teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Mar 17, 2022 9:52:31 GMT -5
I got into an argument with a professor in college back in 60's about this very thing. I see $99.99 and my mind goes to $100.00 He said I was wrong. I guess it's easier for me to think in whole numbers. Same here, and I'm already guilty of teaching my kids the same. They are 5 and 7, and when we check prices on things (last thing that comes to mind was the school book fair), I always tell them that $5.99 means $6 😆 We haven't gotten into the intricacies of sales tax yet though! It drives me crazy that publishers set the price of books ending in .99 instead of whole $$. I do all the cataloging at the library; there's a field for item price, in case someone destroys/loses a book. I now round all item prices as I create new records - we almost never have pennies on hand to make change for those rare xx.99 fines, because everything else is round numbers. I may mentally round 9.99 to 10, but if the auto-generated bill says $9.99, that's the bill.
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Value Buy
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Post by Value Buy on Mar 17, 2022 9:56:17 GMT -5
From your link- Without energy, food and trade services, PPI rose a modest 0.2% in February -- markedly less than in January and the lowest level since November 2020 -- and 6.6% over the 12-month period, also a decrease from the start of the year.Yeh, who uses energy or food o reven trade services who do not use it? Do you think truckers paying $5 a gallon for diesel do not pass this cost on to vendors they ship shit to you or places you shop? Now even your rideshare companies are tacking on a fee to deliver stuff to you.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Mar 17, 2022 10:06:17 GMT -5
I got into an argument with a professor in college back in 60's about this very thing. I see $99.99 and my mind goes to $100.00 He said I was wrong. I guess it's easier for me to think in whole numbers. Same here, and I'm already guilty of teaching my kids the same. They are 5 and 7, and when we check prices on things (last thing that comes to mind was the school book fair), I always tell them that $5.99 means $6 😆 We haven't gotten into the intricacies of sales tax yet though! I don’t do sales tax either since tax varies depending on which part of county I happen to be shopping in. I also taught my son the same.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Mar 17, 2022 10:18:20 GMT -5
From your link- Without energy, food and trade services, PPI rose a modest 0.2% in February -- markedly less than in January and the lowest level since November 2020 -- and 6.6% over the 12-month period, also a decrease from the start of the year.Yeh, who uses energy or food o reven trade services who do not use it? Do you think truckers paying $5 a gallon for diesel do not pass this cost on to vendors they ship shit to you or places you shop? Now even your rideshare companies are tacking on a fee to deliver stuff to you. What it is saying is inflation is basically coming from a singular source - energy costs, in specific gas prices. I shared elsewhere that the grocery store marked up its own house brand of water to $3.99 a case ( a 33% increase). I doubt costs went up that dramatically, and it currently makes the Poland Spring offer cheaper if you are willing to buy enough cases at a time. Pretty much everyone is pushing their prices higher than they need to including gas stations. That's the joys of capitalism. On the other pole I think Venezuela subsidizes their gas prices as a country, so they are extremely low compared to the vast majority of countries. We are three weeks into Russia's war on Ukraine. They have destroyed most of the buildings in Mariupol. I don't know how much longer this will last, but it feels like weeks, not months. Weird too given we barely import any Russian gas and we import none now. ETA - So supply has only been mildly impacted, yet capitalists have chosen to raise their prices significantly. So why VB, aren't you seeing this as a triumph of businessmen in the oil and gas industry?
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obelisk
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Post by obelisk on Mar 17, 2022 11:30:01 GMT -5
6.19/gallon gasoline in SCal this morning
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Mar 17, 2022 12:14:58 GMT -5
6.19/gallon gasoline in SCal this morning Yikes! Gas prices in CA during price increases always remind me to be thankful its not worse here.
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buystoys
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Post by buystoys on Mar 18, 2022 8:03:44 GMT -5
I see $99.99 and think $100. DH sees the same thing and thinks $99. Until it's time to pay for it, anyway! Strange that he always rounds down but is so frugal he'll spend hours on the computer comparing prices to save a few cents.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Mar 18, 2022 10:40:51 GMT -5
I was able to get premium yesterday for $4.70/gal. A drop from higher prices I saw earlier. I paid cash to keep the price lower as locally only Wawa charges the same cash or credit. Regular gas is still above $4/gallon.
