Which is why idiots shop at Walmart thinking they're getting the same product.

With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw.

Some stores buy things in bulk. They get discounts, so they don't have to charge as much for the same profit per unit.

If this happens, they can sell identical items at lower prices. I suspect many consumers would go for that.

On the other hand, OlafTheBent: With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw. I would also agree that consumers are frequently mislead and get what they pay for.

You can buy airline tickets at Wal-Mart?

OlafTheBent: Which is why idiots shop at Walmart thinking they're getting the same product.

With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw.

It's the same can of Pringles, or the same quart of Pennzoil, or bag of Meow Mix. But the clothing, electronics, and appliances are definitely not of the same quality you'd find at a specialty store.

OlafTheBent: With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw.

You know, personally, I don't need clothing to do more than not itch, and cover me up/keep me warm.

However, I have learned from experience not to trust the cheaper Wally World purchases when obtaining potentially dangerous mechanical equipment.

\Missed it by that much!
\\Stupid electric saw.

Meh. I pay a little extra to not buy at the megacorps. If it's a huge savings, then sure... but it pisses me off when a megacorp undercuts the local's stores by a percent or two.

Why Wal-Mart merchandise sucks (and why Snapper lawnmowers are awesome) in one happy little clicky (new window)

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd rather spend 25% more for a product that lasts twice as long.

As for the actual article: I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest flight every time. I'd pay 10-20% extra for a noticably nicer experience. But the difference in price between AirTran/Southwest and the others is massive. I really can't justify spending $350 instead of $150, let alone the $500 for first class. Who can? Just people with unlimited reimbursement for business flights?

My life-time membership at Frak for $3 a month was a no-brainer.

I flew American last week for the first time in a long time and what a miserable experience that was. Tiny, tiny seats and I had some jerk lean WAAY back in front of me.

I'll stick with Southwest or business class on someone else's dime.

WHAT? NO MASSAGE WITH MY IN-FLIGHT MOVIE????

I just flew in from L.A. Man, are my arms tired.

UNC_Samurai: OlafTheBent: Which is why idiots shop at Walmart thinking they're getting the same product.

With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw.

It's the same can of Pringles, or the same quart of Pennzoil, or bag of Meow Mix. But the clothing, electronics, and appliances are definitely not of the same quality you'd find at a specialty store.

Depends what it is with the electronics. Get the manufacturer SKU to compare like to like (or use RedLaser if you have an iPhone).

sirgrim: My life-time membership at Frak for $3 a month was a no-brainer.

Lucky bastard....you must have got in before they closed membership.

Oh well, everything on frak.com is a repeat anyway.

FTA: "First-class tickets also are more expensive now vs. the price of economy tickets. So it's hard to justify paying that much more for just a couple of hours," he says.

I missed out on when first-class tickets cost less than economy tickets?

That's not always the case...

Seems many people will pay more for an iPod, even though there's much cheaper options than the iPod(s) (& some are even better)

Or he could fly Midwest and get first class seats and free cookies for regular price.

Pocket Ninja: You can buy airline tickets at Wal-Mart?

No, but I know a guy you should talk to. His name is Harvey, and he operates out of the back of his car around the side of Wal-Mart. Very affordable tickets. He says it's because he's really good at running a business--he's called Harvey because he got a GED in Business from Harvard.

mymom: http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=374855

Do Southwest or AirTran fly there?

Good thing they stopped playing those goddamned gnome commercials, in fact I haven't seen the Orbitz or Travelocity commercials for awhile.

Also, travelocity ripped that name off of that Wordsworth Travelocity track. Unacceptable.

/Last verse kills it

Mr. Coffee Nerves: Snapper lawnmowers

"Now I've seen a few snappers in my day. Never seen one that could cut grass." - George Carlin

hmmmm garbage goes in garbage can? Makes sense.

