You Get What You Pay For

Today, as a Mah Jongg game was ending my friends puled out their coins to pay the winner. Not much, a quarter or two. Since one of the players could not find her Mah Jongg change purse in her giant pocketbook she rummaged around the bottom of the purse pulling out lose nickels and dimes. I had a flash back to my childhood when we used to feel the lining in my mother’s extra purses that were stored in her closet. It was always a good source of change, which back in the day could really buy something, like a 10¢ Hershey bar.

It got me thinking about how prices have changed, but not always up. Yes, most food has gone up, especially eggs right now thanks to the great chicken flu and soon they may go up again now that McDonalds will be serving Egg McMuffins all day. Then there are the prices that have gone down.

When I was in junior high school I remember one particularly rich kid who brought a calculator to school. He bragged it cost something like $40. We all oohhed and aahhed over the thing that could do long division out like 8 places. Today I saw a calculator at the dollar store, but they were 2 for a dollar. The calculator today at .50¢ is even better than that $40 one because it was solar and never even needed batteries.

All things getting cheaper is not always good. My friend Lynn and I went to get a Mani-Pedi today. Back in the day a Mani-pedi was such a special treat that no one I knew ever got them. Today you can find a deal on a polish around the corner for very little, but something has changed.

Back in the 80’s when nails started getting big having them done was still a treat. The manicurist treated you nicely and may have even complimented the height of your teased hairdo. Today getting a manicure is practically combat duty. I have a toenail with a line in it right now, how it got there I have no idea, but the technician was quick to tell me of my imperfection.

Then the manicure started. After she removed my old polish she questioned me like the Gestapo under a bright light about why my nails were yellow. “I don’t know,” I told her casually.

“You must wear base coast,” she barked at me.

“I do, always.”

“Then you left your polish on too long. You must change it more often.”

“More than every five days?” I asked, since that is as long as any polish will stay on my nails.

“That’s good.” She softened slightly, still trying to blame me for my yellow nails.

“You must have had a dark color on.”

“No, always nude.”

Unsatisfied that she could not diagnose my issue and lay blame with me she gave up. Somehow I felt like I was a nail criminal. The mani-pedi was cheep, especially in relation to how expensive eggs have gotten, but I gladly would have paid a little more to have it be a less combative experience. This was not an isolated incident. I have tried many places with similar results. Perhaps I am on some nail wanted poster. I know I don’t have perfect nails to work on, but if I did I could do them myself.