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nidena
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Post by nidena on Mar 18, 2022 11:15:22 GMT -5
I was able to get premium yesterday for $4.70/gal. A drop from higher prices I saw earlier. I paid cash to keep the price lower as locally only Wawa charges the same cash or credit. Regular gas is still above $4/gallon. I miss Wawa!! I was in NV last week and was very glad that I didn't have to pay for any gas. I did buy some groceries but didn't really notice what they cost. I mean, I was getting those few items anyway and there was nothing I could do about the price.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2022 14:08:42 GMT -5
I just picked up my sole prescription- 30 grams of Premarin cream (so about one ounce) for $458. That's 20% above the price a paid a year ago. Fortunately that will last me 3-4 months, and the next refill will be cheaper after the deductible is met.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Mar 18, 2022 16:46:10 GMT -5
Yeh, who uses energy or food o reven trade services who do not use it? Do you think truckers paying $5 a gallon for diesel do not pass this cost on to vendors they ship shit to you or places you shop? Now even your rideshare companies are tacking on a fee to deliver stuff to you. What it is saying is inflation is basically coming from a singular source - energy costs, in specific gas prices. I shared elsewhere that the grocery store marked up its own house brand of water to $3.99 a case ( a 33% increase). I doubt costs went up that dramatically, and it currently makes the Poland Spring offer cheaper if you are willing to buy enough cases at a time. Pretty much everyone is pushing their prices higher than they need to including gas stations. That's the joys of capitalism. On the other pole I think Venezuela subsidizes their gas prices as a country, so they are extremely low compared to the vast majority of countries. We are three weeks into Russia's war on Ukraine. They have destroyed most of the buildings in Mariupol. I don't know how much longer this will last, but it feels like weeks, not months. Weird too given we barely import any Russian gas and we import none now. ETA - So supply has only been mildly impacted, yet capitalists have chosen to raise their prices significantly. So why VB, aren't you seeing this as a triumph of businessmen in the oil and gas industry? I think you need to look at retail pricing more as a business operator than as a consumer. If your business has $100 of inventory at $10 per unit, and you sell it at a 10% profit, you’d end up with $110 (inventory cost recovery plus profit). Now, if your suppliers increase their prices by 30%, your $110 can only buy about 8 1/2 units of inventory to replace the10 units you sold. During an extended period of inflation, with every purchase/sales cycle, the amount of inventory you can afford to buy to replace the inventory you have sold decreases. After several purchase/sales cycles, you wouldn’t be able to afford to buy any inventory any more. So you are out of business. If a retailer is going to stay in business, their selling price must include anticipated price increases. A simple cost recovery approach to pricing will not be adequate to keep your shelves stocked and maintain your inventory level. I know this example is a bit simplistic. It’s intended to demonstrate a concept. Not justify the price of your next tank of gas or head of lettuce.
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Mar 19, 2022 17:49:55 GMT -5
Gas $3.99, but we had everyone in our town charging the same elevated prices. We all started talking about it on facebook and how that seemed like collusion or price fixing. Someone must have paid attention, shortly after prices started varying and never had.
We are finding some stations in the next town, 7 miles away from our main one with the cheaper gas. Lot of folks are going there now or if driving to work that way, getting gas there.
It took me awhile to explain to son when he was little, why he had to add sales tax. He had started to pay for some things and didn't have enough money and couldn't understand why, so had to start explaining.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2022 18:05:06 GMT -5
I see $99.99 and think $100. DH sees the same thing and thinks $99. Until it's time to pay for it, anyway! Strange that he always rounds down but is so frugal he'll spend hours on the computer comparing prices to save a few cents. Yeah, $99.99 is $100. Sales tax varies a little in different parts of the county I live in, but I think it’s at least 9% everywhere, so I just add 10% to the price when I’m doing mental calculations.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Mar 19, 2022 18:10:43 GMT -5
Gas $3.99, but we had everyone in our town charging the same elevated prices. We all started talking about it on facebook and how that seemed like collusion or price fixing. Someone must have paid attention, shortly after prices started varying and never had. We are finding some stations in the next town, 7 miles away from our main one with the cheaper gas. Lot of folks are going there now or if driving to work that way, getting gas there. It took me awhile to explain to son when he was little, why he had to add sales tax. He had started to pay for some things and didn't have enough money and couldn't understand why, so had to start explaining. Prices always vary in this area. I know some gas stations are required to raise their prices to a certain corporate price especially if they are in a high traffic area deemed by corporate. So those stations tend to have the highest prices. Off brands or independent operators are generally the cheapest if you know where to find them. I'm not driving much so I'm limiting my price searches to gas buddy and what I've noticed passing various gas stations. (In the background Moon Shadow is attacking the ball of Water Hyacinth strips or something else. Going to look and top off his hay.)
