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Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

theguardian.com

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Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#151

Post by mancerayder »

thomassmith65 wrote: post #79

25 years ago, 'customer focus' was the buzz word. Gmail (and similar products) killed it. The internet made it possible for a company to serve hundreds of millions of people without the overhead of listening to, or supporting, or giving much of a shit about them. "Why are you complaining? It's free!" Gmail envy makes it seem like you're some underachieving sucker if you bend over backwards to deliver a great customer…

Gmail is a good example of being a Very Good Company, waiting a few years when everyone is hooked on the products the company made, and then turning in the one we know today where Do No Evil was long scrubbed as a motto.

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#152

Post by mancerayder »

hermannj314 wrote: post #44

I think it is a wonderful time to start a business. Owner-run businesses tend to have great customer service. As consumers, we have some choice to give our attention to businesses where the people doing the work are the ones that own the company, if they aren't, then give your money to someone else. Stop supporting businesses that pay their taxes to Ireland. This isn't a perfect solution and I know there are counter-…

Starting a business, but that requires financial independence, right?

If not, what do you do in your 40's with no healthcare? Or the state marketplace healthcare that is basically 'catrastrophe only', with no out of network support, and still costs over 800 a month?

Do you rent, or do you own, and if you own, how about the property taxes.

Starting a business in 2026 is for the Made Men of tech, who've sold monstrous share amounts for millions, and can post messages on Hackernews with advice on how to escape the rat race.

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#153

Post by M95D »

beej71 wrote: post #128
hermannj314 wrote: post #44

I think it is a wonderful time to start a business. Owner-run businesses tend to have great customer service. As consumers, we have some choice to give our attention to businesses where the people doing the work are the ones that own the company, if they aren't, then give your money to someone else. Stop supporting businesses that pay their taxes to Ireland. This isn't a perfect solution and I know there are counter-…

Yes, I agree. When shopping for goods and services locally, I look for the small shop that gets the best reviews. It's always been a better experience for me. The small companies can't afford to shaft 5% of their customers in the same way the big ones can.

And where do you get reviews that are not farmed / AI?

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#154

Post by mancerayder »

nunez wrote: post #103

Maybe the increasingly common trend of companies making it impossible to contact human beings when help is needed has something to do with that.

Good afternoon nunez! How can we help you today. You can say things like

"Question about Order"

"Talk to Salesperson"

"Billing inquiry"

...

I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch yet. Good afternoon Nunez...

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#155

Post by mancerayder »

cadamsdotcom wrote: post #12

This article reads like rage bait and it's about rage bait. Reading this then taking to the comments to kvetch about your personal suffering is learned helplessness writ large. There are so many beautiful parks. There are so many experiences to be had away from sources of rage & frustration. But you won't find it from a publication that depends on your rage addiction.

The parks are a lot more beautiful in Paris and London than in the U.S. cities like New York or Philadelphia or whatever.

On the East Coast at least, parks are for loud people to play music, they're full of litter, dogs running around, and a general American distaste for peace and beauty and quiet contemplation. We Americans love function, profit and socializing more than we value beauty.

We Americans loathe quiet, contemplating, reading, and taking things in. It's a waste of time that could be spent doing something productive.

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#156

Post by senordevnyc »

monksy wrote: post #101

I mean that's super easy. Go to a restaurant. Oh you better tip 20-30-50% (Because thats how they hide the bill, and put the lowest value on there). Bad service? YOU MONSTER YOU TIPPED 15% (15% is standard, and on top of higher prices- that is more money.. service+restaurant owners basically forced a 5%+ pay raise for no value). On top of that.. oh no menus.. get your own device so you can order from us. Walk into a…

It gets easier if you stop worrying so much about what these strangers think. Tip 15%, let the receipt checker roll their eyes when you walk past, let them judge you on your self-checkout speed, etc. Who cares?

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#157

Post by leereeves »

mancerayder wrote: post #149
expectsomuch wrote: post #55

All of the notes regarding the degraded quality and customer support / experience for products and services is true. But the additional factor is that so many of us are pushed to the brink now, in terms of affordability and costs of goods and services. If you're making good money and you order a sub-par product, it's definitely a frustration, but it's not the end of the world. But now, for so many, there is less marg…

No one ever cared, at least in the U.S. about 'food rent healthcare transport'. In the U.S. we don't combine those ideas together. Unless you're a student or a politician, almost no one talks like that. You and I know it's connected in a sense. But is it meaningfully connected? It plays into a story about corporate hegemony, money influencing politicians through lobbying, the power of health care conglomerates and la…

> No one ever cared, at least in the U.S. about 'food rent healthcare transport'. In the U.S. we don't combine those ideas together. Unless you're a student or a politician, almost no one talks like that.

GP said "essential things like food, rent, and transport, let alone healthcare".

I think you're right that we rarely phrase it like 'food rent healthcare transport', but "average people" certainly talk about spending so much on essentials that there's nothing left for fun, or being unable to afford the essentials.

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#158

Post by OptionOfT »

sershe wrote: post #145
OptionOfT wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To add to this, I think that spending more money these days helps a lot less. Higher prices these days mean more features, but not necessarily higher quality. Everything is a subscription, can only be controlled by their app, and is mass-produced in a factory in China, brought here and then sold with a story plus a huge markup. A less connected example: You want to buy a new couch. Budget: $2k. You get: * bad constru…

I always wondered how my coworkers in tech (imply to) spent so much money (even without kids) and then I hear things like "you can't buy a car for less than 50k these days" or read these posts. Then you test drive a 20k used car and the only thing that is more than 10% worse about it about it is how quickly your ego goes 0 to 60 :) A good couch costs around 1k and I'm pretty sure based on extensive experience the $20…

I'm not gonna argue the car thing. I like cars, so when I spend money on them there is emotion involved, and all logic goes out the door.

But for the couch, is it unreasonable to want a couch in which I can replace the foam? For not wanting a throw away product?

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#159

Post by joquarky »

jayelem wrote: post #123

“Abuse will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to terminate the call.” This reliably elicits the response they claim to want to avoid -it feels designed to prime the caller for anger.

Probably Goodhart's Law in action.

E.g., "keep the calls as short as possible".

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#160

Post by joquarky »

pessimizer wrote: post #54
SoftTalker wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever worked for a large corporation? Have you seen how bureaucratic everything is? It's the nature of the beast. It's not calculated, and not personal. It's a process scaled to deal with thousands or millions of people. That's why when I have a problem with my internet service, I never call, or use the website, or use the app. I go to the Xfinity retail store and talk to someone. I almost always leave satisf…

> It's the nature of the beast. It's not calculated, and not personal. These are simply weird declarations that you're making, and 20 years ago the world was not like this. > It's a process scaled to deal with thousands or millions of people. You're saying this as if there weren't thousands or millions of people 20 years ago. > I go to the Xfinity retail store and talk to someone. I almost always leave satisfied. I'v…

BTW, there's a lot of unsubstantiated projection in your comment.
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