Things that used to be free...

[mountainsoft]

I needed to sell a car for my mother-in-law. So I posted an ad on Craigslist. They now charge $5 for the ad. Granted, that's not much, but it always used to be free.

Once I sold the car, I logged onto the state web site to report the sale. It had always been a free service, but now they charge over $13.

And remember when software was a one time purchase. Now it seems everything is subscription based.

The world has gotten greedy...

[Chuckanut]

Local restaurant used to offer a happy hour. Buy a glass of wine and get a chance to graze on small hors d'oeuvres, usually made from food they did not sell from the previous night's dinner service.

Now the wine is $10 a glass minimum. Food is small plates starting at $5. I don't blame them. It's a tough business. But, I don't go as often either. A few months ago I noticed it was cheaper to split a full size plate than each of us order two or three small plates. And I simply refuse to pay $10+ for a glass of a wine I can purchase at the local wine shop for $22 a bottle max.

Thankfully, I am not a big drinker and I can cook for myself.

[Amethyst]

Wow, where can you even get a $10.00 glass of wine?

Some years ago, I recognized, on a restaurant menu, two decent wines which we were used to buying for $9.99 a bottle. They were at the cheap end of the wine menu, of course.

Each was listed at $40.00 a bottle, or $12.00 a glass. No doubt it would be more, now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut I simply refuse to pay $10+ for a glass of a wine I can purchase at the local wine shop for $22 a bottle max. Thankfully, I am not a big drinker and I can cook for myself.

[Sojourner]

Choosing your seat on an airline in advance (prior to checking in at the airport). Nowadays, there is simply no way to do this for free. If you want to do it "for free", you must buy a ticket that's usually about $40-70 more expensive than the lowest priced "basic economy" ticket.

[mystang52]

How 'bout this one: Air! In my area there are, to the best of my knowledge, all of 2 gas stations that offer free air for tires.

[ShokWaveRider]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Local restaurant used to offer a happy hour. Buy a glass of wine and get a chance to graze on small hors d'oeuvres, usually made from food they did not sell from the previous night's dinner service. Now the wine is $10 a glass minimum. Food is small plates starting at $5. I don't blame them. It's a tough business. But, I don't go as often either. A few months ago I noticed it was cheaper to split a full size plate than each of us order two or three small plates. And I simply refuse to pay $10+ for a glass of a wine I can purchase at the local wine shop for $22 a bottle max. Thankfully, I am not a big drinker and I can cook for myself.

I think we are finding that local restaurants are digging their own graves. One would think they would try to attract customers these days rather than put them off.

I think that the local restaurant is going to be a thing of the past if they keep this up. There will only be the high end restaurants that survive.

This is not applicable in tourist areas as tourists typically do not know the norm has changed. MMDV

[teetee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystang52 How 'bout this one: Air! In my area there are, to the best of my knowledge, all of 2 gas stations that offer free air for tires.

To be 100% accurate, it is compressed air with the adapter that delivers it into your tire.

I never use it at the gas stations not because of the high costs (I think the stations around me all charge a quarter) but because I want to be able to inflate my tires immediately when the light is on. So I always have a tire compressor in my car.

[aaronc879]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystang52 How 'bout this one: Air! In my area there are, to the best of my knowledge, all of 2 gas stations that offer free air for tires.

Yes. I was on my bike and the front tire was low so I stopped at a gas station to get air---75 cents. I left and stopped at a different one---25 cents. I'm only aware of one local chain that has free air now.

[Amethyst]

I don't think of it as paying for air. It's the cost of using a machine.

There was one free-air machine left, where I used to live. It was also an excellent and honorable garage.

Where I am now, you not only pay $3.75 (quarters) for air at all stations. For your money, you do not even get enough time to fill all four tires. (And I'm fast).

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystang52 How 'bout this one: Air! In my area there are, to the best of my knowledge, all of 2 gas stations that offer free air for tires.

[GreenEggs]

Lowes sells carpenters pencils & paint can openers that real lumber stores & real paint stores still give away.

[Amethyst]

Dogs will still lick your hand for free.

[RobbieB]

In California, state law requires free air if you buy fuel. You have to go inside and they will turn on the pump.

[mountainsoft]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystang52 How 'bout this one: Air! In my area there are, to the best of my knowledge, all of 2 gas stations that offer free air for tires.

I'm surprised you still have 2 stations with free air compressors. I haven't seen a free air compressor in years. They're all coin operated around here. Since we pay for everything with credit or debit cards, we never have change to use in the coin operated compressors. We just air up our tires at home with my own air compressor.

