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Did you ever notice that at cheaper hotels, you get free breakfasts, free internet, free parking, and frequently, a free appetizer/cocktail hour? At expensive hotels, you pay the valet, pay to park, pay for wifi, and there is no free food.
Same goes at more expensive restaurants. I just watched a show on TV where a couple paid $800. for a dinner in Las Vegas, and although there were several courses, they were all teeny portions. Yet, we can go to a cheap restaurant or buffet and gets piles of food for very little.
I could do a lot better in the frugality department, but even I cannot see the reason people pay to be abused like this sometimes.
I know. We just spent 3 nights at the Sheraton, and everything costs extra. I'm not paying $10 a night for Wi-Fi
I think there is a reason for demand for those high priced ripoffs.
Posters need to defend them in a vain attempt to impress others.
Sad !
^^^This - and I don't think people do it because they 'enjoy it' but they feel they have to impress others and are afraid to associate with merely middle class people.
Maybe they liked the general experience of Dillards better, who knows.
I've shopped at Kohl's on occasion, either with a coupon, or with merchandise credit. My MIL used to have a habit of buying tons of clothes for the kids that weren't the right size. While some of the merchandise might be identical to what is at Dillards, much of it is also more similar to say Target. Some of the clothes for young women(think the Kohl's store brand) were of horrendous quality.
Sometimes when I had the merchandise credits I honestly had trouble figuring out what to buy with it...they wouldn't have the right sizes in stock for the kids's clothes, sometimes I ended up buying socks or towels.
The clothes at Kohls look like low end crap (no other way to say it) that they sell at JC Penney or Kmart and where can you get a 3 pack of Tee shirts for $7.00, even at Target ONE cotton tee shirt is around $12 these days.
I hate to say it, but I have actually found decent things at Marshalls or Century 21 when I am in NYC. I know they may be 'last years' fashion and not cool enough to get into the trendy restaurants & lounges in Manhattan but I am able to find decent brand names even shopping online.. I can't afford $150 for a shirt or $450 for a basic fall jacket that everyone thinks is normal even though much of this shopping (for the majority of people as with the high end hotels) is on credit cards where you are paying anywhere from 10 - 20% APR.
If you are looking for Bang for your Buck. Try staying at a Residence Inn by Marriott. Especially the one in Pentagon City near Washington DC. It has the most wonderful buffet breakfast I have ever had at any hotel and it is included in the room rate. I will say it was better than most wedding reception buffets I have had.
and I don't think people do it because they 'enjoy it' but they feel they have to impress others and are afraid to associate with merely middle class people.
There will always be people out there who feel that they have to impress others in one way or another. Some do it by spending large amounts of money on something (be it clothes, a car, a house, an experience, etc.) Sad but true.
But on the flip side, I would argue that there are many people who spend money on certain things because they truly enjoy them, which is why they choose to spend a part of their income on those things in the first place. I would also hazzard a guess that, for many of those who occasionally splurge on something like an upscale dinner or a more expensive vacation destination (or whatever else), these are occasional expenditures which they save and budget for, not something they do week-in and week-out. But, hey, bottom line...if they "enjoy it" and can afford it, what is the big deal? Why do some people bother getting outraged and judgemental over how others choose to spend their money?
People who spend money on expensive things for the shallow reason of just trying to impress others are not much different from some posters on this board who try to impress others with their frugality, or who indignantly look down their noses at those who spend money on "something" that they feel is a "waste." Those in both groups are equally as guilty of being snobby or condescending.
...even though much of this shopping...is on credit cards where you are paying anywhere from 10 - 20% APR.
There is no interest paid on CC purchases when one pays their CC bill in full every month. And I think we all agree that carrying a CC balance just to be able to buy something right away is generally a downright idiotic concept.
I get what you're saying! I've often had the same observation.The more you pay, the less you get, especially in hotels. We don't stay in dumps, but the more pricey hotels charge out the nose for every little thing---parking, breakfast, local phone calls, I'm surprised they haven't put a meter on the toilet to charge per flush! Usually there's NOTHING to eat in such places, not even a candy machine. Your only option is the overpriced restaurant, where you can't get a meal for ANY price! No matter what you pay, you get a dib of this, a dab of that, guess its so esquisite you couldn't stand another bite! Just don't pay cash in such places---the waiter runs off with your change, thinking its his tip, and you have no paper trail to protest.
Hey, I just rough it with the rest of the bums---Hampton Inn, Springhill Suites, Hilton Garden, I know.....such a miserable world
i went to the bahamas in 2006 with 2 friends. what did i pack in my suitcase? cans of sardines and cereal. when i got there, they looked at me crazy. i told them i refuse to be ripped off on overpriced food for tourists. i did buy some local fruits there but they were very cheap. i got my protein through fish and had my own breakfast. i was only for there 4 days so i didn't mind. and the "local" food is the same i can find in new york city so i didn't care about enjoying local food at exaggerated prices. that was a great trip. i saved a lot of money and got the most bang for the buck (value is all that matters for me).
Did you ever notice that at cheaper hotels, you get free breakfasts, free internet, free parking, and frequently, a free appetizer/cocktail hour? At expensive hotels, you pay the valet, pay to park, pay for wifi, and there is no free food.
For work sometimes I have to stay out of town overnight.
At a La Quinta Inn in a remote Colorado town I get a really nice room, free wifi, indoor pool/hot tub, decent continental breakfast.
I stayed at a very "fancy" Sheraton hotel in downtown Denver. $24/day to park in the underground parking garage; room was ok, nothing special; wifi $10/day (free for me as I was there for a conference), outdoor pool on roof (too cold to swim in March anyways), no cont breakfast. So I was underwhelmed by the fancy downtown hotel. Glad I wasn't paying out of my own pocket.
Overall, I prefer to travel in remote parts of southern Utah and camp out in my own tent. Luxury.
Don't go too cheap, though...whatever was the outcome of that girl in the water tank at that dump of a hotel in Los Angeles?
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