this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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A Boring Dystopia

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Literally what russians were doing while being loud on internet about how sanctions don't work. You can look foward to anti theft tags on bread soon.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago

And butter locked up

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Odd to think if you can't afford food now you could afford it later plus interest.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Also odd to think people can put off eating until they have the proper funds.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I am talking more about the people lending the money, not sure why they think this would be sound lending. People will do far worse then default on a loan to keep eating.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Oh, I guess I was assuming the vast majority of these folks (I'm one of them actually) are using credit cards, so the loaners don't really know ahead of time.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 49 minutes ago

I can't open the article (forbidden) but I am also assuming this is about the new DoorDash and others eat now pay later crap.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 hour ago

Steve Carrell: HEY... THERES A BUBBLE!

[–] [email protected] 28 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

The people in power will soon come to realise we are all just 3 warm meals a day away from anarchy.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 hours ago

I'm more worried that they know

[–] [email protected] 42 points 16 hours ago (4 children)

I keep on wondering who the fuck has the money to be using things like grubhub. I realize its a non sequitor for this article but I really don't see how these businesses stay in business.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 hours ago

Credit card debt is a pathway to many abilities some would consider unnatural

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

I have used it a bunch over the years because I hate talking to people, but I never use delivery so I think it's only a few extra dollars over calling it in in average, plus some places do offer "discounts" and Amazon prime allows grubhub premium for no charge which removes more fees and gives you credit for pickup orders. The discounts aren't much but can bring it down to what it costs by phone and sometimes a little more. I used to throw a few bucks for tip, but i have decided not to do that anymore because I pickup and it's mostly from pizza places which I wouldn't tip if I call it in so why should I this way.

Of course, these days, I barely get takeout or go out anymore because, like the article talks about, money is too tight to reward yourself anymore...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

My experience is that there's always a hidden surcharge with DD or Uber eats. Like fries are $3 if you call it in yourself, but are $3.30 or something in an app. A couple years ago I had a $10 off $40 coupon and dash pass from my credit card. Total after fees for pickup was like $55 and just calling it in myself was $45.

Not saying it's impossible to save using them, but good luck.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Yeah the place specific delivery is usually not to bad I mean in particular the internet ones like grubhub. Im sorta aware of the discounts but im fed up with that model. I do wonder if it will work for them long term as im not sure how many folks will do it without the discount whereas uber and airbnb that can sorta compete because they are a tax dodge there is no real tax advantage gurbhub and ilk can lean on to compete with folks just picking it up themselves. I think they are hoping to decimate the pizza and chinese places drivers.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

People who don't really understand credit cards or have a cognitive disconnect between cost and value when fulfilling their sustenance need.

When people get hangry they don't make good choices.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 hours ago

Roaring 20's pt 2

[–] [email protected] 12 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

My neighbor gets everything delivered, but I have no clue what he or his wife do. If my spouse made the same as I do, we could afford to do all that delivery stuff. But it still makes no sense

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 hours ago

I have friends that talk about getting food delivered nearly daily, plus groceries and whatnot. I am so frugal it makes my asshole pucker to think about delivery fees PLUS them getting your order wrong so often PLUS the food is cold and takes way longer than simply driving there. And then in addition, we actually need the human contact. But I'm not gonna criticize my friends to their faces. Just here.

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[–] [email protected] 71 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (12 children)

never understood this. If you can't buy it now will you be able to.pay later?! You need groceries every month

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 hours ago

If you are at the point where you are buying grocoeries in installments, who cares about paying it back. What good is a good credit score if you cant afford to buy anything anyways. Just survive any way you can at that point

[–] [email protected] 25 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (2 children)

Cost of living is too high, put it on credit.

Your alternative is starve now.

Either way, this is about to get a lot more bonkers in roughly the next 30 to 60 days as Just In Time delivery... kinda just, stops working, and grocery stores will have to both raise prices and ration items per customer per week to deal with shortages and try to minimize in-store injuries and deaths.

Go look up a compilations of black friday shopping stampedes.

Imagine that, but for groceries, every time a grocery store restocks.... for the forseeable future.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

That's probably part of why the capital class want fascism. Because if that happens in a democracy, they would have their capital expropriated.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Historically speaking, basically, yes, the capitalist class essentially always sides with a nascent fascist movement as it is opposed to making any truly meaningful concessions to workers.

