What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015) • Hacker News Board

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#541

Post by rfrey » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:02 PM UTC

ponector wrote: post #348

alexey-salmin wrote: post #176

The referenced reply is dull. It's very pretentious but just reiterates common knowledge, it doesn't convey any useful information. For example I wish someone told me about the existence of Miele kitchen equipment before I accidentally rented an apartment of a well-to-do woman. She renovated it for herself but then rented out when circumstances changed. Similarly it took me a long time to realize just how much better…

Next stage is to realize solid wood is better than veneer wood. Also miele has too much marketing hype. Want the ultimate appliances? Buy professional equipment. Like washing machine that are used in hotels.

All professional dishwashers I have encountered (there may be others, obviously) require thorough rinsing (either high-pressure handheld wand or a wipe with a brush/cloth) so they are essentially "clean" before going in the dishwasher.

The dishwasher sanitizes the dishes via very hot water and thorough coverage, but does not really clean anything. It has high temperatures and high throughput - 5 minute cycles. Basically a completely different use case and probably unsuitable for a home.

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#542

Post by mattlondon » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:03 PM UTC

For me, it is paying extra for the wall-time and experiences, and less about the material things.

Not saying I am "super wealthy" but we've paid a lot (but no obscene amounts) for a few things that felt kinda like "rock-star" treatment. Anyone can pay for these.

One example is my wife and I flew to Venice for a long weekend and hired a speed-boat to transfer us from the airport to our hotel. We literally walked up to the pier, threw our carry-on bags in the back, jumped in and roared off. I have this enduring memory of seeing some of the people who were on the same flight as us lining up and waiting for the water-bus thing as they watched us just speed off into the literal sunset. It wasn't crazy-expensive but totally worth it.

Another was we paid for an "escort" at an airport in Peru - they met us at our hotel, took us to the airport in a taxi, basically pushed us past the huge lines of people waiting for check-in, argued in Spanish with someone behind a desk, and then pushed us past more lines of people until we got to the front of the line for security where we said goodbye and waited for our cattle-class flight. Again, this was not a huge amount of money but saved a bunch of time and stress.

Generally speaking, tl;dr, I find paying a little extra for not having to wait for things at airports and hotels and theme parks and that sort of thing is what makes the every-day difference for me.

Getting wafted past the lines of people waiting for things or someone just sorting shit out for you so you don't have to are the day-to-day things that being in the top 95-98%ile of the population wealthwise makes all the difference. You save the time, and get that little zing of excitement/awkwardness as you are taken past the lines of others waiting.

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#543

Post by wiether » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:03 PM UTC

lazyasciiart wrote: post #240

dehrmann wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there any scenario where a pro runner can gross $4M in lifetime running earnings?

Usain Bolt estimated net worth is $90million. Maybe as many as ten others have passed $4m? A few listed here https://athleticsweekly.com/aw-promotion/top-10-richest-trac...

And yet he needs to do a cringe ad for Skip?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KScnjzfK6f8

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#544

Post by ackbar03 » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:03 PM UTC

noboostforyou wrote: post #537

alexey-salmin wrote: post #176

The referenced reply is dull. It's very pretentious but just reiterates common knowledge, it doesn't convey any useful information. For example I wish someone told me about the existence of Miele kitchen equipment before I accidentally rented an apartment of a well-to-do woman. She renovated it for herself but then rented out when circumstances changed. Similarly it took me a long time to realize just how much better…

> Price is 3-4 times higher but it lasts 5-10 times longer and is much more pleasant to use. "The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about…

I'm curious about this though, does a rich man actually wear the same pair of boots for 10 years?

That being said, I've noticed that a lot of clothes that I bought 10 years ago or so are of pretty high quality compared to today, (and no, they are not rich man's clothes). Some of them I actually have been wearing for more than 10 years now.

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#545

Post by riehwvfbk » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:03 PM UTC

DSingularity wrote: post #496

Loic wrote: post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We are all Miele at home and for the next renewal, I will go to Bosch/Siemens. Too many small failures here and there (less than 8 year old). I was sincerely surprised because 20 years ago, Miele was the gold standard (at least in Germany). So, I agree with you.

