Paying more for convenience?

Time is money.

 

Time is money. Travel is money. Your friend probably isn't accounting for the money he spends getting to the discount store and he probably is valuing his personal time as worthless. Consider spending 15 minutes to save a dollar. At that rate you're valuing your time at $4/hr. I value my time much more than that.

 

Why argue with him them? You both have your own thoughts and both seem to be unwavering in them. If you value your time as much as you say, you should cut this argument short because it's going nowhere.

 

I don't either unless it is super market related (sliced peppers vs whole etc.,.) Some people don't see it that way. My father will drive for miles and miles to "save" a few cents per gallon on gas, you'll never get him to see why this makes no sense.

 

With gas nearly $4 a gallon you'll spend more driving around town trying to save a buck.

 

I am intimate with the concept of 'time is money'. I am self employed. I make most of my money through billable labor. If I don't put in the hours, I make no money. I made the commitment several years ago to work my butt off so I don't have to worry about the extra buck or two for convenience. I understand everybody's circumstance is different, so YMMV...

 

I don't go out of my way to save a buck, but I do go out of my way to get to stores I want to patronize. I go to small shops and employee-owned stores before I dump any money on corporate wormholes like Binny's. If it costs me a buck or two more to support places that treat their employees well, it's worth it.

 

This thread just makes me miss the place I lived when I resided in Sarasota. Gas station right down the road carried sixers of Lagunitas IPA, Maximus, Little Sumpin' etc. Yeah, they were almost $11 including tax but, when me and my roommate needed a hop fix stat, we knew where to go.

 

If theres multiple stores in my same town that have the same beer and 1 has it for a dollar or more cheaper then I'll go there of course but as far as driving miles and miles across towns for that, no.

 

I am willing to pay for convenience.

 

My answer is easy - Yes. When I factor in time, fuel, and even the potential for traffic headaches I will gladly pay my local store more knowing I'll be home in time measured in minutes. Time is the one thing we all have less of each new day and I don't want to spend it foolishly (money is another matter).

 

I am a confirmed pedestrian so that means closer is better and if that translates to a mere dollar, I will pay it. However in the case of some beer (the bottle shop vs. the grocery) the difference is much more. It's not worth let's say a $3 difference on Brooklyn's Locals, so I will go the extra distance for the stuff I can get at the grocery.

 

I'm also a pedestrian whenever possible and have been patiently (not really) waiting for months for the bottle shop three blocks away to finally open. The prices will have to be really outrageous for me to not take advantage of the convenience.

 

There's another way to look at it. There's a store by me that usually charges 1-3 dollars more for a lot of large format bottles. Due to their pricing and location, some sought after beers tend to stick around longer there. I'm perfectly ok with paying a little more if it means getting some of the beers I want without having to run all over town or go way out of my way to get something. This would also apply to paying a little more to have a store with good beers in walking distance from mi casa.

 

For me, its not about being able to afford something. It's the principle. If a shopping experience is convenient for me, that's great. I'll take it. But if you think you're going to charge me $7 for a KBS, when the going rate is $5.99.. you can go F yourself. I don't care that its available for 1/2 of an hour once a year.

 

Price is not everything. My time is valuable to me. Also, sometimes it's the little shop that gives a better customer "experience" and to me it's that human factor that's more important. Having said this, it's a sliding scale. I don't mind paying a little more. But if it's something like 20% or more then my humanity gets a little pissed off.

 

I rarely will drive out of my way to to save a few pennies on brew from a store. I've got my special /favorite craft beer stores around the 1/2 hr. drive area and make the trip to them once a week to stock up (I rotate them because they get slightly different variety and occasional sales). All of my favorite stores are at least 20-30 minutes drive from my house. The closest store is 10 minutes away, costs more and less selection (and risky freshness). If I'm home and need to get beers beacuse people are coming over or something, then I run to the local store, pay the extra money for convience and come home. I won't waste gas, wear and tear on car and time just to make a beer run to a more preferred store or for better prices. Convenience rules out.