When it comes to the mass production of products and the provision of services on large scale, one cannot help but get the sense that whoever is trying to sell us these things is just out to get us. They want to see just how far they can push the limits with regards to how much they can charge us for giving us as little as they can possibly get away with. I really hate to come across as being cynical in this way, but that’s just how one feels sometimes and you cannot help but think so if you just take the time to compare the different prices offered to different people, whether by location or by how much they are perceived to be able to afford.
I initially thought this desire to in effect fleece us consumers in every way possible was limited to the financial sector — a sector in which this is rife (don’t get me wrong), but it happens in every industry. In the same way that financial claims specialist can reveal to you just how much money you’ve been wasting paying for something like a packaged bank account with unnecessary and unfair charges, just looking at what children watch on TV and are exposed to just about everywhere they go reveals how these mass producers have no boundaries with regards to the various ways through which they just want our money.
It’s rather disturbing to say the least, but kids are indeed being used, all the time, as a means through which to get your money. It has become such a standardised practice that you really have to squint hard at your everyday life to see it.
Those colourfully-wrapped chocolate bars which you have to bend down to grab one are not placed that low down to give you some last-minute shopping exercise as you stand in line to pay for your groceries. They’re firstly located that low down so that they fall right in the eye-line of children who can throw a tantrum if they don’t get one, in addition to being placed right by the tills so that the kids just can’t miss them. Also, if you perhaps realise that your shopping is going to cost a little less than what you planned for, how convenient for you to just quickly grab one of those treats.
That’s only the beginning though. In addition to treats such as chocolate bars, some of those racks and shelves placed by the tills are populated with toys and the likes, which are also in the eye-line of the kids so that the last-minute, in-store tantrums they throw will perhaps land them a more expensive item to take home. Sit down and just watch television with your kids for a little while and apart from realising that cartoons these days are actually quite enjoyable, you’ll quite clearly see that children are being thrown subliminal and sometimes outright sales offers all the time.
So, yes, you even see it with those apps that offer in-app purchases that your kids are definitely being used to try and get more money out of you. Be level-headed, don’t give into tantrums and whenever you feel under pressure to pay for an expensive product for your child, take a second to see if you can find a cheaper option that your child will love just as much. It can be easy to give in to a screaming toddler, but if you can provide the exact same by looking at toys and games reviews first, you should!
