But it’s not just in the supermarket. Hikes are also happening in the service industry, which brings me to my trip to the beautician. Usually, when the therapist leaves me to get ready for my torture session, there is a nice, individually wrapped, three-ply wipe to conduct a quick pre-treatment clean. On this occasion, in its place was a flimsy, single-ply wipe that nearly ripped as soon as I applied any more than the most gentle pressure. No matter, I thought, they must have just run out of the cushy ones.
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But at the end of my treatment, cozzie livs struck again when my therapist asked if I would like a disposable towel to wipe off any excess oil, which is applied after the treatment, the cost of which has jumped about 20 per cent in the past two years. Before I could answer, she corrected herself, saying, “Whoops, we don’t do those anymore … cost cuts.” No matter, I replied, slipping into my now oil-smeared pants that would certainly need to be dry-cleaned (another service for which costs have skyrocketed).
On the way home, I thought about all the ways the services I pay for now give me less while charging more: the yoga studio that’s enforcing a strict one-towel-per-person policy, the once included services across airlines, hotels, cafes and everywhere in between that were once complimentary but are now “extras” that attract a fee.
I get that raising prices is often viewed as a last resort, especially for small business. But by the same token, if they reduce their services by such a factor they’re no longer attractive, won’t customers leave anyway?
For now, I am rationing my chocolate and sticking with my waxer (so long as they keep providing the jasmine oil that instantly reminds me of a holiday). I just have to remember to BYO baby wipe, and remember to price search chocolate before my next trip to the shops.
Melissa Singer is associate editor of Sunday Life magazine.
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