This question and other questions that may never be answered.
It is happening more and more often. I look for bargains to help stretch my budget and keep me well-stocked with essentials. That is why I shop at places like Costco, Sam’s Club, and other warehouse distributors. The only problem is that I often have to buy more than I need to get the best price.
I just recently purchased some razor blades. As anyone that shaves with a blade knows, razor blades are very expensive. At the local grocery store or department store, you will pay as much as three dollars each for the name brand blade, up to two dollars for the generic equivalent or house brand. But at one of the warehouse stores, I paid as little as one dollar twenty cents, a huge saving. Of course, I had to buy a large quantity. Enough to last me a long time. I joked to my wife, “I just bought a lifetime supply of razor blades.”
While it was meant to be a joke there is an element of truth to the story. When you get to be my age, you have no idea how much longer you will be shaving. It would be a damn shame if I bought all those razor blades and had no need for them. The large economy size might not be so economical if you buy more than you need.
The same is true of other things including clothing, durable goods like appliances, and tools.
I have always been cautious about buying items that come with a lifetime guarantee. When I was younger, I was always afraid that it might be cheaper for the company to send out a hitman to eliminate me, rather than replace the unit with a lifetime guarantee. Now that I am older, I realize that a lifetime guarantee is not a big risk for most companies. Chances are I won’t live long enough to declare a problem and get a replacement.
Of course, since the pandemic struck in 2019 many businesses closed up, some forever. If you had a lifetime warranty on a product you bought from one of them, you are now out of luck. The lifetime guarantee promise turns out to be a two-way street.
Come to think about it, I hope you don’t have any leftover gift cards from stores that have gone under. In this uncertain time, we have to be careful not to be suckered in by something too good to be true.
The sweetest revenge will be if I live to be 120 years old. Then I can collect on all my bargains and even invoke a few of the lifetime guarantees that I have been promised.
If not the executor of my will can always donate my bargain supply of razor blades to charity.
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