I think i'm being shafted.

[mjncad]

So much for NAFTA Jason.

 

[Scooby074]

So much for NAFTA Jason.

All NAFTA did was devastate our manufacturing base.

Much like the exodus after NAFTA, i think the blame lies at the feet of greedy manufacturers. In this case they are trying to maximize every penny they gouge from us using whatever excuses they can come up with.

 

[JDTank]

It comes down to greed 100% Have no illusions about this.

Until people start flying off the handle and forcing change upon those who have the power to implement law, then we will forever get the **** end of the stick.

Slowly they introduce all these small "charges" and they slowly increase the amount of the charge, and the number of charges. If they do it slowly, people always suck it up and pay, and move on.

I recently renewed my insurance on my pickup truck for 3 months time, I could not afford to pay anything more then that right now. I was charged $132 in 3 separate fees, for not paying the entire years worth up-front, in one payment. When I looked at the paper, it was the same charge, 3 times, just worded differently with one word for each charge, to make them seem different.

I'm paying for 3 months because I can't afford anything more right now, so there idea is to charge the people...who have no money...?!?! It makes no sense, people who have less money get punished with fees. People who can pay cash for everything don't have to pay all these little fee's and they get royal treatment. Considering the average joe is the majority, WE, the people who need to finance, should be given royal treatment, as we are the largest number.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

It comes down to greed 100% Have no illusions about this.

Maybe its me just tending to see the business side of things, but wouldn't the normal competitive nature of the markets keep things about the same, and the cost of doing business just be dramaticly higher?

I'm paying for 3 months because I can't afford anything more right now, so there idea is to charge the people...who have no money...?!?! It makes no sense, people who have less money get punished with fees. People who can pay cash for everything don't have to pay all these little fee's and they get royal treatment. Considering the average joe is the majority, WE, the people who need to finance, should be given royal treatment, as we are the largest number.

Just a thought, in an insurance senerio it probably makes alot of sense to charge people more who can't pay an entire year because the likly hood of them making a claim for the cash is probably higher. Insurance is all about balancing risk and all, so I am sure they figured that one out.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Maybe its me just tending to see the business side of things, but wouldn't the normal competitive nature of the markets keep things about the same, and the cost of doing business just be dramaticly higher?

Call me cynical, but I believe that the illusion of competition is kept alive by large corporations only for the purpose of trying to fool their customers. If true competition existed does it really makes sense that that most of the major tractor brands tend to be in the same price range when compared model for model. For truly comparable automobile models is there really a price difference? True competition cuts into profits and tends to be bad for the bottom line.

Picture a gas station on all four corners of the road. All with the same price and the price goes up and down in unison - as if by magic. In the last 7 days the price of gas has risen - at all the stations by approx $0.50 per gallon - due to what other than greed?

If higher cost of business is the factor how is it a Canadaian company can manufacture a product in Canada - ship it to the US and sell it 20% cheaper than in the home market?

 

[Scooby074]

Maybe its me just tending to see the business side of things, but wouldn't the normal competitive nature of the markets keep things about the same, and the cost of doing business just be dramaticly higher?

Cost of business in canada has been shown to be less in many cases. In an 11 country comparison by KPMG, (NA, Eur and Asia) Canada had the second lowest costs (Mex was 1) and was 5% lower than doing business in the states. Canada Gains Business Cost Advantage over the US | KPMG | CA

Its collusion pure an simple. They come up with excuses, but theyre all in it together. The only retailer that even remotely appears to be fighting for consumers is Costco.When things like cars and other products made in canada are drastically cheaper south of the border something's up.

"As Canadian consumers seethe over paying higher prices here than in the U.S., retailers and the companies that supply them are passing the buck to each other.

Retail chains such as Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. blame their global suppliers for charging them higher prices in Canada that push up the retail prices on items such as soap and toothpaste as much as 30-per-cent higher than in the U.S."

"The manufacturers, on the other hand, counter that major retailers charge them stocking fees for carrying their items charges that are confidential but, they say, are steeper in Canada. And bilingual labelling and other regulations also force them to raise their wholesale rates here."

"U.S. fashion chain J. Crew launched its first store in Canada last month with prices 15-per-cent higher than those in its U.S. outlets"

"Amid the controversy, even items made in Canada by multinational companies such as Ziploc bags can be cheaper in the U.S. than in Canada. Other merchandise produced by global titans, including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestl and Kraft Foods, also are priced at a premium here.

的t痴 part of their pricing strategy, said Louise Wendling, who heads the Canadian division of U.S. discount bulk-selling retailer Costco Wholesale. 展e致e fought this a lot, "

Flaherty calls for clarity on higher prices in Canada - The Globe and Mail

 

[JDTank]

Corporations want people to think that it's normal, there broke, and that the competition is fierce.

If your a corporation, competition doesn't matter that much to you. You already have hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve, along with the best lawyers money can buy.

This reminds me of the Future Shop/Best Buy story. I always hear people saying Best Buy is better, it's cheaper. Best Buy IS Future Shop, there owned by the same Parent company. To the public, it looks like competition, but when you OWN the competition, you create even more revenue for yourself. They purposefully set Best Buy prices always just slightly lower then Future Shop. In the end, it doesn't matter, the money goes into the same pocket anyways.

In all reality, most big box stores or big companies, actually own there competition, in one way or another.

Look at vehicles. They offer HUGE "incentives and discounts" They really are not discounts. The dealership is still making a boat load of money. Say you paid $40,000 for a vehicle, do you honestly believe it is $40,000 worth of metal and plastic? It likely costs about $10,000 in materials to build, maybe even less. What's that you say, there's design costs, paying engineers and plant workers? That's all a write off, these huge auto makers do not pay income tax, they have lawyers that work around that all day long. Not to mention, even if it takes a few years to design a vehicle and bring it to market, when you sell millions of them at $40,000 a piece, you have more then enough cash to pay for those costs.

In all reality, Auto manufacturers probably make $10,000 per vehicle sale.

Next time your on your John Deere, I will give a 3520 for an example, ask yourself, do you see $25,000 worth of metal and plastic? When you pay $15 for a can of John Deere green paint, do you really think it took even half that much to make it? Transport to market costs are again, a complete write off, and trucking rates are so cheap nowadays, they can move mass amounts of product for very little money when it is divided up.

It really IS a game of cat and mouse. Until the average Joe decides to finally do something about it, we will always be the mouse.

 

[Mike476]

Some very valid points that highlight Cdn pricing discrepancies between us and our American neighbours. Further and more to the OPs point, hard to swallow that kind of disparity after paying 43% income tax on your salary, full EI benefits and CPP that we will either never collect or will have reduced by another pension on retirement .............. doesn't leave much to shop with.

 

[JDTank]

Some very valid points that highlight Cdn pricing discrepancies between us and our American neighbours. Further and more to the OPs point, hard to swallow that kind of disparity after paying 43% income tax on your salary, full EI benefits and CPP that we will either never collect or will have reduced by another pension on retirement .............. doesn't leave much to shop with.

43%?!?! How do you even survive?

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

43%?!?! How do you even survive?

The poster stated " after paying 43% income tax on your salary,"

The 43% may represent the marginal tax rate paid on additional income over certain limits. If he is paying 43% Average Rate on total income then he is making enough $$$ to put him in a bracket enjoyed by a very few.

I know the average tax rate for my wife and myself. It is nowhere near 43% and without going into specifics we live quite comfortably.