The great American ripoff

I found an old stack of news papers from 2005 in the basement the other day and I decide to go through the ads and compare 2005's prices to today's. We as consumers in this country are getting screwed right and left. China use to be king of knock offs and counterfeits. Now corporations are out of rip us off with cheap Chinese goods and tactics anyway they can.

Have you tried to find a good pair of socks lately that won't fall apart after you wash them once? or how about any clothes for that matter? Everything is cheap junk. Ever notice when you cook a chicken breast it shrinks by half it's size? It would be nice to find some ground beef that isn't pink slime. Remember how they were gonna have to close all the pink slime factories after being exposed in the media? Yep it's right back in our food supply and no one is doing anything about it.

Cigarettes are $7 a pack and the sad thing is I'll probably die of problems related to cheap food before I ever get lung cancer. I bet most of the crap in the grocery store is one step away from dog food grade. It's cheaper to drink gasoline then it is to buy a gallon of milk. Decent fish is $12 a pound. They don't even need to raise and feed it they just net it out of the water. The sad part is half of it probably goes to waste before it even sells because I don't see people lining up at the fish counter at the grocery store.

I'm about done with this rant. At least I didn't buy a $600 cell phone that will bend in my pocket.

originally posted by: wantsome
I found an old stack of news papers from 2005 in the basement the other day and I decide to go through the ads and compare 2005's prices to today's. We as consumers in this country are getting screwed right and left. China use to be king of knock offs and counterfeits. Now corporations are out of rip us off with cheap Chinese goods and tactics anyway they can.

Have you tried to find a good pair of socks lately that won't fall apart after you wash them once? Yeah, it's easy if you buy anything but the cheapest non-brand crap. or how about any clothes for that matter? No problems here either. Even the clothes I buy at WalMart hold up fine because I stick to name brands. Everything is cheap junk. Only cheap junk is cheap junk. Ever notice when you cook a chicken breast it shrinks by half it's size? Totally normal if you're drying it out. My chicken breasts don't change much because I don't overcook them. It would be nice to find some ground beef that isn't pink slime. Where the hell are you buying your beef? Remember how they were gonna have to close all the pink slime factories after being exposed in the media? Yep it's right back in our food supply and no one is doing anything about it.

Cigarettes are $7 a pack and the sad thing is I'll probably die of problems related to cheap food before I ever get lung cancer. I bet most of the crap in the grocery store is one step away from dog food grade. It's cheaper to drink gasoline then it is to buy a gallon of milk. Decent fish is $12 a pound. They don't even need to raise and feed it they just net it out of the water. You really don't understand, do you? The sad part is half of it probably goes to waste before it even sells because I don't see people lining up at the fish counter at the grocery store.

I'm about done with this rant. At least I didn't buy a cell phone that will bend in my pocket.

I wish I had 4 hands so I could give your rant thumbs down.

The worst part is we'll continue to buy because we have no choice. Most of us don't have the time and resources to produce our own food. Let alone the skill. As a vegetarian I end up buying the cheap veggies because it's better than pre-formed vegan patties and mixes.

Thankyou for voicing your opinions because they are extremely valid due to our current situation. When the majority are more concerned about their phones than food and the economy, we have a problem. Exploited and given junk in return? That's us

S + F, I agree. Manufactured goods have no quality anymore. Exploit and overcharge....

Buy a fishing pole and catch them yourself. I do fine with a cane pole and a hand line.
Make some traps for catching crabs and crawfish. I built a dozen out of discarded chicken wire.
Roll your own smokes. It's a lot cheaper.
I'm with you on the socks. I do good to get three wears out of a pair before they wear holes.

a reply to: skunkape23

DIY. Learn skills and prioritize them based on your needs.

Also helps to buy true quality goods. It's very hard to save up money to do it in many circumstances though. I'm a frugal person and I've had the same clothes for years. I just maintain what I have very well.

Star skunkape, because creativity is on our side. That and reusing things

a reply to: wantsome

Come live in Australia. A cheap pack of smokes is $20. My prefered brand went up to average $24-$25.
Basically $1 a cig.

originally posted by: skunkape23
Buy a fishing pole and catch them yourself. I do fine with a cane pole and a hand line.
Make some traps for catching crabs and crawfish. I built a dozen out of discarded chicken wire.
Roll your own smokes. It's a lot cheaper.
I'm with you on the socks. I do good to get three wears out of a pair before they wear holes.

