WilliamB sent me this as a prompt for a discussion here:
At what level of income or wealth do you think it’s inappropriate to try to save money? For example, if someone is rich and is at a craft fair, do you think it’s inappropriate for the wealthy person to bargain hard on the price?
I’m gonna give a rambly, off-the-cuff answer and then open it up for discussion!
For me personally, a lot of this would depend on whether I’m dealing with a corporation or a small business.
Or a for-profit business vs. a non-profit.
Even if I was quite wealthy, I wouldn’t feel at all bad taking advantage of grocery store sales, buying loss leaders, buying things on clearance, haggling over the price at a car dealership, and so on.
However, I would not feel comfortable haggling at a craft fair or a charity-run thrift store; I think I’d have more of a, “This is some mindful spending in support of a person/cause I can stand behind.” attitude.
I’m sitting here thinking about why I feel this way, and I guess it’s because if I were at a craft fair as a wealthy person, I’d feel fairly certain the person selling their wares had less money than I do.
So that would make it feel rude to bargain down.
But if I’m at a grocery store, I know the grocery corporation has a lot more money than I do! It feels less like I’m hurting them by buying loss leaders and such.
Bargaining aside…
To go off on a little tangent, the other day I was thinking about how at this point in my life, even though I am not independently wealthy, it is true that I do not absolutely have to do all the frugal things I do.
In other words, I could buy lunch at the hospital cafeteria and I’d still be able to pay my rent.
(This is in contrast to the time when I was going through my divorce and paying lawyer bills and trying to set up a new household…at that point, I was skating pretty close to being broke several times!)
Despite my current not-broke situation, I still prefer to live a life of lower consumption.
That’s because it’s a responsible thing to do and it also gives me more ability to be generous to others. If I see a need, I have enough wiggle room to easily help out, and that’s partially due to my low-consumption lifestyle.
So, that’s why I choose to:
- only own two sets of scrubs for work
- buy my Altras on eBay
- continue to get things from my Buy Nothing group
- faithfully pack my meals for school and work
- cook most of my meals at home
- repair/mend things whenever possible
There are lots of ways to save money and lower consumption without being stingy and selfish, and without taking advantage of others, and I think I will continue those sorts of practices no matter how much money I make!
To bring it back around to WilliamB’s question, I look at paying full craft fair prices as sort of a way to be generous. Could I get a similar item cheaper at a store? Probably!
a cell, designed and knitted by Sonia
But at the craft fair, the money is mostly going straight to the maker. So paying the higher price feels like a generous and kind thing to do.
Karen A.
Monday 2nd of December 2024
I would never haggle at a craft or art fair; I know the price of materials (like yarn or paint) and the time it takes to craft just one unique item. I also don't haggle at yard or garage sales. My reasoning is this: I don't know if the person holding the sale is doing it because they really need the money or not. So whether I think the book or cutting board should be lower-priced, they've priced it at a point that they need it to be, so I'm not going to second-guess them or assume they're trying to gouge people at their yard sale. The point of buying secondhand, for me, would to be avoid having new items being made and reduce waste. Not necessarily getting the absolute lowest price I can get.
DH has gotten raises over the past years, and so our income has gone up, but we routinely look for ways to save money. I remember reading in The Tightwad Gazette an article where Amy discussed the way the characters on "Roseanne" dealt with a financial windfall. She made the point that frugality is a practice, and if you stay in practice when times are good you'll be able to ride out potential lean times without feeling the pinch. With DH working for the government, we don't really know what each election cycle will hold, so even when he's gotten raises we keep our spending low as we can without compromising our values (like quality food, trying to buy from local or at least American producers), so that if things get bad, this will be the norm and not a hardship. So even if we were ever at a point where we didn't have to "worry" about money, I think we'd keep this up, because it also serves my desire to be more minimalistic.
Meira (meirathebear.wordpress.com)
Monday 2nd of December 2024
I tend to feel similarly--though these days, at craft fairs there are a lot of people selling stuff they bought on Ali Express and Temu but posing it as handmade, which really bothers me. I also really don't enjoy bargaining :)
If I'm buying from the person who made the object, I think that the higher cost represents the "real" cost--i.e. what the item costs when the person making it is being paid a living wage, and it's being made in a country with proper labour laws, and they don't benefit from an economy of scale the way a mass-producer does. Either I can afford that, or not.
There also isn't an expectation of bargaining here. In some other countries' markets, haggling is expected and the price in artificially increased to accommodate for that.
JD
Monday 2nd of December 2024
I know a person who made greeting cards, and they were nice. She paid for the equipment, card stock, ribbon, cellophane wrappers for the cards, and rental for the booth at a craft fair, plus, there was her time in making them. She marked the cards at $1.50 and $2 each to ease her way into selling. Someone told her that her cards were "too expensive" and should be selling for 50 cents each. She eventually quit selling altogether. I don't haggle with independent sellers/crafters.
Stephanie
Monday 2nd of December 2024
I only try to bargain when I know there is high mark up: furniture stores, car dealerships and hotels. ( not mom and pop inns).
Other than that, I just prepare and plan accordingly.
Disclaimer. I do not feel comfortable with the actual haggling. My husband does it with pretty good success in those areas.
Book Club Elaine
Monday 2nd of December 2024
I love this question, but I don't think it's an income or wealth matter. I think it is a good idea to try to save money, no matter your income or wealth level. It's just a part of adulting to check all options before handing over hard-earned dollars. I also think it is NEVER appropriate to disrespect the person whose products or services I am considering acquiring. I do NOT like to haggle or negotiate prices - ever and it's because most negotiations of this type have an underlying attitude of hatefulness and distrust. I still have some emotional scars from weeks of haggling with car salesmen for a good used car after I got my first job out of college in the early 1980's. It was a torturous battle fighting the then prevalent attitude that young single women are stupid about cars and thus easy targets. That said, I have on occasion asked a seller "Would you consider taking...?" and giving my bottom-line price. It is never easy and I only do it if I really want the item and truly think it is overpriced. I have also at times paid more than I consider an item worth to support a person or organization that has values I am in alignment with - such as craftsmen/women and artists.