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Mar 19, 2022 18:18:49 GMT -5
I don't drive that much either, so a few cents here and there don't bother me. It would if I were driving major miles to work and back every day.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2022 18:26:32 GMT -5
Sales tax varies a little in different parts of the county I live in, but I think it’s at least 9% everywhere, so I just add 10% to the price when I’m doing mental calculations. Unfortunately true. It kind of annoys me that inflation means the gubmint automatically gets more in sales taxes for doing nothing. In my state (MO), at least there's no state tax on food so I pay about 5.6% on food. In the neighboring state (KS) they charge the full sales tax on food. I love making Costco runs in IA when I visit DS- no sales tax at all on food.
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finnime
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Post by finnime on Mar 19, 2022 18:30:52 GMT -5
I paid $3.69/gallon today. Maryland lifted their gas tax for 30 days.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2022 19:09:20 GMT -5
My yard man for my other house told me a couple of days ago that due to increases in the cost of gas, he is increasing his prices by $5. I went through a few, more expensive “yard men” before I found him, and they didn’t even do as good of a job as he does. I don’t need to make sure he’s coming or check behind him, he texts me to tell me when he’s going over there and texts me after he finishes and I send him payment electronically, no questions asked. The yard is always neat when I go over there, and I appreciate just having to pay a reasonable amount for it, without a bunch of issues and hassles. He’s been taking care of the yard for about 5 years now.
He does “extra” stuff sometimes, without charging me, just because he wants the yard to look nice. If it’s not something quick and simple, I pay him for the extra anyway, even though he said he’ll do it for free. He seems to appreciate that.
He’s a keeper, so I told him I understood about the price increase (which I do) and it’s no problem.
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daisylu
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Post by daisylu on Mar 20, 2022 8:00:04 GMT -5
IMO, grocery stores are taking advantage of an opportunity to raise prices.
I used to buy our preferred sausage from a local butcher. It is a bit out of my way though, so when the grocery store (national chain) near me started selling it for #.20 more a pound it was just easier for my to buy it there. Lately the price had been creeping up, and last week it was 5.29 a pound. Not happening. I wondered if the butcher had raised their prices, so went there Friday. $3.45 a pound, same price it has been for years. I have known this company for years, and seriously doubt that they raised the cost to the grocery store enough to warrant an almost $2 a pound price increase.
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jerseygirl
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Post by jerseygirl on Mar 20, 2022 9:44:29 GMT -5
Yes I also think some grocery stores are ‘trying out’ higher prices.
In one store whole chickens were around $20, at second store 5 miles away whole chickens were usual price, around &10
Last week in second store tuna fillet was$40/lb in the first store $3.00 for 4 oz pieces or $12/lb
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Mar 20, 2022 11:11:19 GMT -5
Last year Walmart raised quite a few prices on chicken products in the Feb/March timeframe. I don't think they've come down. They used to have the canned Valleyfresh chicken at the cheapest price in the area. Now they don't. I only buy at the grocery store now when they have the 2 for $3 sales. Walmart sells it at $1.92 and I think it was $1.26 regular price prior to that. It may have been a response to the lack of chicken processing workers during the pandemic. There's also frozen poultry sausage that went up dramatically in price. I don't buy it anywhere now. I forget the package size, but it was I think $7.99 at Walmart and is now I think still at $11.38. It was an indulgence for me at the old price, and now it's a never buy thing. Ocean Spray juice in the grocery store went to a new higher regular price just as they flooded the shelves with their own brand. Unfortunately, they chose to go slightly sweeter, i.e. more sugar, than Ocean Spray juices so I'm not sure whether I want to purchase any. For them its probably a slight thing, but I prefer getting the ones in OS's line that have the least sugar which is not low as it is at 27gm per 8oz. I like when I used to be able to buy grapefruit juice at 17gm or so sugar in an 8oz serving. I don't want 29,30 and higher sugar wise. Just like most new non dairy deserts stocked are higher sugar content then what they replaced. There is too much sugar in the average American's diet and I know I am not doing as well as I'd like in limiting it. It would be nice if grocery stores and manufacturers could make that easier instead of harder.
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mollyc
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Post by mollyc on Mar 20, 2022 11:19:34 GMT -5
Loblaw Companies refused to pay the increase in the cost of potatoe chips to Frito-Lay Canada so were receiving no stock. That started around Feb 28th. The only Loblaw-owned grocery store in town had no Frito-Lay stock last week. I didn’t go down the chip aisle at the drugstore yesterday so I don’t know if this dispute is settled or not. Everyone else is still getting product so people can still get their Dorito fix.
It’s interesting to me that Loblaws is trying to pull a Walmart and use their market saturation to force a supplier to lower its selling price to them.
