Consumer Rip-Offs in America

Consumers beware! If you're not a conscious shopper or are just more adventurous with your money, you could be getting ripped off, yes right here in America! Products are put on the store shelves to take up space, to catch the consumers' eye, and to bring in revenue. Every little penny counts to a store. There are many products, even at our wonderful and popular super stores, that are junk. They are rip-offs, worthless garbage just to make people spend the almight buck.

What's an American consumer to do? Well, the first and best idea is to avoid going shopping when you are bored. Sometimes this is one of the worst times because our defenses may be down. (Defense in the land of the free means more for Americans than protection against terrorists!) If you are just spending money for the heck of it because there is really nothing else to do with your time at the moment, you are being your own worst enemy. This is especially true for the family (or the single and financially stressed) who truly needs to pay attention to each of their purchases. In fact, buying out of boredom can become a habit that causes a person to become financially stressed. When you fail to realize just where your money is going and all of a sudden notice it is gone, the culprit may be senseless spending. Much of sales success in America is based on senseless spending!

What products do the stores stock that are nonsense items? Well, it may depend on what exactly you call nonsense. Many of the products that taunt us with time-saving features are in fact nonsense items. These things do not honestly save us enough time to create the necessity the ads promote.

Many nonsense items are also food purchases that are supposed to be quick and easy to prepare. If you buy these instant meals, then you find that the taste or texture leaves much less to be desired, you are spending senselessly. If you want to get the most from your money, at least buy food items you truly enjoy.

You could look at it like this. If you are craving a chocolate bar and all you have in the cupboards is vanilla flavored items, you can fill up on vanilla and still be unsatisfied. You wanted the chocolate and couldn't have it, so you were left with unwanted calories and unhappy taste buds because you tried to substitute. If you try to substitute senseless food purchases for what you truly enjoy, you will be left with an unsatisfied wallet. A product may be quick and easy to prepare, but if it tastes like junk-----it qualifies as a rip-off.

Other senseless purchases involves kitchen equipment that is supposed to save us time and money. As an almighty consumer, you should first ask yourself exactly how much room you may or may not have in your kitchen to store the product. If you will be compromising storage for something that can do the job of a product you already own, you would be ripping yourself off to give in to temptation. Sometimes it is not the store doing the damage, it is the weak will of the consumer. If you just think something is cute or a nice color or a great design, but you do not actually need the item, you would be ripping yourself off to buy it. The stores count on this as well. Your weakness is the strength of the stores!

What about tools? Tools can be rip-offs as well. There are brands of tools that are not worth the effort put into manufacturing them. They sell because of consumer weakness. If you are not experienced enough or are not lucky enough to have someone to teach you what quality tools are, you can easily get ripped-off by the senseless tools offered. There are many products along this line that are created weak and just do not hold up to their presented image. There are many tools that are offered that are unnecessary because other tools can do the same job along with the job of several others. How many screwdrivers does a person really need? If you buy a cheap one that bends once a true test has been performed, you will find that you do indeed need more than one. Take a Phillips screwdriver, for instance. There are Phillips screwdrivers that are useless once their grooves have been warped a little, and those grooves can warp easily. If you buy a quality screwdriver, you will be the sensible American consumer who avoids the rip-off.

One way to avoid product rip-offs is to do your research before you shop. If you know the negative and positive feedback on a brand or an item, you can avoid many weak purchases. (Another great reason to love America is our freedom of speech to alert each other to the pros and cons of products on the market.) Another way to avoid product rip-offs is to listen to that little voice telling you it may not be such a good idea. Learning to follow your instinct could be your best bet! Know before you enter the store that there are many items that are placed strategically so that they will catch your eye and provoke you into purchasing. You must be mentally alert and on the defense!