I'm an avid fisherman and use to catch tons of fish but the invasive species in my area have decimated the fish populations . I wouldn't eat crawfish from my area the areas to catch them are seriously polluted. I roll my own smokes except they're killing my twice as fast as regular smokes. Roll your own filters are junk I might as well be smoking non filtered cigs. I'm deeply saddened about the fishing in my area it's one of my favorite pastimes. I use to have a freezer full of salmon trout walleye and perch.

I feel your pain, seriously, you're right. I was just talking about that today, that a gallon of milk is now more expensive than a gallon of gas. Why is dairy so darn expensive all of a sudden? Do you notice when there's some type of "crisis" with something, prices go up but they never come down? I remember when there was a problem with dairy several years ago causing prices to go up. I remember when I could buy decent hamburger for under $1 a pound and then there was a problem with beef cows at some point, causing beef prices to go up. When hurricanes Katrina and then later Ike hit, gas prices had to go up because of problems in the gulf and in Galveston, but they never came back down.

And yes, everything is made in China, even those fancy "name brand" items people assume are better. The Levis that Walmart sells are the same Levis that the mall sells. The Mr. Coffee coffee maker that Target sells is the same one that Sears sells. The only difference is the mark-up. If we stopped our incessant consumerism and greed for things we don't need, that can change. People won't. They need those $600 phones, you know. Foxconn is the plant that manufactures the parts that go in all the smartphone/tablet/computer technologies, whether it has a little "i" in its name or not. China owns so much of our debt it just stresses me out just to think about it.

Bottom line is that the only thing that matters to those who run things is the bottom line.

The best part is Yellin saying that America is not in recovery from 2008 she states that America is on a financial growth spurt LMAO now that was funny its all cheap toxic left over junk from china its a joke...

Two words. Planned obsolescence.

My new Ingersol Rand air impact had an unexpected tag made in china. I don't mind buying a chinese tool but I feel cheated when they charge extra for a high quality name.

a reply to: wantsome
Many feel the same. We cannot go any further until wall street speculators are tried and convicted for crimes against humanity. The same with the fed and banks.

a reply to: wantsome

Hey you, stop worrying about the fact that the Rothschild debt based, central banking, monetary scheme is bankrupting the world as we know it.

All you need to worry about is that ISUS is gonna get cha!

I have not been back to the States for over a year but, the prices of stuff really shocked both of us !

My smoker friends buy cigs in Laos for $12 to $15 US dollars per carton. Just depends on the brand.. If they live in Thailand they can only bring two cartons back per person...hahhaha you see cars stuffed with people and each has two cartons even if they do not smoke. Thailand the price per carton is around $24 USD

Even in S.E. Asia the locals try and avoid Chinese junk and prefer Japanese or European/yank stuff. It has always been said for clothes the thread used is inferior thus stuff falls apart.

The same stuff selling at the really fancy malls for $20 to $30 bucks can be had at the open air markets for $3 to $6 bucks. Same stuff..

About the only place my wife likes in the states for clothes is ROSS discount... hahhaha that was all by my evil plans I assure you !

I like Steak and the best deal when everything was considered was a place called Texas Road House where we could order the Prime Rib or N.Y. strip and share for less than I could buy and cook. Also they even gave a veterans discount which could be anywhere from 10 to 30% . No I do not own stock but I do miss their steaks !

I read or heard one of the Economy Doom guys talking a few years back who said the grocery shelves would still be full but no one could afford to buy anything... I always think about those words when we are shopping in the States and I ain't poor, but I do have a strong aversion to walking out of a place and feeling I have been ripped off when I leave..

Even my well off friends in the states are cutting back on non essentials and are looking for the "good deals" when they buy..

originally posted by: Answer

originally posted by: wantsome
I found an old stack of news papers from 2005 in the basement the other day and I decide to go through the ads and compare 2005's prices to today's. We as consumers in this country are getting screwed right and left. China use to be king of knock offs and counterfeits. Now corporations are out of rip us off with cheap Chinese goods and tactics anyway they can.