What about gaggenau?

It's the Bentley Bentayga of apppliances: same VW bones, fancy badge. Gaggenau is Bosch, exact same replacement parts fit.

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#546

Post by fragmede » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:04 PM UTC

throwanem wrote: post #507

fragmede wrote: post #495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Scale the dollar amount up a few orders of magnitude But that's what makes it "weird". Most people can't afford to do that. As you point out, it mashed a certain amount of sense, but we're in the midst of an housing crisis. People who have enough money to own, not just multiple houses, but so many cars that they got tired of different cars so they just bought more of the same? Weird because I've never done that. Ho…

I didn't say that it wasn't grotesquely flagrant consumption, only that I can follow the reasoning behind it. And I have made no admission of which I am aware.

A lie by omission is still a lie, in my world. You may inhabit one in which it is not, however

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#547

Post by fragmede » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:05 PM UTC

geodel wrote: post #522

fragmede wrote: post #495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Scale the dollar amount up a few orders of magnitude But that's what makes it "weird". Most people can't afford to do that. As you point out, it mashed a certain amount of sense, but we're in the midst of an housing crisis. People who have enough money to own, not just multiple houses, but so many cars that they got tired of different cars so they just bought more of the same? Weird because I've never done that. Ho…

I don't know if its weird. This seems to me using money to reduce hassle. At my even lower level of existence I do similar thing in sense I keep one pair toothbrush and paste in upstairs bathroom and another pair at main level just to avoid whatever inconvenience I've thought of in my mind. Same with multiple pair of glasses at different location I work from. I have not done these things when I had less money and now…

We'd somehow have to poll a large randomized demographic as to whether having two bathrooms in which you brush your teeth is weird to begin with though.

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#548

Post by fragmede » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:06 PM UTC

rfrey wrote: post #536

fragmede wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IoT, and in the near future, arms for self loading and unloading. Who knows what advancement in UI will happen? If we knew what they were beforehand, we'd be doing then already. For example, the microwave. Older microwaves have a cumbersome enter time, hit start procedure. Newer microwaves also have a "quick start" button for 30 seconds which you can just press four times to get it to go for two minutes, or enter the…

>Older microwaves have a cumbersome enter time, hit start procedure. Newer microwaves also have a "quick start" button for 30 seconds which you can just press four times to get it to go for two minutes QS-QS-QS-QS-Start 2-0-0-Start "Cumbersome"?

it's qs-qs-qs-qs, and yes, Americans, home of the Hot Pocket are that lazy.

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#549

Post by bushbaba » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:08 PM UTC

alexey-salmin wrote: post #176

The referenced reply is dull. It's very pretentious but just reiterates common knowledge, it doesn't convey any useful information. For example I wish someone told me about the existence of Miele kitchen equipment before I accidentally rented an apartment of a well-to-do woman. She renovated it for herself but then rented out when circumstances changed. Similarly it took me a long time to realize just how much better…

Disagree it lasts 5-10 times longer. IKEA kitchens will last anywhere from 10-30 years. 5-10 times longer is 50-300 years, which is well outside the range veneered hardwood kitchen cabinets will last.

Re: What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

#550

Post by rfrey » Mon, May 19, 2025, 2:08 PM UTC

whatevaa wrote: post #364

nickd2001 wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What happened to that then? ;) We bought a Miele dishwasher to replace a Neff which broke down after 10 yrs (probably 16 yrs worth of "official" usage) due to a silly design fault that caused it to leak. Thought a fairly basic model Miele worth a shot, as because it a stupid built-in, there's extra costs getting it installed, so longer it lasts the better. So far, it seems to clean to fairly similar standard to the N…

Microwave tech hasn't advanced anywhere beyond timer and power level. Everything else is just a gimmick.

My microwave had an inverter rather than a transformer, which is a change I guess. Don't know if it's an improvement. I do know it was a disappointment to me when the microwave failed after 4 years and I went to salvage the transformer and there wasn't one.