But it is important to note that fascism is, or arises from... an ostensible capitalist democracy ... in decay.

It arises as a reaction to the over exploitation of the capitalists.

The fascists are always incompetent idiots at actually running anything, actual policy... beyond being brutally indimidating and violent bullies.

But! They promise growth and stability.

Morons believe them. Many of these morons... are the capitalists.

This works well for a while, but eventually, fascist mismanagement leads to the capitalists actually having a whole bunch of their businesses collapse, as the economy broadly suffers, or maybe its war time babyyyy and oh well turns out that its also bad to fund endless foreign invasions and/or be invaded yourself.

But, by then, its too late.

The capitalists sided with the fascists initially, to avoid structural concessions to workers... but now that everything is fucked, and/or dear leader / the party has some incomprehensible zany nonsense plan... well now the capitalists mostly get either outright or functionally nationalized, and lose even more than if they had just gone with the comparatively more minor concessions to workers.

Poison chalice.

Prisoner's Dilemma, game theoretic suboptimal outcome, that humanity just keeps replicating with minor variations and new flavors.

... Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was...

[–] [email protected] 7 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Can you elaborate on this? Just In Time delivery? Is this a US thing?

Edit: okay, I looked it up and I understand it now. The ripple effect already happened though when big box stores told Trump to fuck off with the tariffs, because their shelves are empty.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Yeah, put super simply:

Minimize needed actual storage space and time a thing spends in storage... by relying on very frequent and consistent logistics.

Its very efficient in the sense of minimizing operating costs...

But it is also extremely fragile, a minor perturbation can fuck shit up for weeks or months.

... And we are getting... well basically the most major disruption in the history of JIT as a logistics paradigm.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Really thought we would have learned that JIT is a horrible strategy after covid... That was only a few years ago...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

America follows Seinfeld rules:

No hugging.

No learning.

... Larry David is even writing poignant political satire pieces just right in the New York Times now!

There was an episode of Comedians in Cars like a decade ago now, Jerry just muses something like... God, is NYC just gonna be nothing but corporate coffee shops and banks?

Yes. Yep. That is what happened.

[–] [email protected] 72 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

If you're living paycheck to paycheck, it takes one unexpected expense and suddenly you're hustling to get food on the table. The cycle then repeats itself.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (2 children)

I've been there. It's expensive to be poor with little to no way out.

You need a car to work. Cars are expensive. You get a old clunker.
You work and live check to check. Maybe $50 or $100 left over after taxes and expenses. Not really possible to have an emergency fund.
A single injury or car breaking down and you need to borrow money. From family, friends or some shitty company.

Oh and then your yearly raise comes around at $1/hr that barely covers your rent increasing let alone inflation.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. ... But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socio-economic unfairness.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 46 minutes ago

GNU Sir Terry

Corporations regularly boast about record profits and the executives get piles of cash and ski vacations but there’s just never enough room in the budget to raise wages for workers. I’m surprised only one CEO has been gunned down so far, the populace has been getting screwed into poverty and it’s not even hidden, so maybe we just take their boots

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 hours ago

Yep. This tracks.

My issue now with products is planned obsolescence. Any things aren't made to last like they used to. They also have extra technology in them making them harder to repair. Appliances, cars and more.

[–] bdonvr 19 points 15 hours ago (8 children)

Whoops some bill auto-drafted unexpectedly

Your account is negative now, oh and throw a $25 fee on top.

Looks like you're scrounging for dinner tonight. And the rest of the week. Maybe skip some meals because you have no choice.

Shit sucks ass.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Get a less shitty bank

[–] [email protected] 8 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Getting a checking account with no overdraft fees is definitely a plus in those situations

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

Recurring charges like utility bills are often processed regardless of overdraft protection status - ultimately at the bank’s discretion, and you can be sure they’ll pick the option that gets them the most fees. Overdraft protection only seems to stop you from using your card for a new transaction with insufficient funds.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago

I understand the need but you just push the snowball hoping for a miracle.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (3 children)

Then you've never been poor and living paycheck to paycheck.

There are times when it's either find a loan from someone or not eat for two weeks because something in your house broke and that's unfortunately a reality for many Americans including myself at one time.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 18 hours ago

Some people don't have the option, and end up relying on these services. It's similar to the payday loan trap. Being poor is expensive.

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