Is This The One On Sale?

I'm a bit of a famous quote collector. If you've ever received an email from me, you'll find some quote that usually describes my state of mind at the bottom. One of my favorite quotes is:

"The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?"

I have it registered as anonymous, so I don't know who actually said it. I want to relate this to something that is an increasing problem in America. Consumer ignorance. This is a huge issue considering that according to Wikipedia, "...72% of the economic activity in the United States came from consumers." The problem lies in the unfamiliarity of the consumer.

A friend of mine always used to tell me that "common sense isn't common." Since then, I've adopted it like my mantre when I encounter some of these consumers. If i go shopping and see 20 different items on a fixture with a sale sign that looks too good to be true, my first instinct is to read the sign and compare it to the item. In supermarkets, I check the description of the item and match the ounces of the container with the item on sale. The labels on the fixture aren't for the associates! They could care less what the item costs and usually know anyway. The labels and signs are for the customer to know the price and what a value it is. Same with a box. You may find this hard to believe, but that box with the pretty picture and words usually tells you 90% of what the store associate is going to tell you when you ask them. So WHY doesn't anyone read the box or sign first?

I know. I sound bitter. Maybe it's because of my retail background. I understand business and get that the customer is always right as much as I understand that these customers keep you in business. But why doesn't anyone read the sign? I'd like to do a psychological experiment and see what results are revealed. Maybe it's because we (as a society) are always in a rush or maybe it's because we're part of the "ADD generation" and can't be bothered with anything that captures our attention for more than 10 seconds. I think maybe we're just easily distracted. I was always taught to think out what you're going to say before you say it. Maybe that's the problem.

I like what I do. On any given day I enjoy my job. I meet a lot of great people and personalities. I just always wonder about people when I get someone yelling "that's false advertising" at me.

No, it's not...