For that matter, I haven't seen a true gas station in years. Now it's mini-marts or grocery stores with a gas pump out front. They certainly won't check your oil or tire pressure.

Here's another... Remember when customer service was free? Didn't matter if you were a customer or not, we're happy to answer your questions. Then it became a customer only thing. Buy our stuff and we'll answer your questions, otherwise you're on your own. Now you have to pay extra for customer service, even if you already own the product. If you want a warranty, you have to pay extra for that too.

Oh, and remember when people helped out just because it was the right thing to do? The last time I was stranded with a dead battery (thankfully many years ago) I asked a guy if I could get a jump start. He said sure, then asked for $10 for his "help". My car, my jumper cables, me making the connections, all he had to do was pop his hood. He got me out of a bind so I paid, but it still irks me today that someone wanted money just to help another person.

[EastWest Gal]

Many years ago orchards were pollinated for free by beekeepers, since they got a lot of honey from single source flowers, which is premium honey. Now it costs over $100/acre.

[mpeirce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainsoft Oh, and remember when people helped out just because it was the right thing to do? The last time I was stranded with a dead battery (thankfully many years ago) I asked a guy if I could get a jump start. He said sure, then asked for $10 for his "help". My car, my jumper cables, me making the connections, all he had to do was pop his hood. He got me out of a bind so I paid, but it still irks me today that someone wanted money just to help another person.

This situation happened to me last winter lot. Asked the person who was returning to their car in front of mine and she said she didn’t know how. I said “just pop the hood and I’ll hook it up” She agreed, I started up my car, and we were both on our ways. This was in Oregon, Ohio (Toledo area).

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst Dogs will still lick your hand for free.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainsoft I needed to sell a car for my mother-in-law. So I posted an ad on Craigslist. They now charge $5 for the ad. Granted, that's not much, but it always used to be free. Once I sold the car, I logged onto the state web site to report the sale. It had always been a free service, but now they charge over $13. And remember when software was a one time purchase. Now it seems everything is subscription based. The world has gotten greedy...

So true,
I used to read these posts for free, but now I'm thinking I should charge 25 cents for it.

[Midpack]

Most of what's described above was never really free, it was built in to other payments. Nowadays it seems more palatable to charge fees for every possible product or service than to increase broader base costs. And more people are abusing "free" services, so merchants have taken steps to close those loopholes. More creative pricing schemes are the norm now.

I know of a toll road that was added. Residents wanted the expansion but they didn't want to pay for the interstate expansion, so politicians took on debt instead of raising taxes. Once the expansion was complete, toll lanes were added - to repay the (considerable) debt, about 80% of the total project cost. You guessed it, residents are up in arms about paying tolls and want the new lanes to be "free." Kinda stupid on the part of residents, but of course they blame the politicians...

We get what we deserve (in part)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainsoft I needed to sell a car for my mother-in-law. So I posted an ad on Craigslist. They now charge $5 for the ad. Granted, that's not much, but it always used to be free. Sounds like the chose to add a $5 fee instead of increasing their % take, same thing eBay did. Once I sold the car, I logged onto the state web site to report the sale. It had always been a free service, but now they charge over $13. Easier (and more equitable?) to charge a fee instead of raising state taxes. And remember when software was a one time purchase. Now it seems everything is subscription based. The world has gotten greedy...

[prudent_one]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainsoft I'm surprised you still have 2 stations with free air compressors. I haven't seen a free air compressor in years. They're all coin operated around here.

We're lucky then. There are two gas station/convenience store/made-to-order sandwich chains in town that both have free air and they are everywhere. Plentiful enough that if your first stop has a broken machine, you'll only need to go a couple miles to the next one.

[scrabbler1]

I saw tech support for my old Gateway PC go downhill in the 10 years I owned it. Early on, in 2001-2003, phone and email tech support was free, and they still had those country stores I could bring my PC to (I had a 3-year warranty, which I used often).

In the later years, only general support was free. For more detailed tech support (phone only), I was constantly directed to call their $2 or $3 per minute support line. I would try to get as much general info I could from the less supportive, free line, then end the call. I couldn't imagine talking to a tech support agent for 30 minutes and being charged $60 or more! And their country stores had long disappeared, too.

One big annoying feature from my old, land-line phone service was the practice of the local phone companies charging $2 a month for long-distance service even if I made ZERO LD calls. I rarely made any long-distance calls, so I wasn't in any LD calling plan. For a while, I was fine with paying a little extra per LD call for those very rare calls. Then the phone company discontinued that ancient non-plan and forced everyone onto a plan so they could charge the $2 a month. I told them to discontinue my LD service.