🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <19960807142036158436@remote-004.une.edu.au> Denis Wright, dwright@metz.une.edu.au writes:
>Why does a pair of jeans in the shops
>here for $200 sell at a factory outlet in LA for US$29?

Because you're comparing an LA factory outlet with an Australian boutique.
Besides, the jeans are probably not the same - they may have the same
appearance and the same label, but that doesn't mean that they are made
in the same factory (or, indeed, the same country).

>Why are
>shoes that cost $160 here $35 in the US?

They aren't the same shoes. Plus, freight, local taxes, and higher wage
costs have been added to the price. Then there's brand recognition, the
perception that the imported stuff is "better", and so on.

>Film processing costs half in the UK or the US
>what it does here.

Just out of curiosity, how much did you pay? I could get film processed here
for the same amount, I'm sure.

In my experience, after the exchange rate and local taxes were taken into
account, some things in the USA were a little cheaper than here. Others
were more expensive. Yes, there is a big difference on some things, like
CDs and petrol. Local taxes, legislated miminum wages, freight costs, and
economies of scale will mean that some things are cheaper or more
expensive. On the other hand, I have to say that the quality of many of the
cheaper things in the USA was lower than we have here, especially the
food.

(And don't get sick when you're in the USA, or you'll find out where the
high prices are hiding :-)


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Copyright 1996 Phil Herring. This article may not be reproduced for profit.
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