While walking around CVS the other day, I stopped at one of the end caps after one of the shampoo’s sitting on the shelf caught my eye. I have no idea what the brand was, but it had a unique name and labeling so it made me stop and look, which of course is the point.
Now that I’m holding it in my hand, the next step would be to make the purchase. I consider this until I see the price: $36. That’s right, this single bottle of shampoo, all 16 ounces of it sitting on a CVS shelf, cost almost $40.
Needless to say, I couldn’t put the bottle back down fast enough.
Years ago, my friends and I took a trip to Las Vegas. It was a typical guys weekend filled with golf, a bit of gambling (although not much for me, I am a Penny Pincher after all) and a few overpriced buffets thrown in for good measure.
One of the nights was spent at Pure, a club housed in Caesars Palace that has since closed. The trendy hot spot at the time, my friends were excited to get a table and live like celebrities for a night. Apparently that meant spending way too much for what amounted to around $200 of actual products purchased.
The surest way to get ourselves into the club and within our budget was to “buy a table.” This was a new concept to me but it allowed us to secure seating and gain entry. I don’t remember the exact price, but it was somewhere around $1500 for four hours. Keep in mind, there were six of us so although it was expensive, the bill for each amounted to $250. I believe the “table” included one to two bottles of liquor with mixers and a bottle of Voss water for all of us.
Even as I type this, I’m embarrassed to think what we spent for so little return.
Yes, there were beautiful people everywhere. Yes, it was a fun atmosphere for the four or so hours we were there. Yes, I had a good time with friends and made memories. All of this is true, but was it worth the cost of entry?
Looking back, the answer is clear, absolutely not.
In the end, we could’ve just as easily been sitting by a campfire in the Las Vegas desert with a nice bottle of bourbon, a few steaks on the grill and some music to help set the mood. The special part was the conversations we had and the time spent together as a group of friends.
Ask yourself this question, would you rather be sitting on a yacht with people you don’t like or sitting in the DMV with your best friend? The differences couldn’t be more stark. You’re being served lobster and champagne in one scenario while eating crackers out of a vending machine in the other. No matter how good the lobster may taste, it will never satiate your appetite like sharing a stale cracker with your best friend.
The trip to Vegas taught me something early on and they’re lessons I’ve applied in my older age. Don’t fall for the life you’re being told to have, live the life you want to have instead. Just because something is expensive doesn’t automatically mean it’s better. There are definitely products and experiences out there that are worth the price; however, I don’t think an everyday item like shampoo is one of them.
I’ll pay a bit more for particular products, but a $20-30 markup compared to its shampoo brethren is a bridge too far.
In the end, the smartest purchase may be the one you leave sitting on the shelf.
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