money".
        CBD is always jam packed full of traffic. Oh there's traffic? They have the perfect way to solve it! Decrease road space by building cycleways! Oh that didn't work? Let's remove vehicle access from George street instead and replace it with lightrail! Problem solved!
        Public transport is a joke (buses clump together frequently, slow trains.. don't give me the BS about how our country differs from others in geography, in Japan "normal trains" have speeds of at least 80KM/h), you can't go anywhere conveniently unless you want to go to the city. Why the hell has it been designed like that? Go to the city or nowhere?
        CBD isn't even that nice either, why does everyone want to go to it..? Confuses me.
        NBN would have helped with decentralization as well, and working from home so that the distance between where you live and your place of employment could suddenly be insignificant. But nah, let's just use some crappy old copper wires to save money instead, so no one can work from home, no worries!

        • aerona on 15/04/2017 - 14:02
          +3

          Cwongtech is back in town

        • Meconium on 15/04/2017 - 15:01
          +2

          @aerona:
          Whoa oh whoa oh
          Everybody get on down
          Whoa oh whoa oh
          cwongtech is back in town

    • boomramada on 18/04/2017 - 10:59
      +1

      Its value for money for the person who buying it, usually sell it with a profit :)

  • Renrut on 15/04/2017 - 08:56
    +1

    Supercheaps online sale postage.Item was $11 postage was $14.95. Item not available in store across NSW and even tried Victoria as was there not available in store either. Needless to say I didn't buy. Found a similar item at local Anaconda for $20. Still more than I wanted to pay, but I refuse to pay exorbitant postage to Aus post or Supercheap.

    • prinsenhof on 18/04/2017 - 19:43

      Supercheap is crazy. They couldn't match their online price, so the store guy recommended i order on my phone, choose click and collect, then he'll give it to me.

      Had a damn good laugh (and actually did what he said). If this isn't normal store policy, he probably had a damn good laugh too as i took it hook line and sinker.

  • Ghogger on 15/04/2017 - 09:50
    +7

    Australia in general

    • Shiny Mew on 15/04/2017 - 11:31
      +3

      Indeed, those who describe AU as the 'lucky country' are kidding themselves. They clearly haven't visited northwestern Europe. What I would do to get a citizenship there!

      • callum9999 on 15/04/2017 - 13:25

        I'm sure many of them have. I have, and there's no way in hell I'd live there… Something like 300 million people being allowed to live there but choosing not to implies I'm in a large majority too!

        • Ghogger on 15/04/2017 - 16:55
          +3

          What on earth is this 300 million figure you're referring to? Try living there before you judge. I'm going to miss living in Germany a lot once I leave, it's a really great country.

        • callum9999 on 15/04/2017 - 17:36
          +1

          @Gozzhogger: The entire population of the EU has the right to get up and move to NW Europe should they want to - the vast majority don't.

          Though if you're going to be that broad and include Germany, the culture and living standards differ enormously between the UK, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Norway etc so I wouldn't personally be so vague as to say I want to move there (it would be like saying I want to move to "Asia"). I initially thought they meant Scandinavia.

          And how on Earth is it judgemental to say I don't want to live there yet it's fine to say the reverse about Australia? (I'd also note that I've spent about 80% of my life living in NW Europe…)

        • esty on 18/04/2017 - 08:28

          @Gozzhogger:

          Is it really that great though, or is it great because you're a foreigner living there?

          You ask any foreigner living in Sydney, they'll say its the great city on Earth. Its all about perspective.

      • FatBlanket on 16/04/2017 - 13:26

        I have a European passport but still live here. Australia is an easy country to live in. Some things suck but we get good weather, good pay for low skill jobs, low population density and I feel pretty safe most places.

    • horsome on 16/04/2017 - 16:31

      You won't be saying that when you have access to your superannuation.

  • Ghogger on 15/04/2017 - 09:51
    +10

    Education

    I moved to Germany to do my master degree because it's free here. The equivalent course at Sydney Uni would've cost $48,000 per year on HECS.. no thanks!

    • releasethekr4cken on 15/04/2017 - 11:58

      wow sounds like the course you want to do is 30% more expensive than becoming a doctor.

