If you are calling self rape a posibility, then yes, I raped myself to buy these 10 (11 cabinets, 1 is a virtual I built myself) pinball machines over a period of 30 years... I guess you spend as much as you can when you can and then just wait... the $750 I paid for Pinbot felt just as "Ouch" worthy in 1991 as the $9499 "fucking OUCH!" I paid for GZ prem NIB in 2023, except Pinbot wasn't NIB, had been routed hard, but was working mechanically 100%. Now if I had just dropped $50k and bought all 10 of them outright at once, I'd let you bitch, but I came from the way less than 98% crowd and put in the hard work to get to the top of the 98%. Over the 30 years I bought machines as I could afford them... does this mean I am evil just because I have done all the right things, saved, worked, saved, worked and don't rely on charity from anyone? That I have nice things is a crime? I'm just saying there is a point when you should rethink your lives if you have what the 1% have and think, for one second "I need more!!"

Why? is my question. Isn't being reasonable saying no to extravagence for the sake of extravegance? My collection is not "extravagent" when you look at it being aquired, slowly, as you can afford them, and even if you can't, the sacrifices you make so you can.

I wanted a GZ. Am I a tool for saving up and buying one if the 9 machines I already own are "extravagant" in your eyes? Will I ever win this argument? No. So I will enjoy my collection and be happy I can. Your milage may vary... my advice? Get more edumicated and get a better paying job if you want what the 98% have, but trust me, the 1% don't like hearing that.

my brother used to put peanut butter on tortillas and no we were not out of bread

add tomato and thats great

I've noticed with some cereals they have 3 different sizes on the shelf - regular, large, and family size, and a lot of times there isn't much difference between the sizes.
Also, anyone notice with candy bars the 'share size' is what the single bar used to be.
And don't set me started on those bags if mini bars. Ruined Halloween for everyone!

Is that a wish sandwich

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Why continue to support this stuff? The first time I saw a box of Cereal north of $6, I just said guess I won't eat that anymore. Same with $15 12 packs of soda, I can get beer cheaper so why bother.

Corporate profits are the highest they've been since the 1950's. This is not a largely a supply side expense issue they're passing along. It's naked profiteering with supply expenses as an excuse.

For cereal, when supply was erratic in the pandemic, we switched to the Malt-o-Meal bagged knockoffs (Tootie Fruities=Froot Loops,Marshmallow Mateys=Lucky Charms, Fruity Dyno-bites=Fruity pebbles, etc). We were surprised to find they had the mouthfeel and taste of the original cereals they were knocking off BEFORE General Mills and others changed their grain mix to make their cereals worse. So we ended up getting the better "classic" mouthfeel and taste of the originals it was knocking off AND a much lower price per serving. So, unexpectedly, win-win. Since they have generally superior knockoffs for every "brand name" cereal we have bought, we're never going back now. Why should we?

Wrong. It’s called inflation being passed on under this massive amount of Govt spending, Covid extended.

They fed the pig. Now it’s getting slaughtered.

Not “naked profiteering”.

In fact, small cap stocks are trading at historic lows versus the S&P 500.

10x versus 16.9x on the S&P 500. Also not unreasonable.

Tech layoffs have been in motion since 2022.

Get used to it. It’s here to stay with our idiots in charge. Both sides

I don’t buy Fruit Loops or Raisin Bran anymore. Grew up on it .

Marshmallow Mateys... Lucky who?

You guys whine too much.

When I was a kid my dad regaled me of tales of 15 cent hamburgers.

I’m supposed to get upset a bag of Doritos is smaller than it used to be? It’s the way of the world.

We all still have it better than about 95 percent of the planet!

100% of the planet Levi.

It’s why millions keep streaming across our borders and heading your way.

I've paid less than a dollar for a Coke, hamburger and fries... does that make me old or evil?

Lucky me! I’m a people
Person!

