My rant on frugality

[EdRenkema]

Many may get updates from Greg Habstritt`s blog, here is a July post that really hit home for me:http://www.greghabstritt.com/2009/07/
Now I`m all for being frugal when or if it makes sense but this was way too much.
I work as a truck driver and Sunday afternoon I`m heading out to the US and I stop at Sobeys to pick up a snack for the road, I`m in a hurry (like always). I go to the express checkout with my one item and a lady is in front of me paying, she has 10 cans of Campbell`s soup and some lunchmeat. She proudly declares to the teller that she is buying the soup special of 10 cans for 20 cents which are regular 90 cents. The teller explains the special is only applicable if there is a total additional purchase of $20 in grocery items. The lady thinks for a moment and promptly buys 2 lottery tickets (first clue). The teller rings it in and indeed the total is over $20 but the special soup can price will not be accepted by the system since lottery tickets are not a grocery item. The teller then places several slow calls to department managers to try to trouble shoot the problem. I am now waiting 10 minutes and getting frantic, people behind me in line are moving to other lines and I glance over and see all other line ups are at least 5 deep. After 15 minutes of not moving I ask the lady if I can pay the difference she would save on the soup cans just so I can move through, just then a manager over rides the system and the lady gets her `special price`.

This lady absolutely did not get it, if she wanted the special so badly she could`ve got more groceries which she could have definitely used, but lottery tickets??? (tax for the stupid).

My prediction: this lady will be clipping coupons the rest of her life along with her silly little tear off lottery tickets.

 

[lilbuffet]

QUOTE (EdRenkema @ Aug 25 2009, 08:52 AM) Many may get updates from Greg Habstritt`s blog, here is a July post that really hit home for me:http://www.greghabstritt.com/2009/07/
Now I`m all for being frugal when or if it makes sense but this was way too much.
I work as a truck driver and Sunday afternoon I`m heading out to the US and I stop at Sobeys to pick up a snack for the road, I`m in a hurry (like always). I go to the express checkout with my one item and a lady is in front of me paying, she has 10 cans of Campbell`s soup and some lunchmeat. She proudly declares to the teller that she is buying the soup special of 10 cans for 20 cents which are regular 90 cents. The teller explains the special is only applicable if there is a total additional purchase of $20 in grocery items. The lady thinks for a moment and promptly buys 2 lottery tickets (first clue). The teller rings it in and indeed the total is over $20 but the special soup can price will not be accepted by the system since lottery tickets are not a grocery item. The teller then places several slow calls to department managers to try to trouble shoot the problem. I am now waiting 10 minutes and getting frantic, people behind me in line are moving to other lines and I glance over and see all other line ups are at least 5 deep. After 15 minutes of not moving I ask the lady if I can pay the difference she would save on the soup cans just so I can move through, just then a manager over rides the system and the lady gets her `special price`.

This lady absolutely did not get it, if she wanted the special so badly she could`ve got more groceries which she could have definitely used, but lottery tickets??? (tax for the stupid).

My prediction: this lady will be clipping coupons the rest of her life along with her silly little tear off lottery tickets.



6 billion people......6 billion minds.....thats the world for ya!

 

[JohnS]

QUOTE (EdRenkema @ Aug 25 2009, 11:52 AM) but lottery tickets??? (tax for the stupid).

It`s like they say......
There`s three kinds of people in the world; Those that can do math and those that can`t....


Have a good one!

JohnS

 

[JimWhitelaw]

Aside from the frugality aspect, this is an interesting insight into the large number of people currently working in the service industry that:

1) Can`t think or reason independently.
2) Are completely lost when "the computer" won`t let them do something.
3) Don`t understand that customer service is about serving the customer.

 

[EdRenkema]

QUOTE (JimWhitelaw @ Aug 25 2009, 09:29 PM) Aside from the frugality aspect, this is an interesting insight into the large number of people currently working in the service industry that:

1) Can`t think or reason independently.
2) Are completely lost when "the computer" won`t let them do something.
3) Don`t understand that customer service is about serving the customer.


While your 3 points are correct you are missing the point, the lady wanting to get the soup can special simply threw her money away on lottery tickets, why not get more groceries, in her haste to `save` a few bucks she blew more than she could`ve saved - pound foolish.

 

[invst4profit]

Every time I see something like that I can`t help but be reminded of the movie Forest Gump.

Stupid is as Stupid does.

And frankly I can`t help but think all of the stupid people out there may actually be sharing one brain.

 

[EdRenkema]

QUOTE (invst4profit @ Aug 26 2009, 09:37 AM) Every time I see something like that I can`t help but be reminded of the movie Forest Gump.

Stupid is as Stupid does.

And frankly I can`t help but think all of the stupid people out there may actually be sharing one brain.


Once again one of those people you are referring to held me up today as I was trying to pay for my gas. Ontario lottery tickets have this annoying recording declaring winner in English and French. Of course the winnings go right back into more tickets.
Now think about this if you won the big one would that be something you would be proud of?? Personally I`d be embarassed, we live in one of the best countries in the world, you can be as comfortable or as wealthy as you want.
Lottery tickets are for people who want instant gratification.

