6 outrageously-ridiculously overpriced items

[hater]

only idiots buy these things:
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110535/6-outrageously-overpriced-products


1. Movie Theater Popcorn

At the grocery store, microwave popcorn runs about $3 per box, and each box includes three 3.5 ounce bags. So why on earth would consumers even consider paying a whopping $6 for a single medium-sized bag of popcorn in the movie theater? No one knows exactly why - but for some bizarre reason, movie-goers continue to drain their wallets to crunch on a bag full of those greasy little nuggets during their favorite film.

After considering that movie theaters purchase popcorn in bulk, the average markup of movie theater popcorn is a whopping 1275%! At that steep price, you'd think those buttery bags were laced with gold.

2. Greeting Cards

Since when does a folded up piece of paper cost $2.99? Since someone slaps a precious kitty picture and a cleverly written message on it and then stamps the back of it with a well-known logo. That's right - we're talking about those pricey greeting cards. Many consumers spend hours poring over the neatly arranged stacks in the greeting card aisle, searching for the perfect message for their sister's birthday, their parent's anniversary or "Just Because."

The average greeting card costs between $2 and $4, and we consumers don't seem to think twice about paying that precipitous price. The markup is between 100 and 200% - which is not quite as shocking as movie theater popcorn, but it adds up quickly. When you consider how many of those paper jewels you buy each year, it's enough to send you running for the construction paper and markers. After all, it only costs a few cents to create a home-made card.

3. College Textbooks

In 2010, the annual in-state cost for the typical state university soared to more than $15,000, and private colleges now charge an average of $35,600 a year. As if college kids (and their parents) aren't financially drained enough, there's yet another inflated price they face: college textbooks. College students pay an average of $900 a year on textbooks and other supplies.

College textbook prices have skyrocketed by 186% since 1986, and these expensive volumes of knowledge now account for 26% of the overall cost of college. Unfortunately, broke college students are required to purchase these costly books for their classes. At least they can try to sell their books back to local book store at the end of the semester - for a few measly bucks.

4. Bottled Water

You've probably heard that "Evian" is simply "naïve" spelled backwards. OK, so the well-known company probably did not choose their name for that reason - but many people believe that consumers who buy bottled water are certainly naïve. After all, water is one of the most abundant resources in the world and is available for free from countless water fountains and sinks across the nation. Yet, many consumers are still willing to pay $3 a bottle of it.

In 2009, the U.S. Congress revealed that about 45% of bottled water comes from municipal taps - and then the bottled water company may or may not do some additional filtering before pouring it in their logo-stamped bottles. Still, Americans continue to buy more than 500 million bottles every week, making it the second most popular purchased drink (after soda).

5. Printer Ink

You may be able to buy a surprisingly affordable printer at your local office supply store, but don't start celebrating just yet. The printer companies make their biggest bucks on ink.

Over the life of your printer, you'll probably pay more than 500% of the total price of the printer itself on ink refill cartridges. At $30, a 42ml cartridge of black printer ink comes out to 71 cents per ml. On the other hand, the Red Cross charges $200 for 500 ml of blood, which comes out to about 40 cents per ml.

6. Brand-Name Fashions

How much did you pay for those True Religion jeans, that Burberry scarf and those towering Louboutin stilettos? Probably a small fortune. But it was worth every penny, right? Not so much. When it comes to designer clothes, it's pretty obvious that you are paying for the label.

As a matter of fact, brand-name clothes are often marked up by 500 to 1000%. Yet, fashion-conscious consumers continue to drain their bank accounts and pile up massive amounts of debt to stay on the cutting edge of couture.

[clambake]

the expertise, material and cut of canali suits is worth every penny.

[BlackSwordsMan]

Why isn't healthy food up there?

[JoeChalupa]

Only thing I buy on that list printer ink but I refill mine and rarely print anything at home. For cards I just use a free greeting card and print it.

[Drachen]

Why isn't healthy food up there?

Because it's not expensive. Fruit's veggies, etc don't cost that much relative to their nutritional value and ability to fill you up.

[hater]

how do I get into the college textbook market?? 26% of tuition!

[Drachen]

Only thing I buy on that list printer ink but I refill mine and rarely print anything at home. For cards I just use a free greeting card and print it.

Inksell.com is where I get my ink from. If you feel the need to buy name brand, they are usually cheaper, but the real value is in the generics. I got 5 rounds of ink (5 black, 5 yellow, 5 magenta, 5 cyan, etc) for $45 bucks 2.5 years ago. I still have 2 more rounds to go before I have to rebuy.