If your PROFITS (what's left over AFTER inflated expenses) are the highest they've been in 70 years (which it has been verified to be the case), then that's PROFITEERING. You can't have record profits if your expenses are inflated as much as the prices you're passing along. This is not a hard concept. Simple, and I mean SIMPLE, math. The corporate profit margin was double the record inflation for a period. That's a big twinkie.

Don't believe me, though. Here's a bloomberg article. Their business is business, so I think they might know a thing or two about profit records:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-25/us-corporate-profits-soar-taking-margins-to-widest-since-1950

Here's a graph from the St Louis Fed that shows the record profits have continued since that August 2022 article and are trending up again:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NFCPATAX

Excusing the profiteering by buying the ridiculous argument that it's ONLY record inflation corporations are passing along is EXACTLY what their PR departments want you to buy, hoping that people don't understand simple math. It's working, apparently.

We used to get 5 burgers for 1.25

It is funny to me almost everything you guys are talking about is junk food.

A Twinkie is an 8th of an ounce smaller than it used to be?!?!?!

Well that’s one horseman. Three to go!

When Hostess got bought in bankruptcy a while back, all their products were reintroduced as crappier versions: smaller, with worse mouthfeel. We stopped buying them, at any price. So one problem solved.

Reminds me of the scene in The Breakfast Club

Eat that and the roof of your mouth is all cut up. Remember that well.

We were so poor growing up, my mother used to cut the pockets out of our jeans so we'd have something to play with.

Read this if you haven't seen it before, it's hillarious and brutal:

https://ace.mu.nu/archives/343109.php

Short excerpt:
I mean, look at this box. Who is that box for? Who is the intended demographic here ?

People who are coming up in the world? People who are upwardly mobile?

No. Kaboom was for people -- children, I mean -- who had decided to give up on life. And it's a sad thing for a six-year-old to have already thrown in the towel and said, "Ah well. The hopes and dreams of kindergarten are ultimately exposed as so much folly. Give me the Kaboom, Ma. I'm ready to settle."

Kaboomsadness (resized).jpg

Shit is getting shittier?, what's new? Well I can look up any shit while taking a shit or giving a shit... couldn't use to do that... maybe shit is getting better and shittier at the same time? Shit happens. Who knew?

How’s your health Bubble? Hopefully in the right direction.

Yeah, that part of life is getting less shitty, except now I need to loose about half a human and get a liver transplant... going on weight loss drugs and hopefully out live the cancer long enough to find a liver... fingers crossed, its getting better and shittier daily.

You mean like Bloomberg? And literally everyone else at that high level and even peons that can read a 10-Q report from a corporate filing and SEE the record profits?

Here's an explanation of P/E ratio using Alphabet (Google) as an example:
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/040215/what-you-need-know-about-googles-pe-ratio.asp

See? We agree.

P/E ratio is not profitability. It is a measure of the stock's price relative to the earnings of the company.

You still apparently do not understand what PROFIT is.

Price to earnings. Stick to the fans man. lol

I don’t have the time or capacity right now to educate ignorance.

It is what it is.

Price to earnings IS NOT PROFIT OF THE COMPANY. It is a measure of the price of the STOCK (not price of their products) to the earnings of the company.

Here's an explanation of P/E ratio using Alphabet (Google) as an example:
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/040215/what-you-need-know-about-googles-pe-ratio.asp

wtf dude. IF this were profiteering then the F ing P/E would be through the roof

If you want to argue that NVDA is “profiteering” off their AI chips then go ahead.

The F ing input COSTS are significantly higher. Thus, prices have to be raised.

The RATE of inflation is dropping like a rock because demand at these prices have slowed.

I know you live on here but at least educate yourself if you are going to throw BS. Stick to the flipper fade

Wow. You guys are booorrrrriiinnnngggggg.............................

This thread is about F ing cereal. lol

Your Coco Puffs will still be sold.

cereal boxes are smaller because of

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Time to get shitfaced.

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