Comment by matthewdgreen

Comment by matthewdgreen 3 days ago

One of the things that’s surprising about traveling to Europe and Japan is that this revenue maximizing business strategy isn’t as prevalent. You don’t see the same upsells everywhere and tipping culture is also mostly non-existent. Many US businesses managed to behave in a manner that was vastly less extractive to their customers for most of the last century as well. It really is possible to care about the quality of your business in some cultures, it’s just harder to do so here today.

bruce511 2 days ago

It's exactly harder but when customers prioritize price above everything it's hard to succeed if you offer better, but charge more.

The hard truth is that American consumers care only about price, and so businesses optimize for that (or go under). Which means they lean into other sources of revenue, or ways to reduce costs.

Elsewhere people care about value more than price, and are willing to spend more to get more. Restaurants post the real price (including service) because that's what it costs.

Ryanair exists to fill the need for those who want low price above all else. KLM exists for those who want a better experience and are prepared to pay more.

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thimabi 2 days ago

Do you think it is possible for a society to switch from emphasizing price to emphasizing value? If so, how do you think such a change would take place?

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- bruce511 2 days ago
  
  It's really hard for cultures to change. Outside of a major event (WW2 scale event) its likely to take multiple generations.
  It can happen locally. Farmers markets are a thing. Supporting local owner-run, not chain, restaurants is a thing.
  But in big cities, or nationally? Probably not in pur lifetime.
  But it doesn't really matter what others do. It starts with what you do, for yourself. Look around, find small-scale suppliers. Support local producers where you can, and so on. The quality is usually better.
  
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  matthewdgreen 2 days ago
  
  The problem is that the number of suppliers seems to be constantly going down. Chains are taking over public spaces, successful smaller companies get bought out, and the successful independent ones eventually get a new CEO who is incentivized to maximize profits (see e.g., Chipotle hiring Taco Bell's CEO.)
  
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  bruce511 2 days ago
  
  Obviously this is highly location dependent, and I don't doubt there are places where this is true.
  Also, there may not be sufficient people in your area to support independent businesses that believe in providing more value at a higher price.
  But it's worth looking and asking around. They may exist, but you won't see them on TV. Ask in local Facebook groups, look out for weekend markets and do on. Asking in those places can give you clues.
  But I agree that the vast majority of Americans care only about price, so there will be lots of places where quality simply doesn't exist outside of what you cook yourself.
  
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_DeadFred_ 2 days ago

Exactly. Enshitification wouldn't be a concept if there wasn't a previous better point to reference.

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