[Blake]

only idiots buy these things:
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110535/6-outrageously-overpriced-products


1. Movie Theater Popcorn

At the grocery store, microwave popcorn runs about $3 per box, and each box includes three 3.5 ounce bags. So why on earth would consumers even consider paying a whopping $6 for a single medium-sized bag of popcorn in the movie theater? No one knows exactly why - but for some bizarre reason, movie-goers continue to drain their wallets to crunch on a bag full of those greasy little nuggets during their favorite film.

After considering that movie theaters purchase popcorn in bulk, the average markup of movie theater popcorn is a whopping 1275%! At that steep price, you'd think those buttery bags were laced with gold.


same reason we buy $8 beer and $5 hot dogs at sporting events.

Convenience and it's considered bad form to bring your own food in.


2. Greeting Cards

Since when does a folded up piece of paper cost $2.99? Since someone slaps a precious kitty picture and a cleverly written message on it and then stamps the back of it with a well-known logo. That's right - we're talking about those pricey greeting cards. Many consumers spend hours poring over the neatly arranged stacks in the greeting card aisle, searching for the perfect message for their sister's birthday, their parent's anniversary or "Just Because."

The average greeting card costs between $2 and $4, and we consumers don't seem to think twice about paying that precipitous price. The markup is between 100 and 200% - which is not quite as shocking as movie theater popcorn, but it adds up quickly. When you consider how many of those paper jewels you buy each year, it's enough to send you running for the construction paper and markers. After all, it only costs a few cents to create a home-made card.

I like home made cards from kids. Home-made birthday cards from adults to adults seem weird. Not sure why.

I have no qualms about paying $1 for a card that saves me the time of making it and comes with a nice fitted envelope.


3. College Textbooks

In 2010, the annual in-state cost for the typical state university soared to more than $15,000, and private colleges now charge an average of $35,600 a year. As if college kids (and their parents) aren't financially drained enough, there's yet another inflated price they face: college textbooks. College students pay an average of $900 a year on textbooks and other supplies.

College textbook prices have skyrocketed by 186% since 1986, and these expensive volumes of knowledge now account for 26% of the overall cost of college. Unfortunately, broke college students are required to purchase these costly books for their classes. At least they can try to sell their books back to local book store at the end of the semester - for a few measly bucks.

I used to go to the school library and see if they had the text book there.

If so, I would check it out and run off copies of the pertinent parts.


4. Bottled Water

You've probably heard that "Evian" is simply "naïve" spelled backwards. OK, so the well-known company probably did not choose their name for that reason - but many people believe that consumers who buy bottled water are certainly naïve. After all, water is one of the most abundant resources in the world and is available for free from countless water fountains and sinks across the nation. Yet, many consumers are still willing to pay $3 a bottle of it.

In 2009, the U.S. Congress revealed that about 45% of bottled water comes from municipal taps - and then the bottled water company may or may not do some additional filtering before pouring it in their logo-stamped bottles. Still, Americans continue to buy more than 500 million bottles every week, making it the second most popular purchased drink (after soda).

At the grocery store, the standard 24 pack of bottled water of brands like Aquafina or Dasani is $5.

That's basically 20 cents a bottle.


5. Printer Ink

You may be able to buy a surprisingly affordable printer at your local office supply store, but don't start celebrating just yet. The printer companies make their biggest bucks on ink.

Over the life of your printer, you'll probably pay more than 500% of the total price of the printer itself on ink refill cartridges. At $30, a 42ml cartridge of black printer ink comes out to 71 cents per ml. On the other hand, the Red Cross charges $200 for 500 ml of blood, which comes out to about 40 cents per ml.

So what is the alternative to buying printer ink?


6. Brand-Name Fashions

How much did you pay for those True Religion jeans, that Burberry scarf and those towering Louboutin stilettos? Probably a small fortune. But it was worth every penny, right? Not so much. When it comes to designer clothes, it's pretty obvious that you are paying for the label.

As a matter of fact, brand-name clothes are often marked up by 500 to 1000%. Yet, fashion-conscious consumers continue to drain their bank accounts and pile up massive amounts of debt to stay on the cutting edge of couture.

What do they suggest to buy instead?

I don't like to pay much for jeans, but I find that brand name shirts like Polo fit better and last a long time.

Unless you are lazy, you can find them marked down on sale at places like Macy's or go to a place like Marshall's where they sell them at near 70-75% off retail price.