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geenamercile
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Post by geenamercile on Mar 20, 2022 12:29:45 GMT -5
I am seeing some increases in price more this month. Mostly on processed things. Fruits and Veggies seem to have gone up around 10 cents a lb. Beef and pork has gone up, chicken breast are still 1.99 lb but whole chicken is like 1.09 instead of .89 or .99 cents. Going from my house to my parents, about an hour drive, the lowest gas price was 3.99 and the highest was 4.29. I know I have said this before, but I am really curious on if the prices at the farmer market is going to jump. The places that sell farm shares here didn't jump. I have thought about getting a veggie/fruit share, but with the amount I plan on being gone I just don't know if it makes sense. I am also going back and forward on if I want to plant my normal plants out back for the same reason.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Mar 20, 2022 12:36:39 GMT -5
Our farmers market in town was already higher than the grocery stores on most items.
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geenamercile
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Post by geenamercile on Mar 20, 2022 13:41:38 GMT -5
Our farmers market in town was already higher than the grocery stores on most items. Ours was too, so I am curious on if they are going to raise their prices and keep the same gap or if the gap between the two will shrink. One of the reasons I held off on getting the cow for so long, was just the price difference but beef really has gone up here and now there is much much less of a gap between getting 1/2 a cow from a farmer directly and paying the processing then getting it at the store. There have been plenty of times I have gone to the market and made the choice just to get something at the store because of price difference, I am not going to pay 1.75 lb for zucchini at the market if I can get it for .99 cents at the store. I may pay 1.75 if it is 1.29 at the store. The people at the farmers market may be able to keep prices more steady if they are selling more and having as much waste. There were times I could get good deals at the end of the day because they wanted it sold vs taking it home with them. Those might not be there as much. The place I got the cow from also sells dairy shares, you just have to go pick up once a week. It is becoming more attractive with prices going up.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Mar 21, 2022 21:00:25 GMT -5
Lucky. Yesterday it appeared regular was now going for around $4.25/gallon and diesel fuel was now just under or over $5/gallon. One station had it at $4.99/gal, the other had big bold numbers declaring $5.09/gallon. I'll see if the numbers are the same or changed later today. Guess we are ahead of the curve, here. That $3.79 was two weeks ago. $4.19 was last week. Monday we hit $4.49, and diesel was $5.39. Two weeks later, we are STILL at $4.49, despite local news telling me prices are falling.
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Post by minnesotapaintlady on Mar 22, 2022 7:28:14 GMT -5
I pay very little attention to gas prices even though I drive a lot. It's kind of "it is what it is" and I'm going to fill up no matter what, so it's not something I look at. If it gets to over $60/fill I grumble, but I fill 3 vehicles and they all have different tank sizes so I don't really have a "normal fill" cost etched in my head. However everyone talking about it prompted me to check the gas station driving by this morning and it was $3.79 I don't think it ever got to over $4 here yet, but I'm not sure on that.
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nidena
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Post by nidena on Mar 22, 2022 18:42:02 GMT -5
I like to go on the dominos pizza website and ponder getting a thin crust pizza and some cheesy bread. I'll even go so far as to put them in my cart but I never checkout since they cost so much.
Today, I added the chocolate lava cakes.
I have to amend that statement...
The chocolate lava cake. Just one. Same price as two a little while back.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Mar 22, 2022 20:22:11 GMT -5
Same here, and I'm already guilty of teaching my kids the same. They are 5 and 7, and when we check prices on things (last thing that comes to mind was the school book fair), I always tell them that $5.99 means $6 😆 We haven't gotten into the intricacies of sales tax yet though! It drives me crazy that publishers set the price of books ending in .99 instead of whole $$. I do all the cataloging at the library; there's a field for item price, in case someone destroys/loses a book. I now round all item prices as I create new records - we almost never have pennies on hand to make change for those rare xx.99 fines, because everything else is round numbers. I may mentally round 9.99 to 10, but if the auto-generated bill says $9.99, that's the bill. We got rid of pennies years ago. It costs more to make a penny than its worth.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Mar 22, 2022 20:35:58 GMT -5
It drives me crazy that publishers set the price of books ending in .99 instead of whole $$. I do all the cataloging at the library; there's a field for item price, in case someone destroys/loses a book. I now round all item prices as I create new records - we almost never have pennies on hand to make change for those rare xx.99 fines, because everything else is round numbers. I may mentally round 9.99 to 10, but if the auto-generated bill says $9.99, that's the bill. We got rid of pennies years ago. It costs more to make a penny than its worth. I'm curious - how did getting rid of pennies work? Were they all recalled? Did you return them for different coins/bills? Are they no longer accepted, or just not required to be given as change? So many questions on logistics! We still get a few random Canadian pennies mixed in with other ones. Usually, Canadian coins are frowned upon because they might be rejected (exchange rate differences, IDK), but pennies were generally ok.
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