      • Ghogger on 15/04/2017 - 16:52

        Undergraduate degrees (like my bachelor) are subsidised by the federal government for Australian students - meaning a student pays 1/3 of the total cost to the uni, and the other 2/3 is covered by the federal government.

        Postgraduate studies however are not subsidised, so we pay the same as an international student, full price.

        Here is the link to the course I was accepted into but didn't follow through with because of the price:
        http://sydney.edu.au/courses/master-of-sustainability

        It seems like the price has actually decreased now to $34,000 per year, which is still a boat load of money..

        • eug on 15/04/2017 - 16:54
          +5

          I guess they realized the old price wasn't sustainable. They're masters at their craft!

        • Ghogger on 15/04/2017 - 16:58
          +3

          @eug:
          Heh. Well it would also have been quite ironic doing an environmental policy course in Australia, when Australia's climate and energy policy is so shockingly bad.

        • movieman on 17/04/2017 - 12:52

          Hello,

          Does this also work for a postgraduate teaching degree?

          Do you need to be 'German'?

        • Ghogger on 17/04/2017 - 14:13
          +1

          @movieman:
          Yep, they're all free!
          Many postgraduate degrees are in English, so just look around at some universities until you find a course that suits you.

          It's free and open to any nationality, and once you get the offer from the university it's very easy to obtain the visa (70€ for 2 years)

    • Cluster on 15/04/2017 - 12:48
      +2

      The degree is only free because someone else is paying for it.

      • Ghogger on 15/04/2017 - 16:54
        +1

        Mooching from German tax payers, I know. I actually personally don't think it should be free for non-EU citizens, but I'm very glad that it is!

        • Cluster on 16/04/2017 - 14:39

          Hey, if they are willing to give away tens of thousands of dollars of education for free, I say go for it :-)

      • try2bhelpful on 17/04/2017 - 15:34
        +1

        that is very short sighted. I've paid for my degrees many times over in the additional taxes I've paid over the years. The only difference is if you are willing to partially subsidise someone who's family is already rich - or you are willing to give the chance to someone who's family is less well off but is smarter. The system at the moment just perpetuates the inequality of inhereted wealth.

      • prinsenhof on 18/04/2017 - 19:50

        yeah no worries, i just bought a miele washing machine. That should be enough to cover the germans for your university fees.

  • GOCAT9 on 15/04/2017 - 10:25
    +3

    Unless somebody else is paying, flying business (or first) to LHR say. For 20hrs of pain, I would rather use that money and spend 3 weeks in a 4 star hotel at $500 per night. Not to mention, most 4 star hotel rooms are bigger and have a better bed than a business class seat!!

    • eug on 15/04/2017 - 12:08
      +2

      The target market for business and first class tickets would probably be able to afford the ticket as well as 3 weeks in a 5-star hotel. :)

      • GOCAT9 on 15/04/2017 - 12:29

        The issue is not affordability- it is value for money!!

        • eug on 15/04/2017 - 13:57
          +2

          Value is pretty subjective. People might be time-constrained, so if you can only have a week off, you don't want to spend two days on either side of the trip feeling groggy because you couldn't get much rest in a seat - especially if you're tall.

          I think perception of value is relative to one's spending power. Many people happily spend $20 on a cafe meal without batting an eyelid while someone earning a minimal salary might go "That's terrible value for money! I can make a economy-class tuna sandwich at home for $1.50!"

        • try2bhelpful on 17/04/2017 - 21:07

          @eug: I think there is a bit of difference between a $20 meal and a $6000 business class ticket to Europe. You were probably better comparing a $200 restaurant meal to McDonalds.

        • eug on 17/04/2017 - 21:49

          @try2bhelpful:

          I think there is a bit of difference between a $20 meal and a $6000 business class ticket to Europe.

          You've just reinforced my point. The perception of value is all relative.

          To many people, a $20 meal is nothing. Pocket change. Wouldn't even think twice about it. But there are people who would think it's terrible value for money as they can make a meal for a quarter of the cost. End result is the same - you get full.

          To some people, a $6,000 business class ticket is nothing. Pocket change. Wouldn't even think twice about it. Reach your destination well-rested, in comfort? Get to the passport gate first? Priority security checks? Minimal queuing? Great value!

