My husband is in Las Vegas with the kids this weekend, and yesterday he brought them to the M & M store on the Las Vegas strip. The cutest photos were popping up on Facebook of the kids posing in front of adorable M & M’s, and I felt so excited for them. We all know that children in a candy shop is an automatic recipe for joy.
When I asked my hubby if he bought a ton of M & M’s there, he responded with a “Hell no! I’m on my way to CVS right now to buy them each a package.” According to my husband, the M & M store greedily overcharges, and he swore to me that he would never ever step foot in that store again.
Why do stores do this? I know the answer to my own question. They do it because they can, and consumers who are in the moment will continue to buy. The same is true of Disneyland. Most of the items they sell in the park are sold at their stores in every shopping mall across America, but the prices of the items in the park are ridiculously elevated. Well gotcha Disney! Last time I visited, I loaded up on souvenirs in Tucson and brought them with me in a bag giving them to my kids in the hotel room right before we left for the park. When we got to the gift shop on Main Street USA, I let my kids each pick out one small item only and stuck to it.
The moral of the story is that consumers need to savvy up! Quit falling for the tourist traps, and if more people do it, the prices will come down. I am certain that my kiddos really enjoyed those M & M’s from CVS the same as they would from the M & M store especially because they had to wait for it. Kudos, honey – principle is principle!
Sammy Davis Jr. is the perfect match for a trip to Las Vegas, and his Candy Man song really fits the bill, too. Sammy had it right – candy can make the sun rise unless, of course, there’s greed behind it.
