Posted on 10/22/2015 2:11:08 PM PDT by RightCenter
Once upon a time in Springfield, the Simpson family visited a new supermarket. Monstromart’s slogan was “where shopping is a baffling ordeal”. Product choice was unlimited, shelving reached the ceiling, nutmeg came in 12lb boxes and the express checkout had a sign reading, “1,000 items or less”. In the end the Simpsons returned to Apu’s Kwik-E-Mart. In doing so, the Simpsons were making a choice to reduce their choice. It wasn’t quite a rational choice, but it made sense. In the parlance of economic theory, they were not rational utility maximisers but, in Herbert Simon’s term, “satisficers” – opting for what was good enough, rather than becoming confused to the point of inertia in front of Monstromart’s ranges of products.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
It’s not so much too much choice, but there is not enough choice in quality ... at least for me.
I find that having 15 different choices of all about the same quality (low, made in China) is not much of a choice.
Real choice would be the similar item made at vastly different levels of quality.
I used to shop there as a kid. There was another 5$10 store on the NW corner of the square but they did not try to expand and eventually closed.
As with most things, it gets more interesting when you consider the exceptions to the rules. For example, a lot of products have brand names that are significantly more expensive than the generic variety, though they are exactly the same otherwise, even made in the same plant, just with different labels.
A great example of this is wine. The same wine, made from the same grapes at the same winery, in the same bottles with no difference but the labels. It is so common that some wineries use unusual and unique glass bottles so that people know that “their wine is their wine”.
And a lot of discount liquors are just water, ethanol, and flavorings. A lack of choice and a lot of choice amount to the same thing, just fewer labels to choose from.
Fruit juices are usually deoxygenated to extend their storage lives, stripping them of their flavor, color and odor. Then “fruit derived” artificial flavors and odors and colors are added. Perfume dumped into pulp water. This is why different brands taste different, but always taste the same for that brand.
It goes on and on. Choice, or lack thereof, is just a marketing gimmick.
OK, this is me dealing with a choice:
“Man, it might rain, I should take the Ron Cooper to the lake tonight instead of the Paramount, it has fenders. Naw, my Matt Chester, that bike is just fine whenever I ride it. Or maybe the Breezer, yeah, it has the right tires. I really should take the Cimarron to get ready for winter. Aw hell, I’ll just grab another beer and think on it.”
Remember “Two Buck Chuck”?
The wine was made with Napa Valley grapes rejected by the big names that were still far superior to many others; for $2 you could get a great bottle of wine (and the industry leaders were furious).
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