Here’s a telling chart from the folks over at VisualCapitalist.com
A quick overview of the data shows us that everything we truly need to survive, things like health care and food and housing, cost significantly more than they did at the turn of the century, while shit that sells data on us, like cellphone service and smart TVs, have become easier to afford.
Yay! Said your uncle with the 65″ TV who really wants that 80″.
According to Forbes, half of all Americans carry medical debt. That’s astounding, and with a more informed and mobilized citizenry, people would be demanding better from corporations and their government. It’s just so tough to care when you never went to college because you couldn’t afford it and the new season of Outer Banks just dropped.
Food prices are out of control as well, and they don’t just get you on cost, they also use shrinkflation to play with product size as well. For example, many “family size” breakfast cereals are now what the regular size used to be. Pasta brands that used to be 16 oz now sell 12 oz packages for the same price. It goes on and on.
Even actor B.J. Novak tried to open America’s eyes on the topic when he famously showed the evidence of shrinking Cadbury egg sizes on Conan.
Shrinkflation, the unholy love child of unchecked capitalism and a dumber-n-shit populace. What other brands have you corrupted?
Oh holy hell! We got it, we get it!
So, there you have it. Your dollar buys less. The shit you need is more expensive and the shit you don’t can be picked up off the side of the road so your usage can be tracked by Big Data.
But don’t fret! After several months where the used car price index had fallen from preposterous highs caused by supply chain shortages, it looks like they’re back on the rise over the first half of February! Yahooooo! Now you’ll once again have the option of parting with that fair condition 2009 Jetta to pay your mortgage and feed your family.