One of the worst financial advice blogs on yahoo I've read in a while. :lol

[JoeChalupa]

same reason we buy $8 beer and $5 hot dogs at sporting events.

Convenience and it's considered bad form to bring your own food in.



I like home made cards from kids. Home-made birthday cards from adults to adults seem weird. Not sure why.

I have no qualms about paying $1 for a card that saves me the time of making it and comes with a nice fitted envelope.



I used to go to the school library and see if they had the text book there.

If so, I would check it out and run off copies of the pertinent parts.



At the grocery store, the standard 24 pack of bottled water of brands like Aquafina or Dasani is $5.

That's basically 20 cents a bottle.



So what is the alternative to buying printer ink?



What do they suggest to buy instead?

I don't like to pay much for jeans, but I find that brand name shirts like Polo fit better and last a long time.

Unless you are lazy, you can find them marked down on sale at places like Macy's or go to a place like Marshall's where they sell them at near 70-75% off retail price.



One of the worst financial advice blogs on yahoo I've read in a while. :lol


I do buy the $1 cards and always buy name brand clothing on clearance. :tu I think the advice is looking at standard prices though for name brand clothing and we switched to those steel water containers to get away from the plastic water bottles. We go to sporting events on $1 nights.

[CosmicCowboy]

College textbooks are a huge scam. The ticket to riches is to be a teacher in a required course at a big state university and write your own textbook. I remember having an american history prof that wrote his own textbook. There were 350 people in my class and he taught like 5 classes. He was probably making 150K+ a year just on textbook sales.

[balli]

That's a dumb list. People buy popcorn because theatre seats aren't equipped with microwaves. People buy college texts so they won't have to work at McDonalds. It is a scam, but it beats the alternative. I buy bottled water because that municipal shit is laced with flouride. Brand name clothes are made better and look better.

[JoeChalupa]

:lol

[balli]

College textbooks are a huge scam. The ticket to riches is to be a teacher in a required course at a big state university and write your own textbook. I remember having an american history prof that wrote his own textbook. There were 350 people in my class and he taught like 5 classes. He was probably making 150K+ a year just on textbook sales.

I had a biology teacher who did that, but his book was published by the university press and was dirt cheap compared to most texts. And it was a great book. Great to have a professor who knows his own shit. I'd rather he pocket money for a reasonably priced text than some dick CEO not working in the board room at McGraw-Hill.

Then again, the most expensive text I ever bought, was also written by a professor.

I guess it just depends on how greedy an asshole any individual chooses to be.

[Blake]

College textbooks are a huge scam. The ticket to riches is to be a teacher in a required course at a big state university and write your own textbook. I remember having an american history prof that wrote his own textbook. There were 350 people in my class and he taught like 5 classes. He was probably making 150K+ a year just on textbook sales.

I always hated the idea of knowing I was reading a text book forced on me by the professor that wrote that book.

I'd really like to know how much they get on those book sales. I doubt they get anywhere near $150k but I bet it's a nice bonus to their salaries......

[CuckingFunt]

College textbooks are a huge scam. The ticket to riches is to be a teacher in a required course at a big state university and write your own textbook. I remember having an american history prof that wrote his own textbook. There were 350 people in my class and he taught like 5 classes. He was probably making 150K+ a year just on textbook sales.

I don't think the huge markup on textbooks is going to the authors.

[Drachen]

same reason we buy $8 beer and $5 hot dogs at sporting events.

Convenience and it's considered bad form to bring your own food in.


I eat before the movies. That being said, I don't normally go to the movies



I like home made cards from kids. Home-made birthday cards from adults to adults seem weird. Not sure why.

I have no qualms about paying $1 for a card that saves me the time of making it and comes with a nice fitted envelope.


2/1.00 at the dollar tree FTW!



I used to go to the school library and see if they had the text book there.

If so, I would check it out and run off copies of the pertinent parts.


This is an excellent suggestion




At the grocery store, the standard 24 pack of bottled water of brands like Aquafina or Dasani is $5.

That's basically 20 cents a bottle.



My house has a built in water source, and my wife gets different sports bottles and the like at work all the time. I just use those.



So what is the alternative to buying printer ink?


Outside of a few industries, there is very little reason to print anymore other than "personal preference." The only reason I went through as many cartriges as I have was because I got married last year, and we printed a bunch of stuff. But of course you can still do the refills or generics to save money if you must print.



What do they suggest to buy instead?

I don't like to pay much for jeans, but I find that brand name shirts like Polo fit better and last a long time.

Unless you are lazy, you can find them marked down on sale at places like Macy's or go to a place like Marshall's where they sell them at near 70-75% off retail price.



