If I can't buy and own it, I don't want it...

It is in many countries.

And churches.

Aren't phones shipped without cord nowadays?

Well, here in Germany laws had been passed that anything that you could subscribe to online must also be cancelable online. A recent study found that about half of the companies ignore this, though.

Should be illegal

I don't worry about AI taking over the world as long as the algorithms still are like "Hey! You bought a new toilet seat? Here's a thousand more to add to your toilet seat collection!"

At airports particularly, as you are not allowed to take liquids (except in very small amounts) through security. You have to throw away your cheaply purchases drinks and re-buy them at inflated prices inside the airport. One way round this is to bring a water bottle and refill it with tap water once through security.

Social media is perhaps the worst influence on our society today. I’ve been limiting my social media use since August for that reason. It corrupts one’s mind. It’s addicting for that reason. Unsurprisingly, the almighty dollar plays a huge role in it. 😏

Local establishments are the worst ones to do this in my personal experiences. One local supermarket delivers within a 15 mile radius. You must place a minimum $25 dollar order. Ok, no problem. Well, $25 turns into $65 if not even more when you factor in the shopping fee (done by in-store personnel), baggage fee, load-up fee, mileage fee, delivery fee, mandatory tip to driver, which are alll the service fees involved in the delivery service ON top of the taxes/subtotal. If you order online instead of over the phone they’ll charge you a fee for that too. Not saying major chain stores don’t do this, but it seems to be the “homegrown” ones that take the most advantage of this practice. Why? When you shop local, the money you spend stays local; stays in the community. They’ll find every possible way they can to take advantage of that “benefit” and cash in as big as they can, including ringing up a bunch of b******t service fees they can choke on.

Are HP the worst with this?

Only in the US

I also think it should be illegal for a university professor to require to buy the professor's own book.

A car might often be the fastest way to get from one city to another (although I found that here in Germany, I usually am faster by train). But needing a car INSIDE a city makes no sense. It's the effect of absurd zoning laws. You don't need a car if shopping, culture, schools, parks and work are all in a fifteen minute radius.

I don't see working 40 hours a week as a scam. I see travelling into and out of work for 18 hours a week in addition to the 40 hours as the scam. PS, minimum wage in my country is twice minimum wage in the USA.

They aren't paying you for your time, they're paying you for your labor. You don't get to determine the value of your labor, only the value of your time in relation to that labor. When you're a teenager, and your marketable skills do not exist, minimum wage is an acceptable trade off, because you're still likely being largely supported....but enduring that as a kid makes you realize how much it sucks, motivating you to avoid that fate any longer than required. Which doesn't really happen much these days. What really sucks, is that there are over 7 million skilled labor jobs in the US sitting vacant. Plumber, welder, mason, carpenter, electrician, that pay you while you're trained (north of $20-$22/hr) don't require a degree, and can be done by anyone marginally able bodied. I do not understand why people keep choosing minimum wage, over having a well paying vocation.

I'm making more now than I ever have and still living paycheck to paycheck :( The only debt I have is a car pymnt. If rent and prices of goods were still at pre-pandemic levels, I would prolly be able to save

The other part of that scam is that every time the minimum wage goes up all the businesses raise their prices even more to "offset the cost", plus some.

Minimum wage is a TRAINING job. Don't expect it to pay for a house.

300? I have 1200 PER GLASS!

Here we just pay for what we ordered? Strange, I know... 🤷‍♂️

I've seen things before that were like that: Product 30$, Delivery 45$, and I can only say what the FŪCK is with those hidden fees? I don't believe for a second this is real delivery fees, they're just trying to hide the true price

But atleast in many countries it contributes to free healthcare?

I've lived in Japan now for almost 25 years. I have 0 US income. However, as a US citizen, I'm required by law to not only file an income tax return, even though I inevitably owe zero tax, but also file a form with the Treasury Department showing how much money I have in the bank.

Ha, I remember a few years back when the closest you got to wifi was paying per minute to use a computer in the airport.

Buy a bucket, car shampoo, a sponge and a chamois leather rag and do it yourself.

I don’t see how that’s a scam. Maybe a bummer, but it is not a necessity for normal use of the phone.

I guess that living in the USA is one of the biggest rip-offs in the world.

No one is making you buy it? Water isn't clean enough for drinking in some cities/countries

Time to hide it all in the mattress

Good news - almost all NFT's are now worthless

Typically, if you're at a restaurant that sells a burger for $15 without a side they can't afford to include that side. There's a reason for separate charges on typically included items in comparison. However, even at fast food chains, individual items don't just come with fries and a drink unless you order it as a combo and pay more for it, so fries/a side shouldn't always be something that's expected.

What is with all the people saying "you don't HAVE to play the lottery"? A thing does not have to be mandatory/unavoidable to be a scam.

This is how the government pays for other stuff, like infrastructure. If you own more, you should pay more.

How is this a scam?

Needing a smartphone in order to pay for parking.

Switched over to Affinity suite long ago because fornicate CC

Definitely a scam. It's been known for many decades that adding more lanes just adds more traffic.