          So just like how someone earning less money would think a $20 meal is a huge waste of money, someone earning a reasonable salary might think a $6,000 business class ticket is a huge waste of money. But once you start making plenty of money, the comfort and benefits that a business class ticket brings along might be well-worth the $6,000 cost. Value is relative to your spending power.

          …or how smart you are with collecting frequent flier points. :)

        • try2bhelpful on 17/04/2017 - 22:05

          @eug: There aren't going to be many people on Ozbargain that will consider a $6000 ticket as good value - there would be many here who wouldn't consider a $20 meal at a cafe as bad value. However, there would be many here who would consider a $20 tuna sandwich as bad value.

        • eug on 17/04/2017 - 22:09

          @try2bhelpful:

          You've totally skipped over the point.

          What you consider good value, someone else might consider poor value.

        • konazz on 17/04/2017 - 23:43
          +1

          @try2bhelpful:
          I'm an ozbargainer but on our next years trip to WArsaw, business made sense. $3700 vs $12000 was the rough difference.

          • 31yo + wife + infant
          • Partner of a business
          • bill at $300/h
          • can bill each way about 11h by working in air and lounges in transit (long layover in Finland) - that'll be $6600
          • can enjoy the trip over (so the 1.5 days is actually comfortable)
          • can manage sleeping better and minimal jet lag
          • wife and baby will be taken care of comfortably
          • can get straight back into work as I'll be refreshed. Not losing 2 days after I get back to readjust.

          At the moment, I'm lucky to get a holiday with the amount of work. This is value for us as the difference isn't so big once you factor in I can work in my pod for 40% of the trip. We regularly fly business domestic on points and makes life so much easier with the little one.

        • try2bhelpful on 18/04/2017 - 07:49
          +2

          @eug: That is my opinion, because I am expressing it. However, I would also hazard a guess that the average Ozbargainer would agree with me - and this is where this forum has been posted. The fact that a small minority would find it OK is their perogative and good luck to them if they can afford it. However, I wonder how many of those people have written off the flight for tax purposes so we are all helping then fund it.

        • eug on 18/04/2017 - 08:49

          @try2bhelpful:

          That is my opinion, because I am expressing it.

          And my opinion is that value is subjective.

          and this is where this forum has been posted.

          The point of a forum is to have a two-way discussion. If you only expected people to post single-line responses to your question and not discuss them further, starting your own blog might be better?

        • try2bhelpful on 18/04/2017 - 11:07
          +1

          @eug: I have no objection to people posting their opinions and spending their own money; I am just expressing mine and they appear to differ from yours - fair enough but that doesn't mean I'm not entitled to state my case. I think there are better things to spend the money on when I am travelling. Would you, personally, purchase $6000 tickets to fly business class to Europe? Do you personally think they are good value for money?

        • eug on 18/04/2017 - 22:31

          @try2bhelpful:

          I am just expressing mine and they appear to differ from yours - fair enough but that doesn't mean I'm not entitled to state my case.

          Hmm? My point is that value is subjective. That means your opinion is 100% correct, because it's based on your point of reference. I'm saying what you (or anyone) consider poor value might be considered good value by someone else.

          Would you, personally, purchase $6000 tickets to fly business class to Europe? Do you personally think they are good value for money?

          If I was earning a large salary, then yes, absolutely! Without a doubt. It makes the trip a lot more comfortable and saves a lot of time in queues. Lounge access is good too. I've managed to fly business a number of times by redeeming points, getting upgraded, and the occasional good deal.

          Do keep in mind that some people experience physical pain from sitting down in a cramped chair for 14 hours. If you have no problem with that, you probably would have no idea why anybody would even consider business class.

        • try2bhelpful on 19/04/2017 - 17:29
          +1

          @eug: Again, I have no issue if people think it is good value, however, this is not my opinion. Personally I can afford to buy business class tickets to Europe - even at $12,000 for the two of us it would be something we can pull out of the bank account. However, I don't think it is good value for money - bully for the person who does but I would much prefer to spend the money on experiences when I get my destination than a very large premium on the 24 hours it takes to get there. My opinion, YMMV. I'm not saying some people might think this isn't value for money, just that I don't and, I suspect, a number of other people on this site would feel the same.