One of the worst financial advice blogs on yahoo I've read in a while. :lol

They expect you to not buy Designer brand jeans. I don't think it was telling you go restock your closet with "faded glory", but instead it was telling you to NOT stock your closet with Burberry jeans or whatever.

[in2deep]

#7 Drinks at the bar/club

$11 a shot!!! plus tip

fuck that shit. I carry my little 350ml tequila/rum in my backpocket everywhere I go

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

One of the few perks to being a history major is that with the exception of maybe a freshman level course I haven't had to buy any real textbooks. It's all stuff that I can get for cheap off the shelf at any number of places and don't mind having on my shelf for the years to come. One of my student workers who was a biochem major graduated last year. He knew all the corners to cut (rentals, sites where he could get pdf's of important chapters for free, etc) and still ended up having to shell out $300+ last semester because one (ONE!) of his classes was using a couple of brand new texts that were in very short supply.

[balli]

The real textbook scam is the publishers putting out barely-different, new editions every fucking six months so they can undercut you on selling older ones back, or refusing them entirely.

[pawe]

Dumb article.
I wont buy brand name shirts, scarves, socks or underwear but all my jeans are brand names. It just feels and looks way better than levi's.

I wont print my own greeting card...its a waste of ink.

[in2deep]

The real textbook scam is the publishers putting out barely-different, new editions every fucking six months so they can undercut you on selling older ones back, or refusing them entirely.

very good point. some professors should be shot

[Drachen]

I have a professor in one of my classes who said that she will never assign the "new" edition of a book until it has been out for 3 semesters at least. That way there are used ones available. The book for her course was $7.10 through half.com and the thing looks new.

[The Reckoning]

7. Women

[CosmicCowboy]

Even the professors that don't write their own books still get bribed by the major book companies to select their textbook. Expensive gifts, meals, paid "endorsements", and free books they can then sell on e-bay are all common and legal.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

#7 Drinks at the bar/club

$11 a shot!!! plus tip

fuck that shit. I carry my little 350ml tequila/rum in my backpocket everywhere I go

I don't know how Draconian other stadiums are about checking people but I wonder why on earth they even sell beer at the UH football games. For every $6 beer sold there are at least ten in stadium who are spiking the shit out of much a cheaper bottle of Coke.

[in2deep]

7. Women

if you play it right, that is the only item that can actually overpay you

[The Reckoning]

textbooks are awesome. make your parents buy them, sell them back and pocket the cash.

:greedy

[Venti Quattro]

education in general.

[Trainwreck2100]

The real textbook scam is the publishers putting out barely-different, new editions every fucking six months so they can undercut you on selling older ones back, or refusing them entirely.

The real scam is those fucking bookstores pulling a gamestop and giving you shit for what you're selling back followed by an insane markup. One time i was selling a book back and they were going to give me $12. One of the employees said they could use those for second half of semester, they did something in the computer and i ended up getting $70. If that lady didn't say anything, i would have gotten $12.


Also I'll buy concessions in the movie theater, i just won't pay for the movie. Studios get like 90% of the box office take and concessions are so high cause the theater has to make up the money that way.

[hater]

textbooks are awesome. make your parents buy them, sell them back and pocket the cash.

:greedy

or even better. don't buy them at all, either steal them from distracted classmates or flirt with the fat chick sittin next to you and borrow it

[CubanMustGo]

8. iTunes downloads

Sure, you think they're a great deal b/c you don't have to buy a whole CD any more. But what is the 'real' cost of a download? It's basically pure profit for the copyright holder and Apple.

[hater]

8. iTunes downloads

Sure, you think they're a great deal b/c you don't have to buy a whole CD any more. But what is the 'real' cost of a download? It's basically pure profit for the copyright holder and Apple.

I don't know man. $1 for a song that you want vs. typically $16 for 4 songs that you want

[JoeChalupa]

I download songs for free.

[Venti Quattro]

the whole apple corporation is fucking overpriced. everything. their products, their stock prices, their financials

[Trainwreck2100]

I don't know man. $1 for a song that you want vs. typically $16 for 4 songs that you want
paying for a song EVER is too much

I download songs for free.

:tu

[The Reckoning]

I download songs for free.


thats hardcore.

[CuckingFunt]

The hate for professors and school bookstores isn't really warranted. Most of the professors I've encountered have gone out of their way to look for cheaper books, to get text information to students early enough to buy in advance, and/or provide PDFs of pertinent articles. And school bookstores are pretty much powerless in the textbook thing; they save the wallet raping for apparel and other useless crap with the school's logo/mascot.

