That's interesting about the post-price costs when buying a cell phone.
I'm imagining the world and the way it will look when this catches on
all over. "Yes sir, that toothpaste comes $1.39 as was marked on the
shelf, plus the testing fee, the extra for the tube and cap, and the
liability charge. You don't want to pay extra for the tube? What, you
want me to squirt it out into your hand? I don't know what you're
arguing about; we ALWAYS charge for the tube, and everyone pays it.
That's just the way it is done. There's also the landfill fee for the
tube when you're ready to throw it away. We collect that now. The
health department won't let us refill tubes. Yuck, you'd refill a
toothpaste tube just to save some money. I don't get it with these
cheapskates. Now that I've explained all this to you, I expect to be
tipped. Not everyone requires lengthy explanations so you've gotten
extra special service."


Today the back-up auxillary car started showing signs of imminent death
so the necessity of buying one today got more necessary. It is done.
We bought a car. Buyer's remorse and all that. I think I've figured
out that car buying is like getting sick. You can take good care of
your health, but you're still going to get sick now and then, and when
you do, it just sucks. Everyone else has been there, and people are
sympathetic. They'll even bring you chicken soup, but the bottom line
is that getting sick is an unavoidable part of life. Buying cars is the
same. There are things you can do to avoid having to do it so often and
to make it not so bad, but buying a car and worrying about getting the
right price or refusing to buy one car and letting it go to someone else
or wondering if you checked everything that might need fixing, it all
sucks. Bleah.


--Lia