        • eug on 19/04/2017 - 17:59

          @try2bhelpful:

          even at $12,000 for the two of us it would be something we can pull out of the bank account. However, I don't think it is good value for money

          Sure, that's perfectly valid. All I was saying is that there are people who do think it's value for money. They can pull $12,000 out of their bank account and not even notice it.

          People with lots of money can be frugal too. That can be why they have lots of money. They might skimp on the little things but spend big where it matters to them - I personally know someone like that. They certainly wouldn't be telling everyone on forums that they're earning a high salary, so you'll never know who lurks here. This site isn't just for low-middle income people.

        • try2bhelpful on 20/04/2017 - 11:31

          @eug: If I had lots of money I would be trying to get on one of the shuttles to the spacestation. Now that would be a reason to pay a lot of money to go on the "transport".

    • try2bhelpful on 17/04/2017 - 17:20
      +2

      I can live with mobile slums for the air journey time by just putting in the headphones and eating minimal amounts of the meals. However, I wouldn't spend it on fancy accomodation either. I don't "do" backpacker stype accomodation but provided a room is clean, quiet and has it's own bathroom I'm pretty happy with it being a tad old and tired. (No spiders, though, that is a deal breaker).

  • MathNerd on 15/04/2017 - 10:35
    +2

    Sydney property.

  • East2West on 15/04/2017 - 11:10
    +18

    Cafes that charge $4 for hot water and a Twinings tea bag! Biggest rip ever!

    • d86 on 15/04/2017 - 11:28

      Spot on.

    • GOCAT9 on 15/04/2017 - 12:34
      +4

      I understand your point, but there are other considerations like being able to sit down at their table and chairs, use of cutlery and crockery, table sugar etc, serviettes, cost to clean up after you, cost to serve you etc etc etc while enjoying the ambience etc etc. if ALL your getting is a teabag and hot water best to wait until you get home.

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 15/04/2017 - 11:18
    +5

    The biggest rip off is the illusion that an election gives. No matter who's in power, you're getting screwed.

    • Bullion78 on 15/04/2017 - 12:34

      Reminds of the quote “democracy is 2 wolves and a sheep voting on what have for dinner”

    • edwardcr on 17/04/2017 - 02:15

      "You're getting screwed".

      Does that require an election or an erection?

  • Shiny Mew on 15/04/2017 - 11:26
    +1

    Drugs (including coffee).

    Car registration.

    Rent. I'd prefer to live in my car or a caravan.

    Uber. It recently cost me $70 to travel 20 minutes from Canberra City to Tuggeranong…

    Girlfriends.

    • GOCAT9 on 15/04/2017 - 12:38

      Agreed, so why aren't you living in a caravan or your car? Also, why didn't you take a bus to Tuggeranong. I think buses go that far. Trade the girlfriend in, then you'll be able to afford ALL the above!! Lol

      • Shiny Mew on 15/04/2017 - 17:23
        +2

        I plan to once I graduate. It was 2am. For some reason buses don't run at that hour (not a great way to reduce alcohol-related road accidents).

        • Daabido on 16/04/2017 - 18:43

          What kind of trade-in do you think you will get on the girlfriend when you graduate?

        • Shiny Mew on 16/04/2017 - 21:45
          +1

          @Daabido:

          Probably zero, since she doesn't exist. :p

        • PurchaseAnxiety on 17/04/2017 - 11:48

          Canberra buses aren't known for their versatility. I have a 2 hour window each day to catch my bus home. Its usually fine, but I'm screwed if I need to leave early or stay late.

        • try2bhelpful on 17/04/2017 - 17:22

          @Shiny Mew: Yeah, I think he threw that in as a furphy. Then again there are some women with incredibly low self esteem and they might just be on a large number of drugs.

    • Turtlegirl on 16/04/2017 - 18:59
      +2

      Girlfriends.

      Maybe you can break up with of some of them.

  • d86 on 15/04/2017 - 11:29
    +2

    Alcohol price at Ping Pong shows on Bangla Road.

    • try2bhelpful on 17/04/2017 - 17:23

      We will just have to bow to your superior knowledge in these things.