The textbook bullshit is almost entirely publishers. And it's ridiculous. Publishers will often make it nearly impossible to work with an older edition of a text once a new one has been released.

[pawe]

Also I'll buy concessions in the movie theater, i just won't pay for the movie. Studios get like 90% of the box office take and concessions are so high cause the theater has to make up the money that way.

How does that work? You sneak in?

[Trainwreck2100]

How does that work? You sneak in?

Not gonna tell you what I do, just rest assured I rarely ever pay for movies.

[Trainwreck2100]

The hate for professors and school bookstores isn't really warranted. Most of the professors I've encountered have gone out of their way to look for cheaper books, to get text information to students early enough to buy in advance, and/or provide PDFs of pertinent articles. And school bookstores are pretty much powerless in the textbook thing; they save the wallet raping for apparel and other useless crap with the school's logo/mascot.

The textbook bullshit is almost entirely publishers. And it's ridiculous. Publishers will often make it nearly impossible to work with an older edition of a text once a new one has been released.

Really? The publishers make them give us jack shit for our used books?

[JoeChalupa]

Not gonna tell you what I do, just rest assured I rarely ever pay for movies.

I would say your date pays but.....

[IronMexican]

mediafire is your friend.

[Trainwreck2100]

I would say your date pays but.....

Well I could be a super cheapass and just redbox it but only tightwads......oh wait

[CuckingFunt]

Really? The publishers make them give us jack shit for our used books?

I didn't mean to imply that the bookstores were perfect. They could probably stand to give a better return on book buybacks. How much the publisher is going to get from the sale of that book next semester is likely a big consideration when determining how much they give, though.

[pawe]

Well I could be a super cheapass and just redbox it but only tightwads......oh wait

If you redbox or torrent it, that kinda invalidates your argument that you will buy concessions but will not pay for movies.

[CosmicCowboy]

Well, the textbook publishers better enjoy it while they can...rumor has it Amazon/Kindle is looking at getting into textbooks.

[Nathan Explosion]

I don't buy text books unless it's absolutely necessary. I have yet to fail a class in which I didn't buy the book. I've had professors tell us that they wrote the book but the used versions are readily available on Amazon. They thank those who got new books and tell others if they're strapped for cash then go searching online.

[JoeChalupa]

Well I could be a super cheapass and just redbox it but only tightwads......oh wait

There are plenty of redbox tightwads out there and yes, plenty of old virgins too. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Go sick and tired of overpaying for textbooks--finally got smart a few years ago and just see what they have online/at the library. Saves me a ton.

[mrsmaalox]

Well, the textbook publishers better enjoy it while they can...rumor has it Amazon/Kindle is looking at getting into textbooks.

My sister-in-law downloads (either renting or buying) most of her textbooks to her Kindle from Barnes and Noble. I thought their selection would be limited to basic, undergrad curriculum textbooks, but last weekend I downloaded 2 epidemiology textbooks for my hubby's Ph.D. program.

[CuckingFunt]

I find textbooks for as cheap as I can, but always buy them. And keep them. It's evil with art history texts, which tend to be both beautiful and expensive as hell.

[CubanMustGo]

Kindle textbooks aren't going to save YOU much. If you haven't noticed, the price for new book releases is very close to the dead tree variety. When you order print books from Amazon, they ship them for free (assuming you buy $25 at once) so when you do there are ALL sorts of costs coming out ... payment to the publisher, who had to pay printing, storage, and shipping costs in addition to payment to the author, Amazon pays someone to ship the books to you, someone to pack the books in a box, someone to make the box and the shipping materials, not to mention warehouse space.

Then there's Kindle. Cost? Some tiny fraction of a disk and server, some network overhead, and payment to the publisher. Amazon makes out like a bandit (and the publisher makes more too because the only overhead he has is getting the thing in Kindle format, and since they've got to typeset the book electronically in the first place most of that work is already done). And yet YOU pay nearly the same price. It's the iTunes model writ large.

Maybe textbooks are priced differently, all I know is the standard book model.

[CuckingFunt]

I don't see Kindle textbooks happening. Not enough to become a game changer, at least. Textbooks are where you need the ability to easily highlight and make notes, flag certain pages, and, often, be able to flip through and find information in a classroom setting.

[CosmicCowboy]

I don't see Kindle textbooks happening. Not enough to become a game changer, at least. Textbooks are where you need the ability to easily highlight and make notes, flag certain pages, and, often, be able to flip through and find information in a classroom setting.