 

[JimWhitelaw]

QUOTE (EdRenkema @ Aug 26 2009, 08:26 AM) While your 3 points are correct you are missing the point, the lady wanting to get the soup can special simply threw her money away on lottery tickets, why not get more groceries, in her haste to `save` a few bucks she blew more than she could`ve saved - pound foolish.No, I didn`t miss that point. I simply commented on an additional aspect of the story - your experience could have been vastly improved by a teller that did their job more effectively.

Anyway, thanks for sharing that funny story.

 

[Fortuneinvesting]

QUOTE (JimWhitelaw @ Aug 26 2009, 04:19 PM) No, I didn`t miss that point. I simply commented on an additional aspect of the story - your experience could have been vastly improved by a teller that did their job more effectively.

Anyway, thanks for sharing that funny story.

Completely disagree. She did her job. That wasn`t the deal to just buy the cheap cans of soup. The deal was intended to bring customers in to raise company sales as well as pass a savings onto the customer. I agree the cashier should have understood the deal and informed the customer but in no way did she not do her job.

 

[invst4profit]

Ed.

I can empathise with your situation regarding individuals buying lottery tickets at gas stations.
This situation is one of my personal pet peeves that should not be allowed. There should be a separate line for lottery tickets.
It never fails if there is a line up to pay for gas it is always because some idiot is fumbling around, completely oblivious to the outside world, trying to spend his new found winnings on the next stage of his personal pension plan strategy.

Sometimes the urge to grab them by the scruff of the neck and reposition them to the back of the line is almost overpowering.

 

[EdRenkema]

QUOTE (invst4profit @ Aug 28 2009, 07:55 AM) Sometimes the urge to grab them by the scruff of the neck and reposition them to the back of the line is almost overpowering.


If I ever witness that happening I will know who it is

 

[DanBarton]

You could have made the poor ladies day and bought her soup and your time back

 

[Aneta]

QUOTE (EdRenkema @ Aug 26 2009, 04:46 PM) Now think about this if you won the big one would that be something you would be proud of?? Personally I`d be embarassed, we live in one of the best countries in the world, you can be as comfortable or as wealthy as you want.
Lottery tickets are for people who want instant gratification.

I agree Ed! Actually about 10 years ago my husband refused to go into a work lottery pool, out of principle. The pool actually ended up winning about $200K per person. It did suck for us for a couple of days, but we knew that we were and still are capable of adding value to society and making that money ourselves. I would imagine a poor-minded person would lament over this `loss` of lottery winnings for years, maybe even step it up and play more to compensate. I actually have totally forgot about our lottery experience, until your topic reminded me...I am too busy making money rather than spending hours pondering over my chances at lottery winnings.

 

[invst4profit]

The bunch I work with are all in a pool including our manager which means if they win (lotto 649) they will all quit leaving me to do the work of 10. That`s not going to happen. I just hope they don`t win before the end of the year when I retire.

 

[Aneta]

QUOTE (invst4profit @ Aug 31 2009, 01:13 PM) The bunch I work with are all in a pool including our manager which means if they win (lotto 649) they will all quit leaving me to do the work of 10. That`s not going to happen. I just hope they don`t win before the end of the year when I retire.

Chances of retiring from lottery winning = very, very, very slim. Chances of retiring by running a real estate investing business = very, very, very high. Those people you work with will be scratching their heads, wondering how you managed to retire....then call you lucky, then go back to their gloomy job and play more lottery.

 

[invst4profit]

The actual fact is my rental income is what made my early retirement possible. I will be pulling off additional positive cash flow to supplement my pension back up to my present employment income.
The rest of them are all too young to retire which is why they are investing in the lottery pension plan.

 

[Aneta]

QUOTE (invst4profit @ Aug 31 2009, 02:37 PM) The actual fact is my rental income is what made my early retirement possible. I will be pulling off additional positive cash flow to supplement my pension back up to my present employment income.
The rest of them are all too young to retire which is why they are investing in the lottery pension plan.


Congratulations, Greg! I like how you refer to it as `lottery pension plan`. I guess somehow, someday they are expecting a payback of their `investment`...

 

[JimWhitelaw]

QUOTE (Aneta @ Aug 31 2009, 11:41 AM) Chances of retiring from lottery winning = very, very, very slim. True. But slim != zero. Consider that the chances of winning a lottery with one ticket are infinitely greater than with none.

Folks here are pretty tough on lottery players it seems. I don`t think it`s better or worse than any other hobby or amusement people spend money on. Those who play lotto do so because they enjoy it, so what? People spend their money on all kinds of unnecessary things - I`ve even heard of some who pay money for cable TV every month!

 

[EdRenkema]

QUOTE (JimWhitelaw @ Aug 31 2009, 02:19 PM) People spend their money on all kinds of unnecessary things - I`ve even heard of some who pay money for cable TV every month!

I don`t, ranks up there with lottery tickets for me.

 

[Aneta]

QUOTE (JimWhitelaw @ Aug 31 2009, 04:19 PM) Folks here are pretty tough on lottery players it seems. I don`t think it`s better or worse than any other hobby or amusement people spend money on. Those who play lotto do so because they enjoy it, so what?

I would say that for some people lottery is more than a hobby, as it consumes their entire mindspace on `what they will do when they win` rather than coming up with constructive ways to make money and add value to society. They lead their life living in fantasy. I laugh when people at work actually sit down and meet and discuss, calculate the odds on chances of winning the lottery and organize very effectively the group pools. Imagine they applied that mind power, organization skills and motivation to actually do their job or start their own business.....