Here's why people do it... If you have something you like, it's frequently easier not to have to rethink the purchase decision every time. We have finite attention spans. We can spend it on price shopping staples, or programming, or being with our families. For many people, the $10/order of rethinking prices isn't worth the hassle of 15 minutes and uncertainty in a less important decision. They'd rather invest the time picking software, clothes, cars, schools, or whatever. It's the same reason people won't drive an extra 15 minutes to Walmart.
It most certainly is "easier" to not negotiate to get the best value for your money. Businesses love taking your money, especially if you give them extra. Hell, I like it when my customers do this too.
>For many people, the $10/order of rethinking prices isn't worth the hassle of 15 minutes and uncertainty in a less important decision.
I'm perfectly aware that people prefer not to actually think about their money. Hell, that's why credit cards are so popular. I'm saying though that whether they realize it or not, it is not in their best interests to value their few minutes of time over the money they have.
You're putting words into my mouth. Consumer debt is another thing entirely.
It's much more time efficient not to sweat every financial detail. Save time for the big ones. (Mortgage rates, negotiating cards, optimizing debt, making investment choices, etc)
"Not sweating" the small details is a big part of why we have consumer debt levels where they are.
The two are distinctly connected. People who are likely not worrying about an extra $5-$10 are likely not worrying about an extra $5K-$10K either. It's a mentality, not a number.
How does it screw them? Is the gov't requiring people to use it?
As far as I can tell you can decide if you think the price/convenience tradeoff works for you.
As it stands right now, when I go to get replacement razor blades from Amazon, I don't price compare anyways. I know what the ballpark price is, and if its in that ballpark I order. I could spend 2 hours on SlickDeals and other various sites finding the best price, and doing auctions on EBay, but I decided that saving a buck or two isn't worth it (especially since half the time I'd end up saving no money).
There are also people who make $70/hour who will spend 100 hours price shopping to save $200 on a stroller. Time is finite and valuable. You shouldn't walk away from every financial decision, but the small ones aren't worth worrying about.
