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A bit more generally, they also ran into dynamic pricing or as it existed in every transaction before the 1870s, namely haggling. It was only after the rather

A bit more generally, they also ran into dynamic pricing or as it existed in every transaction before the 1870s, namely haggling. It was only after the rather recent invention of the price tag that consumers themselves were commodified which always involves a level of abstraction and smoothing over of differences, in this case, by price. Make no mistake, the reason it feels deceptive is that "Bargaining is always adversarial."[1] When one's economic milieu is the egalitarianism of being equal before price, of course bargaining feels deceptive, slimy, and wrong. 1. Bill Sanders, Frank Mobus, Creative Conflict: A Practical Guide for Business Negotiators, Harvard Business Press,2021

tomrod 3y ago
An unnecessarily kind way to coat the dark pattern that fuzzes the BATNA.
jtbayly 3y ago
If I was able to haggle I might not have such a problem with it. But this cannot possibly be called haggling, as there is no ability to communicate with somebody and make a counter-offer.
- kelseyfrog 3y ago
  You're haggling with a system and on its terms. One of those ways of communicating is setting your location via VPN. This is just what it feels like to haggle with a non-human system. Would that we weren't required to set aside our own humanity to do this, but this is haggling for a more inhuman age.
jowea 3y ago
You can't really haggle with a computer system can you? And even if we'd accept that as haggling the company has way more power in the transaction. This just seems allowing the company to capture ever more of the consumer surplus.
- listenallyall 3y ago
  The computer gives you, the consumer, a lot of power. You can very easily comparison shop - not simply view the cost of flights from every other provider on the same day, but also a day or two earlier/later, and if you are flexible, a week or month later. You can mix airlines, or plan open jaws. You can see the price of a rental car for all or part of the trip. Before travel was sold online, you went to a travel agent and had far fewer options.

tomrod 3y ago

An unnecessarily kind way to coat the dark pattern that fuzzes the BATNA.

jtbayly 3y ago

If I was able to haggle I might not have such a problem with it. But this cannot possibly be called haggling, as there is no ability to communicate with somebody and make a counter-offer.

kelseyfrog 3y ago
You're haggling with a system and on its terms. One of those ways of communicating is setting your location via VPN. This is just what it feels like to haggle with a non-human system. Would that we weren't required to set aside our own humanity to do this, but this is haggling for a more inhuman age.

jowea 3y ago

You can't really haggle with a computer system can you? And even if we'd accept that as haggling the company has way more power in the transaction. This just seems allowing the company to capture ever more of the consumer surplus.

listenallyall 3y ago
The computer gives you, the consumer, a lot of power. You can very easily comparison shop - not simply view the cost of flights from every other provider on the same day, but also a day or two earlier/later, and if you are flexible, a week or month later. You can mix airlines, or plan open jaws. You can see the price of a rental car for all or part of the trip. Before travel was sold online, you went to a travel agent and had far fewer options.