Just Say NO!
Some time ago, I was writing on my blog a little more regularly and I decided that I was tired of seeing Nova Scotians, among others paying too much for common products. I wrote about cars, food and general supplies... a virtual shopping cart for consumers. At that time I was concerned that the USA prices were 15% to over 100% over Canadian prices. I was considering doing a regular shopping cart from several sites in the USA and Canada, and had lined up shoppers...
But alas... I got bored with the project because people didn't seem interested. I didn't understand that the real problem was that people didn't know how to say "no" and were prepared to pay the going rate... even when they were getting screwed!
I really didn't get a graphic example of this until last week. Lynnda and I decided to go to the new movie Mama Mia... a great flick by-the-way. Let's forget that I actually paid $21.25 for the tickets. That was me not being a discerning customer... I paid it, even though we pay less than half that to catch a movie in Florida, and we could have gone to a matinee at Dartmouth Crossing the following day for about 25% off. I guess I figured the money wasn't all that critical.
But then I lined up for a small fountain coke and a small popcorn (no butter). The young woman rang it in, turned and scooped up the popcorn into a "micro bag" and a fountain coke in a cup that would be a thimble for some of my larger friends. I asked her how much, and she said $9.25!
I looked shocked, and started to sag... the people behind me edged up, thinking I would hit the floor (yes I am a gray hair, and they could imagine my advanced age). My prosthesis almost fell out of my mouth as my jaw sagged to before unknown lows...
As I recovered, I started to reach for a $20.00 bill... while my mind did some value shopping...
One Dozen cans of real Coke... $2.50 at Sobeys
One Pound of no-name Popcorn... $1.29 at Bulk Barn (enough to make a dozen small bags of movie Popcorn).
I don't know what took me so long... but once the math hit, I got my nerve up and bamb!
I said no way! I put the $20.00 back in my pocket, and suffered through a great chick flick without my traditional snack.
What are we doing... letting the likes of EMPIRE Theatres get away with such highway and social robbery... without a gun! What have we become, besides a target for any scumbag, money grabbing, entrepreneur? What other products are we buying that are so hard to get, so valuable that we are willing to pay such outrages prices... note that I have already detailed the price differences on cars and shopping cart stuff a year ago and it took McLeans Magazine 'till this week to do it.
Come on friends... stop being taken! There were hundreds of movie goers at that six theatre facility walking around with jigundous cokes and popcorn! Just Say NO!
Comments
I'm a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters and one of the things my Little and I enjoy (often) is going to the show. We buy our pop and snacks at Sobeys before hand and she understands and even appreciates that it basically means we can go to the show twice.
Even kids can do the math. It means we can do more. Wouldn't it be great if we could fill the theatre with customers bringing their own snacks! Especially healthy ones! I get so annoyed on the rare occassion when I might break down and buy something only to learn that I have to buy this humungus bar or bag of nibs. It just makes no sense. Except for the vendor. On the flip side though. Empire is great to cooperate with small fundraising groups and personal parties. Maybe it's less about corporate greed and more about personal responsibility..realizing and using the purchasing power we each have as consumers. Don't they have the right to make whatever we're stupid enough to pay for? J