Something very strange is going on with the prices of things... can anyone explain to me why I can buy a microwave or a 4-head VCR for $39 out at Target, but I just paid about $4 for a bag of cat litter? Somethin' ain't right. OK, all right, I understand supply and demand, and cheap sweatshop labor, and economies of scale achievable through mass-production, and all of that. But what I don't understand is how you can put together something like a calculator with 20 moving parts and electronic components that have to be screwed and soldered together, that even includes a battery, package it in a blister pack with a 4-color print job that has to be diecut, pack those in a box, send it across the Pacific on a boat, ship it to Auburn, and sell it at The Dollar Tree for one freakin' dollar! I mean, at some point, it has to be like the old story: we buy these widgets for $1.20 and we can only sell them for $1.00, but we make it up in volume.

posted by Chris at 5:34 PM Permalink