Thread: Warning -- There Is No Free Lunch!

Originally Posted by Dittohead not!

Hadn't you heard? The US ended the draft a long time ago. Nixon already pardoned the draft dodgers.

I'm not returning FROM Canada....I'm hoping to flee TO it. As soon as I can figure out how and convince my family to come with me.

They just seem so much less FUBAR than the US is anymore, and WTF, Land's End will sell me warm clothing.

How can anyone not love Canada? It's like not loving Santa Claus!

Originally Posted by Pinkie

I'm not returning FROM Canada....I'm hoping to flee TO it. As soon as I can figure out how and convince my family to come with me.

They just seem so much less FUBAR than the US is anymore, and WTF, Land's End will sell me warm clothing.

Yes, I'm sure that Land's End would be more than happy to sell you some warm clothes.

Anyone from Canada who can confirm the above? Which nation is really the most FUBAR?

Oh, and you need to consider this as well: Find the Canadian



The others are no doubt California girls.

Originally Posted by Pinkie

QVC, SHOPNBC, HSN and the like have been around longer than online shopping, and are easier for many elderly to use. They often offer "easy-pay", where you make installments but have the use of the item meanwhile. (Naturally, they still charge interest by jacking up the price, but the customer does not see this.)

I use them myself. I just bought two Haier indoor a/c units. Never heard of this company, but if they worked as promised, they'd have been an answer to my prayers.

Well, yesterday I was shopping and I saw these same products for sale for ONE THIRD what QVC is charging me. Even the Mob doesn't charge interest at 900%!!

So if you or your grandma still use these companies, always check prices. I had NEVER done so before -- it was acidential that I happened to see this.

These companies apparently prey on the poor and elderly as badly as a rent-to-own company does. Personally, I will probably never buy from them again.

BEWARE.

Pinky...heres what I do...I dont go fishing for something to buy...I go looking for something ive already decided I need to buy...first things first...I do an initial search on 3 different search engines...I hit shopping and get an idea of what the lowest price should be.
I have several sites bookmarked...categorized by different types of items...Appliances, Guns, etc etc...then I go to amazon...I have to say after searching many times amazon with free shipping is the best deal...and I mean after I search for the best prices....amazon has a fantastic return policy that has never let me down...and I have an acct with them...that automatically gives me 6 months interest free on everything I buy and I dont have to give them a credit care number...I hit add to cart...I verify the buy and hit complete...no credit card info and they send me a paper bill...you do need excellent credit for that acct
I said alot of items are cheaper on Amazon with free shipping...not all...remember peace of mind knowing a site is legitimate and has a good return policy is worth something to me...so I dont always take the cheapest price out there...HSN and QVC are ripoffs id bet theres nothing they sell I couldnt get cheaper elsewhere..except may a rare price leader they throw out there....good luck

Originally Posted by Dittohead not!

Yes, I'm sure that Land's End would be more than happy to sell you some warm clothes.

Anyone from Canada who can confirm the above? Which nation is really the most FUBAR?

Oh, and you need to consider this as well: Find the Canadian



The others are no doubt California girls.

Your image was removed, but it matters not. I know two Canadian men and both are smart as hell, sexy, funny and charming.

Ergo, I assume this is true of all Canadian men...but if not, o well. I'm moving to get away from US politics.

I assume they have less of this in Canada.

Plus their national sport is hockey, and nobody is doing any ass-grabbing in hockey.

Originally Posted by lpast

Pinky...heres what I do...I dont go fishing for something to buy...I go looking for something ive already decided I need to buy...first things first...I do an initial search on 3 different search engines...I hit shopping and get an idea of what the lowest price should be.
I have several sites bookmarked...categorized by different types of items...Appliances, Guns, etc etc...then I go to amazon...I have to say after searching many times amazon with free shipping is the best deal...and I mean after I search for the best prices....amazon has a fantastic return policy that has never let me down...and I have an acct with them...that automatically gives me 6 months interest free on everything I buy and I dont have to give them a credit care number...I hit add to cart...I verify the buy and hit complete...no credit card info and they send me a paper bill...you do need excellent credit for that acct
I said alot of items are cheaper on Amazon with free shipping...not all...remember peace of mind knowing a site is legitimate and has a good return policy is worth something to me...so I dont always take the cheapest price out there...HSN and QVC are ripoffs id bet theres nothing they sell I couldnt get cheaper elsewhere..except may a rare price leader they throw out there....good luck

I too love Amazon. But on any large purchase, IMO, the buyer should know what the manufacturer is charging retailers.

