urbanriot True if your amazon or Walmart you can tell the supplier to cut the price or else and often they will (with a product that is even more stripped down). On the other hand I have seen indy stores take an item that cost little if purchased from the manufacture and increase the price six or seven fold for some little trinket. You could probably find the same thing for less but you would have to know where it came from to do so.
Perhaps she can explain why a english (UK) printed book that cost 10 pounds over there balloons to 50 CND over here? (this is a comparison pulled from the pricing off the dust jacket of a book). It’s not value added, certainly not the exchange rate and shipping between the UK and americas is competitive. Since its printed right on it, it’s the publisher dictating how much people should pay (or they think should pay).
My point was that stores often lack choice and use it to inflate prices even more. Canadian tire for example likes to push their own house brands against one or two other products (which are of higher value, and for argument sake let’s say that includes lasting longer), once in awhile they will massively discount their price on their own brand such that it seems like a really good deal but in the end you are just paying what you should have in the first place, their product isn’t as good or as well made nor does it last long. Their garden nozzles are a prime example of this, they could offer cheaper brands that are actually better but it’s a game to force the consumer to by their product which is engineered to fail, because they use a steel spring which rusts out in a year rather than a bronze one.