I always fly United because they have the Economy Plus seats with the extra legroom. First-class seats are an insane ripoff on domestic flights, but I need that extra legroom, since, despite what people sitting in front of me have thought over the years, my femurs do not collapse into themselves like camera tripod legs.

Their overall service is no better (or worse) than any other airline I've flown in the last decade or so, but those extra five inches make a difference, just like they do for your Mom.

UNC_Samurai:
It's the same can of Pringles, or the same quart of Pennzoil, or bag of Meow Mix. But the clothing, electronics, and appliances are definitely not of the same quality you'd find at a specialty store.

And the same PenesamiG batteries.

palelizard: GED in Business from Harvard.

No, it's a GED in LAW. Get your troll memes straight.

Uh, the article actually says it has little to do with price, and that discount airlines are simply offering more flights today than they used to.

schattenteufel: That's not always the case...

Seems many people will pay more for an iPod, even though there's much cheaper options than the iPod(s) (& some are even better)

Even better how?

I have not yet seen a cheaper one that has nearly the capacity of a ipod classic, unless you count the zune, but since those suck, it doesn't count.

Airlines are really cutting corners.

Whats next, female pilots??

mymom: There is a hostage situation at the missouri governor's office.
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=374855

That's an interesting and perspicacious observation about market economics. Please tell me more.

Racht: As for the actual article: I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest flight every time. I'd pay 10-20% extra for a noticably nicer experience. But the difference in price between AirTran/Southwest and the others is massive. I really can't justify spending $350 instead of $150, let alone the $500 for first class. Who can? Just people with unlimited reimbursement for business flights?

What are you looking for with that 10-20% extra? I don't fly that often, so I'm being kinda serious here. I don't see how flying coach on X airlines would be any different than Y airlines. Do some airlines give you more peanuts or something, or a centimeter more space in front of your seat?

/wishes rail coverage was better and the trains were faster

12349876: No, it's a GED in LAW. Get your troll memes straight.

Why would a degree in Law help Harvey with his business?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... this is not my Batman glass

Haha I'm a moran. In the above picture please imagine Michael Palin, rather than Eric Idle.

But I love the prices I can get for a new Panaphonic, Magnetbox, and Sorny!

OlafTheBent: With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw.

Yup. Take any brand. Say Calphalon. They sell products at Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Macy's, and they look similar but definitely have different quality levels. The cheaper stores have versions with inferior coatings, or cheaper metals. For some people, this might be alright. It's just important to see this when knocking pricier stores.

Another example are baby products companies. They do will have budget and premium brands, with the budget items showing up in Walmart, and the premium ones showing up in Babies R Us. Furthermore, between stores in one level of product (eg. between Walmart and Kmart, or Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby), they will vary the colors slightly so that consumers cannot do price matching.

The diaper companies do this too -- they'll sell a box with 144ct of diapers at Target, but 168ct at Babies R Us.

FTA: "I liked flying on those other (airlines)," he says. "You got a meal. And back in the day, people still dressed up to fly. It was all kind of nice, especially since I flew everywhere in first class. But those days are gone."

Back in the day I didn't have to take my shoes off, stand in long lines like cattle and deal with aggravating 'security' people. If you want people to act dignified then they should be treated with dignity.

Also, IMO the flights are better when the crew can have a little fun with their jobs. Happiness is contagious; as the plane was taxiing to the runway for take off a steward in a dead-pan voice was going through the regular drill on the speaker and then announced the plane's destination... which wasn't where we were actually headed. About half the cabin nearly freaked at being on the wrong plane while the other half of us had a good laugh at the joke.

vernonFL: Airlines are really cutting corners.

Whats next, female pilots??

Would you rather have wimmen or men in the cockpit?

/NTTIAWWT

OlafTheBent: Which is why idiots shop at Walmart thinking they're getting the same product.

With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw.

Same with Costco. The clothes there are made for Costco.

