FAIR PRICING

“NEW YORK (AP) -- J.C. Penney is permanently marking down all of its merchandise by at least 40 percent so shoppers no longer have to wait for sales to get bargains.

Penney said Wednesday that it is getting rid of the hundreds of sales it offers each year in favor of a simpler approach to pricing. Starting on Feb. 1, the retailer is rolling out an “Every Day” pricing strategy with much fewer sales throughout the year”

No everyone will be happy about this, but I say YEAH! I realize I may be standing alone, but I applaud their decision to offer what, on the surface, appears to be true pricing. Now I want everyone else to follow suit.

Many sales are a problem for seniors on fixed incomes. If you know the sale is coming it may not be so bad, but if it falls at the wrong time of the month, a senior can feel screwed. Most of us get one check a month. If the deep discount sale is not shortly thereafter, we have nothing left for the sale,

I have always known items are outrageously priced and when they get down to the sales, they are getting closer to the fair price. I know businesses need to make money, but the price gouging leaves the low income and even many of the middle income out of the picture. Add technology to the purchasing mix – forget that. Anything you buy is outdated by the time you get it home. So get ready to spend another $1,000 and in the next six months to get the new and better and one with more gadgets.

I have an ancient computer — ten years old. There is nothing portable about it. In fact, I now need a family member to come and move it if that becomes necessary. I can no longer watch videos. They jerk, stop and my computer spits out a sign telling me I need to upgrade to the latest version. I don’t mind doing that, but I can’t. The company tells me my computer system is not compatible. So I go back to Apple to upgrade my system. We’re sorry. Your computer can no longer be upgraded. You need to BUY a new computer.

I am most likely at fault. I did not keep up with all the little improvements along the way. Frankly, I didn’t have the money to upgrade every six months. I used to keep up — when I had some extra money which maybe why I’m sort now. But the last time I made a major system change all my programs needed to be upgraded too. Yikes. I should have bought a car.

I am a capitalist. I want business to make money. However, I am sick and tire of everyone trying to topple Bill Gates and be the richest person. I am glad Bill Gates is beginning to give some of that money away, but there is a better and simpler way and it may have even made their product available to more people. This is just a thought. Try fair pricing. When production costs go down, lower your price. Make a product that does not become obsolete in six months. Does anyone really need a billion dollars – well maybe if you want gas for your car and need to get groceries, but that’s another issue.

You guys are all genus’s and becoming billionaires faster than I change clothes. Can’t any of you figure out how to let the old items you made your billion off continue to work?

I liked my Mac. I loved my Mac. I am getting closer and closer to the day that the best use may be as a step stool — a very expensive step stool. But it will be too heavy for me to move it around. I haven’t checked into all the costs of upgrading all the programs associated with what I like to do. I know some of them no longer exist. But when you finally make it impossible to send emails, read news items, do the newsletter and posters I do for the residents at my apartments using my old Photoshop and no longer available Freehand I suppose I will need a computerized casket so my living friends and family can talk to the dead. I may as well sign up for one of those cremation services. A lot of companies want to burn me up but I never get notices about being buried. I suppose even that is becoming passé.

ANYONE CAN DO IT

I used to be the go to guy. The one who could make the office equipment work, the one who could figure out how to make mimeograph work and get the masters on and off with little ink on my fingers. I could un-jam the photocopier. I could set the alarm clock. I could get the VCR clock off 12:00, and I could hook up the turntable to the speakers.

I don’t really know when it all changed. It wasn’t immediate. It slowly took over my life and knocked me out. In 2000 I began taking in boys as a proctor parent. Most understand the new technology and enjoyed hooking up anything I needed connected. I didn’t think much about it. Things were beginning to get complicated, they wanted to do it and I liked that it was a way for them to contribute to our lives together. It seemed like a win-win situation.

It is ten years later and I don’t know anything! I feel dumber than dumb. My fifteen year-old 35 mm camera gave up the ghost on Christmas day. I miss it all ready because I knew how it worked. But I decided not to get it fixed. Instead I decided it was time to move into the digital age.

I’m a member of Staples rewards and had accumulated near $78 in rewards that I could use toward any purchase. I went on line and looked at all the cameras, studied the features (and variety of colors) but the numbers, symbols and abbreviations only confused me more. I figured out that mega pixels meant the more there were the clearer the photo would be (I think). The numbers 3x, 5x etc. seemed to refer to magnification. Beyond that, I was lost.

I like Staples. I buy paper and toner there all the time. But I have yet to find a sales person who knows much beyond computers and printers. At least today no one was working who knew cameras. I was told but the clerk that the one I liked was a good one. I suspect I would have been told that no matter which one I selected. Cost was the most important. Get the most for the least — the American way.

The new technology practically programs it’s self, the clerk said. Yeah, right. I brought it home, read the entire manual (a new experience for me) and attempted to follow the directions. Problem one should never had happen, but the arrow on the camera drawing appeared to be pointing to the wrong place. Ten hours later I got the holding strap on (slight exaggeration). Step two was to install the battery. The directions were very clear. I should turn off the camera before installing the battery. Uhh! Without a battery how did I know if it was off or on? Assuming it was off I inserted the battery as directed having checked how it went in multiple times. I only went in one way. I then attached the charger using the proper cords and plugged it in. A battery charging light was to go on. No it didn’t. So I tried, tried and tried again. Nothing. No light. Multiple screams.

When I believe I may ultimately find a solution to a problem I have no difficulty with perseverance. But this time I am going to bed and will try again tomorrow. I know I’m from the dark ages but this little camera that does everything but start the morning coffee is not going to beat me. And if it does — I am not going to tell anyone. I’m going to call my nine-year-old grandson.