Have you tried to find a good pair of socks lately that won't fall apart after you wash them once? Yeah, it's easy if you buy anything but the cheapest non-brand crap. or how about any clothes for that matter? No problems here either. Even the clothes I buy at WalMart hold up fine because I stick to name brands. Everything is cheap junk. Only cheap junk is cheap junk. Ever notice when you cook a chicken breast it shrinks by half it's size? Totally normal if you're drying it out. My chicken breasts don't change much because I don't overcook them. It would be nice to find some ground beef that isn't pink slime. Where the hell are you buying your beef? Remember how they were gonna have to close all the pink slime factories after being exposed in the media? Yep it's right back in our food supply and no one is doing anything about it.

Cigarettes are $7 a pack and the sad thing is I'll probably die of problems related to cheap food before I ever get lung cancer. I bet most of the crap in the grocery store is one step away from dog food grade. It's cheaper to drink gasoline then it is to buy a gallon of milk. Decent fish is $12 a pound. They don't even need to raise and feed it they just net it out of the water. You really don't understand, do you? The sad part is half of it probably goes to waste before it even sells because I don't see people lining up at the fish counter at the grocery store.

I'm about done with this rant. At least I didn't buy a cell phone that will bend in my pocket.

I wish I had 4 hands so I could give your rant thumbs down.

Wow you are so effective at trolling. Whats your endgame? Deny reality at every opportunity? I think the OP makes a great point. I think you, however, are very ineffective at bending public opinion to your viewpoint.

originally posted by: tavi45
Two words. Planned obsolescence.

Yep
Planned obsolescence is a Joke.
It is all about maximizing profits via volume.
A widget breaks down and the customer comes back for more with the same or "new" and improved model.
The improved model is usually a cosmetic difference with no extra functionality.

I had an uncle that died a last year that had a Old Steel Box Refrigerator from the early 70's full of frozen food, still running.
The ones today break down after a couple years of use.

originally posted by: AlaskanDad
My new Ingersol Rand air impact had an unexpected tag made in china. I don't mind buying a chinese tool but I feel cheated when they charge extra for a high quality name.

I used to swear by Sears Craftsman Tools until they had the Chinese make it and the quality went down hill.
Such a shame.

I do not blame the consumer when they have no control over the foreign trade policies we have put before us.
I blame the lobbyists.

originally posted by: 727Sky


I read or heard one of the Economy Doom guys talking a few years back who said the grocery shelves would still be full but no one could afford to buy anything... I always think about those words when we are shopping in the States and I ain't poor, but I do have a strong aversion to walking out of a place and feeling I have been ripped off when I leave..

Even my well off friends in the states are cutting back on non essentials and are looking for the "good deals" when they buy..

In a Global Free Market that they are pushing on us, prices on everything, (rent, food, housing) would come down to match the new wage deflation where a lot of our stuff is made elsewhere cheaper. Instead, the profiteers are keeping the prices elevated and selling it to us for the same amount. They do not want to take a pay cut. Hence the apparent increasing inequality present in this country being funneled into CEO pockets and the Wall Street Markets

It is done via the lobbyists in Industries like Healthcare, Insurance and Big Pharma. In Defense and Finance. On and On.
In a Global Free Market among the developed world as we are, CEO Pay would not be 354 times the average workers pay and the average workers pay would be higher as it is also in the developed world.

Big Multinational Corporations and Big Banks require a Big Government with a Big World Military Police and many programs and policies to carry out their Globalist Wishes. They do not want limited a government that is not up for sale.

a reply to: 727Sky

I read or heard one of the Economy Doom guys talking a few years back who said the grocery shelves would still be full but no one could afford to buy anything... I always think about those words when we are shopping in the States and I ain't poor, but I do have a strong aversion to walking out of a place and feeling I have been ripped off when I leave..

People in my town can't afford to buy food. Right in the grocery store on the way in is a payday loan business, it leads directly into the store and is set up next to the cashiers. I believe the store itself runs it. Every time I have ever gone into the store there has been atleast 15 people standing in line to get those awful revolving door loans in order to pay for food.

There are no words that can express my rage at such a situation.