You can bookmark with a Kindle.

[Dr. Gonzo]

You can bookmark with a Kindle.

There are a majority of students that don't like reading textbooks on a Kindle or any other electronic form.

[CosmicCowboy]

There are a majority of students that don't like reading textbooks on a Kindle or any other electronic form.

Why would that be? Carry one light, slim Kindle instead of 30 pounds of hardcovers? Still have the ability to highlight and bookmark? Save a shitload of money?

Why would students NOT want that?

[Dr. Gonzo]

Why would that be? Carry one light, slim Kindle instead of 30 pounds of hardcovers? Still have the ability to highlight and bookmark? Save a shitload of money?

Why would students NOT want that?

Because they are more familiar and comfortable with hard copy textbooks. Plus the ability to scribble notes in a margins is a big advantage.

One would think all of those advantages would be great but students aren't really coming around to electronic textbooks. That's why I chuckle when I hear people say that libraries will be dead and books will be going away. That isn't happening anytime soon.

[Drachen]

I don't see Kindle textbooks happening. Not enough to become a game changer, at least. Textbooks are where you need the ability to easily highlight and make notes, flag certain pages, and, often, be able to flip through and find information in a classroom setting.

I don't know the current Kindle capabilities, but this is as easy as a firmware update, it would seem.

[hater]

Gonzo you are misunderestimating young ppl. They would love an electronic gadget that replaces textbooks. problem is kindle is far from there yet.

Kids will adopt it once you can install games on it. and books will be history.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Gonzo you are misunderestimating young ppl. They would love an electronic gadget that replaces textbooks. problem is kindle is far from there yet.

Kids will adopt it once you can install games on it. and books will be history.

I work in an academic library in a department that is constantly getting books for people that don't want electronic books. I don't think I'm underestimating anything. I deal with this topic daily.

[CosmicCowboy]

I don't know the current Kindle capabilities, but this is as easy as a firmware update, it would seem.

Already done. You can bookmark, highlight, and make personal notes in the book.

[The Reckoning]

kindle itself is pretty expensive. id rather go to the school bookstore where they have all the books i need for one class documented on the shelf so i can grab and go.

[Sisk]

The real textbook scam is the publishers putting out barely-different, new editions every fucking six months so they can undercut you on selling older ones back, or refusing them entirely.

Seriously. Such bullshit. Obviously a money-grabbing tactic :bang

Of course, higher education as a whole these days is a huge cash cow so it's not surprising.. just really fucked up.

[CuckingFunt]

I work in an academic library in a department that is constantly getting books for people that don't want electronic books. I don't think I'm underestimating anything. I deal with this topic daily.

As do I, though from the student side. I don't know a single other student who, when assigned an article made available in PDF form (which is easily 50% of academic reading these days), doesn't immediately go home or to the computer lab to print those articles out. Skimming is easy and convenient in an electronic format, but close/critical reading is not.

[hater]

I work in an academic library in a department that is constantly getting books for people that don't want electronic books. I don't think I'm underestimating anything. I deal with this topic daily.

so you work among 10% or less sample of entire student body.

as a studend I went to the library about 7 times. in 4 years.

[CosmicCowboy]

As do I, though from the student side. I don't know a single other student who, when assigned an article made available in PDF form (which is easily 50% of academic reading these days), doesn't immediately go home or to the computer lab to print those articles out. Skimming is easy and convenient in an electronic format, but close/critical reading is not.

Thats really interesting. I rarely print anything out unless it's instructions, etc. I need to take somewhere.

[CuckingFunt]

Thats really interesting. I rarely print anything out unless it's instructions, etc. I need to take somewhere.

For how much of that reading are you required to write a critical analysis, research paper, or discuss in a classroom setting?

[CuckingFunt]

so you work among 10% or less sample of entire student body.

as a studend I went to the library about 7 times. in 4 years.

I'm guessing you didn't get much out of your time in college, other than a degree. Either that, or you made paper writing really hard on yourself.

I've never been one to just hang out or study in the library, and I'm probably more likely to search the online catalog or order materials via interlibrary loan from the comfort of my own home than I am to head over and wander through the stacks, but the library is an invaluable resource. No way in hell could I have made it through some of my classes without the services they provide.

[hater]

I'm guessing you didn't get much out of your time in college, other than a degree. Either that, or you made paper writing really hard on yourself.

