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You are trying so hard to be cynical about capitalism and America here, which I get, but the narrative you're aiming for just doesn't hold together. > It encou

You are trying so hard to be cynical about capitalism and America here, which I get, but the narrative you're aiming for just doesn't hold together. > It encourages mindless consumption because it lowers the level of commitment needed. Not sure if you really want it, or should be buying it? How is having more information about a product from first-hand experience somehow more mindless than buying a thing sight unseen? > return it if you change your mind. Yes, exactly. You can use your mind to decide if you want the product. That's the opposite of mindless. > Surely you don't think stores have these policies for your benefit - to allow you to be a more informed consumer?! I know this might seem totally crazy to you but, yes, in most transactions both the buyer and seller end up satisfied. That's why people buy and sell things. When I sell a thing, it's worth less to me than it is to the buyer. When I buy a thing, it's worth more to me than it is to the seller. Obviously, buyers and sellers are trying to get the best preferential deal for themselves, but it is not a zero-sum game. You are currently surrounded by products most of which you probably purchased. Surely you don't believe you got actively fucked over on every single one of those do you? > They have these policies because it results in them selling more stuff, because they are lowering the level of commitment needed for consumers to buy. Yes. And to the degree that having things can benefit anyone's life, that is good for consumers too. Sure, we could also just not buy stuff. Sit on a bare patch of dirt. But sometimes stuff makes our life better. I bought a synthesizer recently. It's really hard to predict if a musical instrument will gel with you, since it's complex, interactive, and the sounds that resonate with someone are deeply personal. Also, they're often quite expensive. Sometimes you can try one in a store, but even that doesn't always help since it can be difficult to really explore the sounds in a crowded shop. I was OK with ordering it online because I knew if it didn't work for me, I could return it. The alternative would have been not buying it. It was too expensive to commit to being stuck with it without any first-hand experience. And, sure, I could definitely get by without it. It's not like I need it to live. But in this case, it turns out that I like it. It's enriched my life to have it, and I wouldn't if the store didn't allow returns. I benefitted from that policy.

HarHarVeryFunny 4y ago
> You are trying so hard to be cynical about capitalism and America here No, I'm really not. These are my actual opinions. > Yes, exactly. You can use your mind to decide if you want the product. That's the opposite of mindless. So who's trying overly hard to support their POV now ? ;-) > I bought a synthesizer recently For sure there's consumer benefit to the "everything is returnable" norm, especially in cases like this where it's hard to know if something matches your needs without actually trying it. No doubt it also sometimes works the other way and folk are encouraged to buy stuff they don't need, then never end up returning it so just waste their money. Of course retail is a generally a win-win, but that doesn't mean the retailer doesn't have their own best interests at heart. They use the "everything is returnable" policy because at end of the day it generates them more profit. They wouldn't be extending you this "try before you buy" benefit if it was actually costing them more than not doing so (unless competitive pressure forced them to). I understand that "mindless consumption" is not how most people would be happy to describe their shopping behavior, nor is it a good description of everyone, but nonetheless it's hard to come up with a more broadly accurate and concise description of why stores do this to increase sales. Even in your synth case (where try-before-you-buy is plenty justifiable) it essentially fits ... you made the purchase because the store removed any worries you had about whether it was the right decision or not.
- munificent 4y ago
  > you made the purchase because the store removed any worries you had about whether it was the right decision or not. No, I still have all of those worries. I still have to pay for the thing after all, so the consequences are entirely the same. The only difference is how much information I have at the point that I have to make that decision. If I can return it, then I have first-hand experience before I decide to commit to the purchase. If I can't return it, I have to commit with less knowledge.
  - HarHarVeryFunny 4y ago
    > No, I still have all of those worries. I still have to pay for the thing after all, so the consequences are entirely the same. Hardly. If you can return it you get your money back, else not, so the financial consequences of able-to-return or not are 100% different. > I was OK with ordering it online because I knew if it didn't work for me, I could return it. The alternative would have been not buying it. It was too expensive to commit to being stuck with it without any first-hand experience. Yeah, exactly.

HarHarVeryFunny 4y ago

> You are trying so hard to be cynical about capitalism and America here No, I'm really not. These are my actual opinions. > Yes, exactly. You can use your mind to decide if you want the product. That's the opposite of mindless. So who's trying overly hard to support their POV now ? ;-) > I bought a synthesizer recently For sure there's consumer benefit to the "everything is returnable" norm, especially in cases like this where it's hard to know if something matches your needs without actually trying it. No doubt it also sometimes works the other way and folk are encouraged to buy stuff they don't need, then never end up returning it so just waste their money. Of course retail is a generally a win-win, but that doesn't mean the retailer doesn't have their own best interests at heart. They use the "everything is returnable" policy because at end of the day it generates them more profit. They wouldn't be extending you this "try before you buy" benefit if it was actually costing them more than not doing so (unless competitive pressure forced them to). I understand that "mindless consumption" is not how most people would be happy to describe their shopping behavior, nor is it a good description of everyone, but nonetheless it's hard to come up with a more broadly accurate and concise description of why stores do this to increase sales. Even in your synth case (where try-before-you-buy is plenty justifiable) it essentially fits ... you made the purchase because the store removed any worries you had about whether it was the right decision or not.

munificent 4y ago
> you made the purchase because the store removed any worries you had about whether it was the right decision or not. No, I still have all of those worries. I still have to pay for the thing after all, so the consequences are entirely the same. The only difference is how much information I have at the point that I have to make that decision. If I can return it, then I have first-hand experience before I decide to commit to the purchase. If I can't return it, I have to commit with less knowledge.
- HarHarVeryFunny 4y ago
  > No, I still have all of those worries. I still have to pay for the thing after all, so the consequences are entirely the same. Hardly. If you can return it you get your money back, else not, so the financial consequences of able-to-return or not are 100% different. > I was OK with ordering it online because I knew if it didn't work for me, I could return it. The alternative would have been not buying it. It was too expensive to commit to being stuck with it without any first-hand experience. Yeah, exactly.