They're always Consumer Reports, too. Don't do much outright price comparision, but they seem quite frank about what is and is not schlock. (I just don't make many "large purchases".)

Originally Posted by lpast

Pinky...heres what I do...I dont go fishing for something to buy...I go looking for something ive already decided I need to buy...first things first...I do an initial search on 3 different search engines...I hit shopping and get an idea of what the lowest price should be.
I have several sites bookmarked...categorized by different types of items...Appliances, Guns, etc etc...then I go to amazon...I have to say after searching many times amazon with free shipping is the best deal...and I mean after I search for the best prices....amazon has a fantastic return policy that has never let me down...and I have an acct with them...that automatically gives me 6 months interest free on everything I buy and I dont have to give them a credit care number...I hit add to cart...I verify the buy and hit complete...no credit card info and they send me a paper bill...you do need excellent credit for that acct
I said alot of items are cheaper on Amazon with free shipping...not all...remember peace of mind knowing a site is legitimate and has a good return policy is worth something to me...so I dont always take the cheapest price out there...HSN and QVC are ripoffs id bet theres nothing they sell I couldnt get cheaper elsewhere..except may a rare price leader they throw out there....good luck

This sounds pretty much exactly what I do. I also use Amazon nearly exclusively, except for specialty items that I can't find there, or computer parts that I get at Newegg... which is very much like Amazon. And I have Amazon Prime, so I get almost EVERYTHING 2 days shipping, free.

Originally Posted by CaptainCourtesy

This sounds pretty much exactly what I do. I also use Amazon nearly exclusively, except for specialty items that I can't find there, or computer parts that I get at Newegg... which is very much like Amazon. And I have Amazon Prime, so I get almost EVERYTHING 2 days shipping, free.

Newegg has price leaders that cant be beat and theyre freeshipping deals and return policy is as good as amazon...amazon sells a much larger range of products....
I have a 55 inch Tv thats 3 yrs old...the best price I found on it brick and mortar at the time was SamsClub, it was 1400 plus tax, plus I had to lug it home and set it up myself...I ordered it from amazon..1200.00 ..shipped free with white glove del and setup and 1 yr free interest.....I never touched the tv till i hit the remote to turn it on. Then theres other items they were to high on....I guess thats why they call it shopping ...My wife will call me on intercom and say could you find me this or that...and dutifully I stop what im doing and go find it lol...

I purchased one of my cars by price shopping local dealers on the internet. I also discovered that I can purchase almost anything cheaper on the web. A while back I was thinking that I might need a cpap machine, the local medical store wanted $1,600, the same model was less than $500 on the net. It just shows how high profit margins are in some industries.

It's a double edged sword though. My business can't compete with online pricing. I loose sales every day to internet competitors. Of course the difference is that I offer personal service, customers can see and touch samples, we can take their measurements for them, etc., while my online competitors don't.

I suspect that there will be a day when Amazon and other online retailers put a real hurt on Walmart and other big brick and mortar retailers. I actually think that eventually local stores will only offer the cheapest and crappyiest model of everything, and that the quality products will be sold over the net. My thinking is that local stores will exist only for the convenience of instantly acquiring the item (as opposed to having to wait for delivery). If I am picky and choosey about the exact product that I buy and the features that it has, I will be willing to wait a day or two to take possession of it. If I don't give a crap and I just need one today, then I will be more than happy to pick my item from a selection of one. Ultimately, general retail stores will become smaller and more numerous as they will not offer a selection of each product, they will just have one. Brick and mortar speciality shops will almost cease to exist.

Dollar General and Family Dollar size retailers will become the norm and may actually outstrip super size stores in sales. Do some research on Dollar General and see if this hasn't already started happening.