I've never been one to just hang out or study in the library, and I'm probably more likely to search the online catalog or order materials via interlibrary loan from the comfort of my own home than I am to head over and wander through the stacks, but the library is an invaluable resource. No way in hell could I have made it through some of my classes without the services they provide.

point is most students don't go to the library. the # of library goes is dwindling and fast. that is a fact.

[Dr. Gonzo]

so you work among 10% or less sample of entire student body.

as a studend I went to the library about 7 times. in 4 years.

From your use of the word "misunderestimate" and "studend" I think you should have spent a little more time in the library.

[CosmicCowboy]

For how much of that reading are you required to write a critical analysis, research paper, or discuss in a classroom setting?

Well, I'm obviously not in school, but I do extensive bids, write proposals, write business letters etc., all digitally. Most of my communications with other businesses are electronic as well. Flipping pdf's back and forth, etc. Paper just seems clunky.

[hater]

From your use of the word "misunderestimate" and "studend" I think you should have spent a little more time in the library.

they teach typing there too?

[The Reckoning]

point is most students don't go to the library. the # of library goes is dwindling and fast. that is a fact.


uh no its not. the library is always packed, and during finals theres absolutely no seating available.

[Dr. Gonzo]

point is most students don't go to the library. the # of library goes is dwindling and fast. that is a fact.

Library usage statistics say otherwise.

[hater]

uh no its not. the library is always packed, and during finals theres absolutely no seating available.

like I said less than 10% of the entire student body

[hater]

Library usage statistics say otherwise.

link?

[CuckingFunt]

uh no its not. the library is always packed, and during finals theres absolutely no seating available.

This.

I went to the Tulane library yesterday for the first time and, even in the second week of classes, it was crowded.

[Dr. Gonzo]

link?

These are in-house stats homes. I don't need to prove shit to you. I'm saying what I know because it's what I do.

[Drachen]

pdf for the win! it is ultimately far more portable, it is searchable in the span of nanoseconds, and environmentally friendly. Libraries are good, but are dying. I still know many college students who go to the library, but it is mostly those who are unaware of how to search for valid resources online. I have access to many peer-reviewed article, book, and journal indexes that are instantly searchable saving me time. As more books make their way online, the library will start to go the way of the floppy disk.

[The Reckoning]

not when most professors require first hand accounts like congressional records and treaties.

[Drachen]

not when most professors require first hand accounts like congressional records and treaties.

Oh, like stuff that might be housed at the library of congress?

[Mr.Bookman]

These are in-house stats homes. I don't need to prove shit to you. I'm saying what I know because it's what I do.

:tu

[CosmicCowboy]

I'd study in the library when I was cramming in college, but not because of the books, but just because it was quiet. I had a constant stream of visitors dropping into my house. If I tried to study at home I'd always get distracted with women/drugs.

[The Reckoning]

loc confuses me imo. i just go to the library, pick a year, look at the index and find out what they talked about regarding that term for the year. its more simple for me.

[Drachen]

loc confuses me imo. i just go to the library, pick a year, look at the index and find out what they talked about regarding that term for the year. its more simple for me.


For me it is all about time. I could imagine that initially it would take longer because you are learning a new system, not one you have been using since being a child. However, once mastered you can save the time to drive to the campus, search, etc. I am willing to put up with a small initial time investment in order to get a large and long lasting time return.

[The Reckoning]

i guess timing is different for me since the library is literally next door to where i live :lol. if i lived farther away, i would probably do a lot less work there.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Oh, like stuff that might be housed at the library of congress?

There are many academic libraries that are government repositories.

[Jekka]

My dad worked for a college textbook company in sales when I was growing up, and even HE says that the costs are ridiculous. Granted, said company also laid him off to improve their profit margins about 5 years ago. Because they just can't charge as much as they need to keep minimal staff apparently :rolleyes

College textbooks are a huge racket. I'm working for a college library and we don't collect the textbooks that classes use (which often angers students), but that shit is so expensive and changes so often that we just don't have the budget for it.

[Jekka]

Oh, like stuff that might be housed at the library of congress?
Most official federal gov't docs are available through the GPO (Government Printing Office) usually for free and online, or via a public/academic repository. You really only need to go to the LOC to do research with original historical documents and manuscripts.

[redzero]

I didn't buy half my textbooks last semester and I still got B's. Hell, I rarely read my textbooks anyway.

[nkdlunch]

am I the only one who bought brand new books because of their smell, and the shinyness of the pages?

[Shelly]

am I the only one who bought brand new books because of their smell, and the shinyness of the pages?

:lol That's the best part of new books!

