All Things Economic

Those are all cars I love to drive but wouldn't want to own.

Your ass still hurts....

There's about 1/2 a dozen jokes in there. Not in your ass, but in that statement.

Audi? Why not Yugo? Or perhaps a nice Renault?

I took a road trip with my Dad in an Audi 2000 in 1976. My ass still hurts.

Sam's Club has regular for $2.83 and Premium for $3.79.

Just yesterday paid $4.39 at BP.

So I had to get the $50 membership. It will pay for itself on the 9th fill-up. Or after shopping 2-3 times with their $7 per lb lamb chops.

“Designer vice?

Porsche? Audi? Aston Martin?

I’d say yes to those.”

Now you’re speaking my language. lol

And may I add Ferrari and McLaren?

~Scamp

Designer vice?

Porsche? Audi? Aston Martin?

I’d say yes to those.

I have a Coach bag I won't use because the logo is visible, so no. I have art instead.

"No to the Hermes boutique too. ;)"

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Ok, you've got to have at least one designer vice. Chanel? St. John? Burberry? etc?

No, that's a merkin. I'm unlikely to ever have either one, though, if that counts.

No to the Hermes boutique too. ;)

Here's some food for thought:

On Tuesday, Nvidia's share price declined 9.5%, shaving $279 billion from the company's valuation in one day, a record. There are only 27 compnies on the planet that are worth as much as Nvidia lost in value that day.

Birkin? Isn't that a toupe' for a pussy?

Trump Media Stock (DJT) closed today at $16.98/share.

"Birkin bags"

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Suddenly having PTSD. On my daughter's first trip to Vegas eons ago, guess what she was drawn to in the Hermes boutique. I suppose she can't help her taste.

what about flying on dirt bikes? No frequent flyer miles

assuaging? gawdamnit we only made it thru 9th grade before we got married. Give is some time and we will look it up

"I do not tend to get along well with people who like ostentatious displays of wealth."

I kinda feel like almost everyone in first class, at least for domestic flights, is there on upgrades. Or maybe that's just Alaska, which has a very generous upgrade policy and doesn't require a ton of miles for some flights.

As a fundraiser, I've met lots of wealthy people, and other than things like Birkin bags or handmade shoes, which are only recognizable if you know what you're looking at, have seen very little ostentation. That's more a striver thing than a marker of the comfortably wealthy.

Anyway, thanks for sharing and assuaging my curiosity. ;)

I fly almost weekly but rarely more than 40 feet I own a personal jet sorta.... 2023 Monster Energy yamaha 125.

"I can safely say I have seen very little "snobbishness" in first class and maybe even a lesser percentage of just plain old assholes than I've seen in the main cabin. There is an asshole in every crowd as the old saying goes and that applies equally to the first row and the back row."

AND

"..most people that try to impress you with how much money they have, don't have near as much as they would like you to think."

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Agree 100%. I have the same observations and experiences.

At least three quarters of my flights are in first class, but that is due to automatic upgrades with my frequent flyer status. I only buy the main cabin tickets. I can safely say I have seen very little "snobbishness" in first class and maybe even a lesser percentage of just plain old assholes than I've seen in the main cabin. There is an asshole in every crowd as the old saying goes and that applies equally to the first row and the back row.

"Could I be the tie breaking vote? Because I am seriously curious about what leads to not liking first class."

OK, I'll bite. Frankly it's the company.

I do not tend to get along well with people who like ostentatious displays of wealth. I hesitate to put it that way because I'm equally annoyed by people who run down "rich people" or "corporate greed" or any such bullshit that seems to be so popular to spout these days. It's not that I don't like wealthy people. Far from it and I'm not that self-loathing. It's just that wealth, per se, is never what I find appealing about wealthy people. It might be self confidence. It might be a passion for what they do if they have that. It might be their interest in other people which I find is not uncommon in successful people. Pretense or the expectation that I should admire someone because they are wealthy or even "successful" is just annoying. I once had the woman from a couple (at Desire) suggest in a dinner conversation that they tended to like playing with couples in a "higher socioeconomic demographic". I joked by asking her if they requested financial statements before dating someone. She said that she felt "You can generally tell by looking at and talking to people how well off they are." I replied, honestly, that "In my experience, most people that try to impress you with how much money they have, don't have near as much as they would like you to think." Needles to say we were not a fit.

So, like the idea of "Class" in general, first class has always had a connotation of "stuck up" for me. As well as "wasteful". On a long haul or across the ocean? Sure the comfort is great if probably not worth the expense. As a free upgrade? Sure. I'm not a masochist. When I travel with friends though, I'd rather hang with them. And most of my friends fly coach.

The only time we have ever flown FC is when it was for business. We have no problem flying coach . And as May said never seen the value. . We flew to Asia last spring in and out of airports 26 hours …Singapore Airlines …nice.

Some of the the first class lounges are only for people who are actually flying FC, or have attained a super high status; you can’t buy your way in.

It's a no-brainer that everyone would choose first class if not for the money. My wife came into some money and wanted to do 1st class on a flight to/from Europe (started in Amsterdam). The difference in cost vs coach was about $4K.

I am not exceptionally tall at about 6' 1", but I found that either my head or feet touched the ends if I fully stretched out in the lay-down seats. For me, the best part of 1st class was the international lounge, but one can pay for that separately and it would have been a hell of a lot less than the $4k we spent. The domestic lounge on the trip back sucked by comparison in both food and service.

If one has air miles to burn, that is another matter but that was real money being spent for this upgrade. Honestly, I did not feel like we got an extra $4k worth of value in this case. The extra $4k would have been better spent on excursion upgrades that will make for a more memorable trip because the flight there and back kind of sucked for me regardless. I just can't sleep on a plane, and if I somehow do, it isn't for long.

"The new international flights with reclining seats and beds must be out of sight. And those planes with a shower on the flight. Sorry, but I'm not dropping $10-25k on one flight."

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Actually, I'll be on a flight that fits that description in about 3 weeks. I'll be accompanying a couple of unicorns flying Air France from SFO to BCN for an Italian Riviera cruise, with a connection in CDG. The only way Ill ever do a 11-12 hour flight is in first with lay down seats. Fortunately, we got decent prices that were no where near 15k. Luckily, the ladies feel the same way. Who knows what could happen during the overnight flight between two vixens. Lol.

We've been on planes for a bit now, and nobody has talked about sex, head or messing around on a plane yet?