  • JayM on 15/04/2017 - 11:38
    +15

    Weddings

    I haven't had one myself but i've heard the practice of price increases when you mention the W word to a lot of places.

    • try2bhelpful on 17/04/2017 - 17:24
      +1

      Absolutely, we just avoided the wedding and put the money towards the house. Had the house paid off many years ago and still haven't bothered with the wedding.

  • StonedWizard on 15/04/2017 - 12:02
    +2

    I wouldn't put insurance in this catagory as it carries an element of risk.

    You may never need to claim or you could write off a Ferrari. They'll always be winners and losers.

  • Illian on 15/04/2017 - 12:28
    +1

    Car Registration for sure

    Honestly a lot of the things listed by people here aren't inherently bad value, they're only expensive because you're choosing to pay that much when you could otherwise choose not to do so ie weddings, gf/bf, branded clothes (you knew what you were getting into), and gifts for others

  • MessyG on 15/04/2017 - 12:34
    +3

    Women's clothing. Less fabric than mens, double the price.

    • cinnamink on 15/04/2017 - 15:23
      +6

      Same for children clothing.

    • [Deactivated] on 16/04/2017 - 07:51

      Less fabric than mens, double the price.

      Mostly applicable to undergarments.

    • U4333439 on 17/04/2017 - 05:42

      Wow, I really don't agree (35yo guy). I always see soo many racks of womens clothes with tshirts etc for $5 when guys equivalent is $10-$15. I always figured because women shop/spend more - supply/demand.

      • MessyG on 17/04/2017 - 08:40
        +2

        Coats and jackets are a good example. $250 for an XXL man, $250 for an XXS small ladies. Huge difference in fabric required. Heavily discounted women's clothing is usually ugly crap that has been the victim of it's own huge markup. Depends where you shop though.

        • U4333439 on 17/04/2017 - 09:22

          You're saying I've got cheap taste in clothes!! :)

        • MessyG on 17/04/2017 - 09:44
          +1

          @U4333439: Hahaha not at all! Exxy places discount womens clothing to $5 - because they're fugly.

      • try2bhelpful on 17/04/2017 - 17:27

        I suggest you have a look at the DFO, or outlet, shops to look for mens clothings. Much better value. If you want really cheap go to an Op shop.

  • sleet on 15/04/2017 - 12:48

    Fast food - used to be cheap back in my childhood but now they're definitely not value for money.

  • benderz on 15/04/2017 - 13:10
    +5

    Toll roads.
    Don't get me started about the amount of tax, licence fees and car rego I have to pay, then get slugged again to drive down a road.

    • Lord Fart Bucket on 15/04/2017 - 14:05
      +3

      Drive down a road? Most toll roads here is stand still in a queue

  • canleyheights on 15/04/2017 - 13:35
    +4

    owning a star in the sky. For $33.

  • edy4eva on 15/04/2017 - 13:51
    +3

    I agree with your sentiment but disagree on some of your observations.
    1- Getting your car serviced while under warranty at an independent mechanic or repairer does NOT void your warranty. It is actually illegal for a retailer/dealer to insinuate that when selling a car. Some extended warranty products may have some wording along the line of must be serviced according to manufacturers specifications. They simply can NOT force you to service it at their dealers workshop.

    2- Home loan rates from the big 4 aren't necessarily a rip off. My home loan comparison rate is perhaps second lowest on the market and it's from one the four. My friend is on the lowest from the same bank (has a much bigger loan). My product package has no fees, unlimited redraws, an offset account and a rewards card. I looked very hard at every product out there and couldn't find a single one that matches it let alone beats it. I must admit I had a long history with this bank and an excellent credit history, worked very well when negotiating the package in addition to a quote from another bank.

    3- Your point about insurance is valid. But my biggest gripe isn't with the rate or compensation (I was comped twice with repairs/replacement exceeding 30k without affecting my rating or premium, and had only paid about 9k in premiums), it's with sales people/price processes pushing products that you're already have cover for. Two examples:
    - travel insurance on tickets and car rentals (some exclusions apply) offered when you have cover by default on your credit card.
    - building insurance which is forced with home loans by bank sales people on apartments that already have cover through body corporate. They will push it until you give them a letter from the body corporate citing the building cover policy. Very few people realise they can also claim back all premiums paid to the bank as they're sold under false pretense.

