Wednesday, July 02, 2014

Are You Stupid? "Included for Free" Addition

First off, the answer is probably "yes" because we all are, and anyone who thinks they aren't is just being stupid.  Still, there are some varieties of stupid that are particularly egregious (see Justice Alito's recent opinion).  Try this fictional example...

Ferrari sells you a particular model of vehicle with every option "included for free" at $250k.

Porsche sells you a car with a base price of $130k and $120k in optional upgrades that bring it to about the same point as the Ferrari (yes, enthusiasts for one or the other will disagree but that's not the point here).

The question: Do you complain to the Porsche dealer that Ferrari includes their options for free?
The answer: Only if you are stupid.

This doesn't mean that one isn't better than the other at one thing or another, or that you wouldn't be better served by one or the other, but if you think the Ferrari options are "free" you are monumentally stupid.

"Included for free" means that the price is already factored into the base price of whatever you are getting.  Unless you are someone who needs all the included items, you are probably paying for things you don't need so that someone else who does can get them at a slight discount.

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