[nkdlunch]

and them pretty pitchers! :)

[SpursWoman]

I always bought all of my books ... but then, I didn't have the freaking internet when I was in college. And I still have them all, which has been so awesome every time I've had to move.

Thank you, student loans! :fro

[Mark in Austin]

I find textbooks for as cheap as I can, but always buy them. And keep them. It's evil with art history texts, which tend to be both beautiful and expensive as hell.

Same with a lot of my architecture books. I recently found two of my architecture history books it killed me to sell when I was in school at Half Price Books - and the beauty of it was they were the same editions I had originally used.

I never really faulted the bookstores for new book prices - that's on the publishers. What always pissed me off was the buyback rate and used prices; especially from the supposed "co-ops" and official university bookstores. I found out that ours was actually run by Barnes & Noble.

[Jekka]

I never really faulted the bookstores for new book prices - that's on the publishers. What always pissed me off was the buyback rate and used prices; especially from the supposed "co-ops" and official university bookstores. I found out that ours was actually run by Barnes & Noble.
The vast majority of them are run by B&N or Follett now.

[ploto]

pdf for the win! it is ultimately far more portable, it is searchable in the span of nanoseconds, and environmentally friendly. Libraries are good, but are dying. I still know many college students who go to the library, but it is mostly those who are unaware of how to search for valid resources online. I have access to many peer-reviewed article, book, and journal indexes that are instantly searchable saving me time. As more books make their way online, the library will start to go the way of the floppy disk.

Who do you suppose it is who makes those resources available for you online-- the library does.

[ChumpDumper]

At the grocery store, the standard 24 pack of bottled water of brands like Aquafina or Dasani is $5.

That's basically 20 cents a bottle.Out of the tap, that would cost you 0.01875 cents a bottle.

[redzero]

Out of the tap, that would cost you 0.01875 cents a bottle.

Did you make that up?

[Mixability]

7. Women

:lol

[EricB]

That's a dumb list. People buy popcorn because theatre seats aren't equipped with microwaves. People buy college texts so they won't have to work at McDonalds. It is a scam, but it beats the alternative. I buy bottled water because that municipal shit is laced with flouride. Brand name clothes are made better and look better.


Spot on.

Plus bringing your own sodas and what not is just bad form.

[ChumpDumper]

Did you make that up?No. I was using the City of Austin's monthly water rate for a customer's initial 2000 gallons. It is possible I screwed up the math somewhere along the way. Feel free to use your water bill for comparison.

[ALVAREZ6]

only idiots buy textbooks apparently....


that's funny logic.

[Blake]

No. I was using the City of Austin's monthly water rate for a customer's initial 2000 gallons. It is possible I screwed up the math somewhere along the way. Feel free to use your water bill for comparison.

Sounds correct.


"Yet, many consumers are still willing to pay $3 a bottle of it."

I'm not willing to pay $3 a bottle.

2 cents is better than 20 cents, but I'm willing to pay the extra 18 cents for the convenience that the pre-packaged bottle provides.

[Xevious]

How many people are actually burning through a shit load of ink anymore? Maybe if you're a student, but in that case most campus' have computer labs with printers available. But I can't think of a single reason why I'd need to be printing out a bunch of crap when everything is done online nowadays. An ink cartridge lasts me a good long while because I rarely touch the thing.

Same with Greeting Cards. How many of these things do you actually buy? Several a year? Hardly a huge expense.

[resistanze]

Yeah, I spend almost a couple of grand in my first two years of undergrad. I'd sell my textbook the second I was down with my exams, before the new edition was announced. I never sold it to the bookstore (Gamestop analogy was spot on), but we have a student Buy/Sell/trade site.

From third year and on, I got by without buying another textbook. There were less required textbooks, plus some were available online. It's bullshit how a calculus textbook + solution can cost almost $200 with taxes.

[resistanze]

How many people are actually burning through a shit load of ink anymore? Maybe if you're a student, but in that case most campus' have computer labs with printers available. But I can't think of a single reason why I'd need to be printing out a bunch of crap when everything is done online nowadays. An ink cartridge lasts me a good long while because I rarely touch the thing.

Same with Greeting Cards. How many of these things do you actually buy? Several a year? Hardly a huge expense.

+1. I do all my printing when I'm in the office. I've bought new ink (from ebay for 1/4 of the price) only once in the past two years. Hell, the only time I print is when I'm actually required to submit a form.

[Bender]

+1. I do all my printing when I'm in the office.
:lol me too. all personal printing... wait till I'm at work then do it.