  • Dazza610 on 15/04/2017 - 14:08
    +3

    I used to work in the Pro-shop in a Tenpin Bowling centre. The mark-up on EVERYTHING was at least 300% minimum. [all accessories, shoes, bags etc… included]

    I've been out of touch lately in this field, but a for-instance:
    The centres' cost for a "low-tech" plastic ball was around $20 - $25. The cost for the punter ran up to around $140 - $150 for these. [Around 500%]

    Admittedly, I still had to measure their hand and Drill to Fit. But it was a relatively very simple process for these "low-tech" balls.
    (Don't get me wrong, it's still high-tech knowledge that goes into the process).
    Time to do this would run about 10 - 15 minutes.
    I wished I was on contract (piece work) for the drilling process (sadly, minimum wages).

    High-tech balls were a lot more costly to purchase, and took longer to drill, with less profit margin, but they made that back easily because those bowlers would play more often.

    The manager/owner told me it was a common practise with ANYTHING & EVERYTHING that is sold RETAIL. (All Shops) Is at least a 100% mark-up.

    Now you know how retailers can supposedly, SLASH the prices of things, eg: 50% OFF.
    This doesn't mean that they are losing money.

    The 50% off (is from the end price), which is still giving them a handy profit, because it = more turnover of stock, which = more profit.

    The only one getting dudded was me. I was the one being rushed off my feet. sometimes working until 2 - 3am.

    The bottom line was easy to work out. Most customers (thinking they were getting an unbelievable deal) would buy shoes, bag, etc…. as well, at the massively exorbitant marked-up price for those items.

  • cosmos on 15/04/2017 - 14:40

    Photos.
    I think the charges for photos are too much.

    For e.g. last time I checked the passport size photos cost minimum $15 at the post office. With digital cameras (no film needed anymore) why should photos cost so much? Even if the labour, rent, are all included it shouldn't cost $15.

    For that reason, I take my own/family/friends photos, edit, and just print it at BigW or Camera House. The minimum it costs me it just 15 cents. The photos I got printed were never rejected anywhere, no issues even with the passport office.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/04/2017 - 15:35

      Dude back in the day photos were sooooo expensive and a complete hassle, you had to buy film, load it, store it, send it in . And then get back 1 or 2 OK photos, and certainly not anything risque.

  • skywards on 15/04/2017 - 15:00
    +4

    Public transport, although TransLink has "simplified" their zoning, it is still not cheap.

    • dylan345 on 16/04/2017 - 01:56
      +6

      Can't agree more I feel ashamed to say I live in a place where it's common for the poor to not be able to afford transport…..

      I once seen a man in Brisbane pleading to a bus driver in for a ticket with all the coins he had to get to a homeless shelter that he was recently accepted into.

      I paid for his ticket after watching for 5 min and felt like the public transport system was broken when a man with all the money he has can't afford to get to a home.

      Btw I do not place the bus driver at fault for this at all.

      Imo food, water, shelter, medical care and transport to opportunity and other such needs should be a basic human right in the modern world where taxes are paid.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/04/2017 - 15:33

    Taking 36 photos and getting the film developed…… glad that got sorted

  • Cwong14u on 15/04/2017 - 15:49
    +1

    At an age of 27, you really should know how and when to apply proper punctuation when structuring written sentences.

    Furthermore, you should also know the difference between 'new' vs. 'knew', and 'their' vs. 'there'.

    Happy Easter!

    • WatchNerd on 16/04/2017 - 00:37
      +1

      Yew areso rite, sum people defiantly cant spel these daze.

  • cinnamink on 15/04/2017 - 15:51
    +2

    Kitchen gadgets and fitness equipment from shopping channels (stuffs like Flavorstone cookware & Bamboo Pillow).

    Macaron, one of the most overrated and overpriced dessert at all time.

  • ankor on 15/04/2017 - 16:16
    +2

    Those encyclopaedias that were sold by door to door salesmen about 20+ years ago. My parents bought a set for me, I think it cost them about 400 bucks or more back in 1990.

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