Usually I'm not one to complain about the "throw away" products that result from our consumption driven market society. But allow my to wax curmudgeonly for a moment here about something I encountered yesterday.

A few years ago, I purchased a Black and Decker cordless lawn trimmer. It's powered by a 12v battery and came with a plug-in charger. It's been a nice little tool for yard work and I've been quite satisfied with its performance.

However, during our recent household relocation the charger cord was severed due to improper packing (my bad). So far, the trimmer has had enough stored juice to keep working, but at some point soon, it will need to be charged.

After failing to find a replacement charger at local stores, I went online. It didn't take long to find a couple of different sites that offered it for sale. For $32. I also discovered the same model lawn trimmer for sale. I could purchase the entire trimmer, brand new with charger for $50. That just doesn't seem right.

I don't want a new trimmer. I don't need a new trimmer. But yet it seems stupid for me to shell out thirty-two bones for the charger alone when I can get an entire brand new trimmer for only eighteen more. Just another example of the cognitive dissonance that the modern consumer occasionally encounters.

Labels: Economics

Posted by Chad The Elder--Link