I'm busy rethinking my garage given my ASIC project (see my other articles), and I'm doing some planning as well as cost research on materials and parts. As I'm working out the details on how to build the necessary racks and so on, I found myself sitting in front of a bunch of brackets thinking to myself, these are outrageously priced for a bunch of tin straps. So, not settling for the first price I see, I keep scrounging around for options. Lo and behold, on a shelf above regular horizontal eyesight, was a woodbench kit. In it was exactly 8 brackets I was looking for with 100 screws for the cost of $32.50. Each of those brackets individually, with no screws, was in another place just minutes ago for $8.60 each. 

Unfortunately, big stores with all there promises of savings and discounts, are basically spewing bullshit. While online sales does offer some ability to price compare if one is willing do so a bit of homework with multiple browser pages or similar, in-store depends tremendously on consumers being lazy. They point folks to product with signs, big numbers, made up savings via math play and sleight of hand. And, because most people are in too much of a hurry or can't be bothered to look up or down, they take the first price they see. In my case, the bracket difference would have been paying more than $4.10 a bracket, and again no hardware screws included.

As consumers, we're big on griping about inflation, the cost of living going up, the economy stinking and so on. But, if we're too lazy to protect ourselves and proactively do something about it, then we generally deserve getting screwed. No business is obligated to price to the advantage of a buyer. After all, capitalism is about profit, and that only happens when people buy things or services above what they are worth. 

So, as a buyer who actually gives a damn about their wallet, forcing retailers to be competitive only makes sense. We shouldn't be rolling over and handing our money out just because of convenience. Employers aren't being charitable in paying for all the work hours traded for a paycheck, why should we instead be "donating" our income to retailers by shopping dumb? Slow down, look around and compare. Especially in big box retailers, there is usually a comparative discount just looking around. Get out of your comfort zone as well. Look up, look down, look behind things. The most expensive options are up front, easy to see. The better deals tend to be shuffled to the side or obscured, but they are still available to buy. There's a whole science to shelf space with retailers, and again they are not placing things to be helpful to consumers. So don't cooperate. Mess with the system and save.