The only thing I can add to this discussion is that the larger airlines have exponentially more employees than the smaller ones despite having fewer or only slighter more planes in their fleet. Having no background information whatsoever leads me to believe than the larger airlines are bloated with unnecessary employees...or...the smaller airlines don't have enough employees to maintain the fleet properly, thereby causing at least one plane crash per day.

OlafTheBent
Which is why idiots shop at Walmart thinking they're getting the same product.

With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw.

THIS!
I had to buy some Dickies work pants for my uniform @ Wal Mart. Every time I had to squat down to pick something up, access conduits, J-Boxes, etc., my balls kept getting crushed.

Soon after I went to an actual Dickies outlet and bought work pants there. Now it damn-near feels like I'm free-ballin'. According to the guy at the store, in order to drop the price for Wal Mart by that $5 difference, they don't put as much cloth on the groin areas to save on material costs.

Needless to say I don't buy clothes from Wal Mart any longer.

cptjeff: I have not yet seen a cheaper one that has nearly the capacity of a ipod classic, unless you count the zune, but since those suck, it doesn't count.

I gotta agree here... ipods right now are the kings of MP3 players.

You just cannot get the same size, functionality, quality in anything else at the moment.

Also in the news:

more people are stupid, than smart

I'll wait for Ric Romero's in depth report on this in a couple years.

OlafTheBent: Which is why idiots shop at Walmart thinking they're getting the same product.

With regard to clothing, it may have the same label, but it isn't btw.

On quite a bit of electronics.. it is the same farking thing.

Same Xbox, Same PS3, Same USB stick, Same sony DVDs, same batteries, etc..

On some products there are minute differences. TVs for instance, often come from different pallets of manufacturing specs. Meaning that the capacitors used to make the PCBs that control the LCD in that TV might have come from place A instead of place B. But the overall product still meets the manufacturer specs to cover the year Warranty.

I know people like to rail on Wally world, but the fact of the matter is they get prices down to the levels they do because the buyers play hardball with the manufacturers.

Which in turn drives prices down for everyone.

If Thor wanted us to fly he would have given us wings!

cptjeff: schattenteufel: That's not always the case...

Seems many people will pay more for an iPod, even though there's much cheaper options than the iPod(s) (& some are even better)

Even better how?

I have not yet seen a cheaper one that has nearly the capacity of a ipod classic, unless you count the zune, but since those suck, it doesn't count.


Honestly, I agree with you completely; iPods are generally superior to most/all MP3 players that cost the same or less... but I was trying to not turn this into a flamewar thread, so I was tossing the Apple-Haters a bone. (some kids really like their Rios)

When it comes to airlines, in my opinion, the biggest thing that makes me hate them is that they charge for bags, but not those giant "carry-ons" people bring on that are too large and heavy to, ahem, carry on. Then, after I've paid for a checked bag, I'm expected to NOT use the overhead compartment for my backpack because they have to accommodate the leviathans other people DIDN'T check. And that makes me stabby.

*twitch*

huntley: The only thing I can add to this discussion is that the larger airlines have exponentially more employees than the smaller ones despite having fewer or only slighter more planes in their fleet. Having no background information whatsoever leads me to believe than the larger airlines are bloated with unnecessary employees...or...the smaller airlines don't have enough employees to maintain the fleet properly, thereby causing at least one plane crash per day.

One big factor is that the economy guys usually have only a single class of plans (Boeing 737s at Southwest) rather than a collection of many different plans so their maintenance folks can be better utilized (ie you don't need 5 maitenance teams to do the work of 3 because there are 5 different planes that need maintenace on a given day).

davideo_games: Also in the news:

more people are stupid, than smart

There's nothing stupid about paying less for the same thing. If there was a big sign saying "THESE CLOTHES ARE MADE DIFFERENTLY TO REFLECT THE PRICE", then people would not buy as much from Wal-Mart.

How are people supposed to know the quality varies if the look and brand name are the same? It's deceptive.