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To put it in a way that might be more familiar to someone in tech, it's like buying an absurdly powerful computer to show off to friends. In all likelihood you

To put it in a way that might be more familiar to someone in tech, it's like buying an absurdly powerful computer to show off to friends. In all likelihood you don't actually need a 64 core, 128gb monster with dual 4090s, but you might want to be the kind of person who does need it and use it for the kinds of activities you imagine such a person might do. For computers, that might be playing a game at 16k at 240hz. For a purse it might having something appropriate to a gala or looks good in Paris. That's why luxury brands sell lifestyles, not extol the product itself.

jemmyw 2y ago
Yah but you can just buy that. You don't need to waste your time sucking up to the sales rep, and if you did you could go get another, just as powerful a system from someone else.
- achenet 2y ago
  because in this case, there's only one company making that special computer, and it's either suck up to their sales reps or buy an 'inferior' product. I guess probably like periods when NVIDIA GPUs or Raspberry Pis get scarce, and people go on eBay to buy them.
  - immibis 2y ago
    The bags aren't special high-quality bags. They're just bags. Even if they were made of tougher material, Sam Vimes Boots Theory doesn't apply at this massive price difference. Their main purpose is showing off that you schmoozed the sales rep - nothing at all like how a computer works. "Check out this super rare thing I managed to get" does happen occasionally, like Intel Larrabee graphics cards - but only occasionally.
- rsynnott 2y ago
  I mean, while I'm not in the market, I gather it was getting that way for high-end Nvidia cards during the crypto mining bubble if you wanted to get them at MSRP; I assume that is also difficult today with all the genAI stuff.
- throwaway2037 2y ago
  > the sales rep This is my least favourite part of luxury brands: the bloody sales reps. They are so awful. Full of themselves, trying to make you feel so small and insignificant. Yes, I know there is a reverse psychology to the whole thing.

jemmyw 2y ago

Yah but you can just buy that. You don't need to waste your time sucking up to the sales rep, and if you did you could go get another, just as powerful a system from someone else.

achenet 2y ago
because in this case, there's only one company making that special computer, and it's either suck up to their sales reps or buy an 'inferior' product. I guess probably like periods when NVIDIA GPUs or Raspberry Pis get scarce, and people go on eBay to buy them.
- immibis 2y ago
  The bags aren't special high-quality bags. They're just bags. Even if they were made of tougher material, Sam Vimes Boots Theory doesn't apply at this massive price difference. Their main purpose is showing off that you schmoozed the sales rep - nothing at all like how a computer works. "Check out this super rare thing I managed to get" does happen occasionally, like Intel Larrabee graphics cards - but only occasionally.
rsynnott 2y ago
I mean, while I'm not in the market, I gather it was getting that way for high-end Nvidia cards during the crypto mining bubble if you wanted to get them at MSRP; I assume that is also difficult today with all the genAI stuff.
throwaway2037 2y ago
> the sales rep This is my least favourite part of luxury brands: the bloody sales reps. They are so awful. Full of themselves, trying to make you feel so small and insignificant. Yes, I know there is a reverse psychology to the whole thing.