Free no more
Tri-O’s
Oddities, Observations, and Opinions
By
Herb Kandel
A few months ago US Airways began charging passengers $2 for bottled water and sodas and $1 for teas and coffees. Other major airlines did not follow the practice. A few “low-cost” carriers have been charging for beverages for several years. There are oxygen bars where you sniff the gaseous element via a nose hose at about $1 a minute, it also comes in “flavors”, i.e., peppermint, wintergreen, cranberry, etc.. Another form of its packaging is in cans, starting at $5 a pop.
So here we are shelling out for two necessities of life ---air and water. Where have all the free stuff gone? More and more the way of the dinosaur, I suspect.
Tri-O’s
Oddities, Observations, and Opinions
By
Herb Kandel
A few months ago US Airways began charging passengers $2 for bottled water and sodas and $1 for teas and coffees. Other major airlines did not follow the practice. A few “low-cost” carriers have been charging for beverages for several years. There are oxygen bars where you sniff the gaseous element via a nose hose at about $1 a minute, it also comes in “flavors”, i.e., peppermint, wintergreen, cranberry, etc.. Another form of its packaging is in cans, starting at $5 a pop.
So here we are shelling out for two necessities of life ---air and water. Where have all the free stuff gone? More and more the way of the dinosaur, I suspect.
Think back, it wasn't too long ago when you drove into a gasoline station and an attendant hopped out. “Fill ‘ER up with regular,” you'd say as he put the nozzle into the tank and set it on auto fill. Then he would wash and squeegee your windshield, rear window, head-lights, and outside mirror. You would pop the hood so he could check the oil level, and when it was done the air pressure in all the tires was taken and adjusted. The “Tiger in the Tank” fill cost about $ 6 (if your tank was near empty when you came in) and he often gave you a free key chain or other sales gift together with S&H green stamps as he tipped his cap and said, “Thank you”. Some of the stations later provided a free car wash.
All radio then was free too. A few years ago, as a freebie, when I bought my new 2004 Honda Accord it came with a 3 month trial subscription to XM Satellite Radio. Using it brings more than a hundred radio stations to my fingertips whenever I drive my car. As long as my receiver has an unobstructed view of the sky, anywhere in the country, I can listen to my stations continually. Not only many different music genres but also talk shows, TV news, comedy, sports, regional weather and traffic, informational, educational, drama, and old time radio. It provides the song information as to artist and title on a digital display. The monthly fee is $12.95 (it’s less for music only stations). This gives you a lot of choices but if you are like my BH (better Half) you will gravitate to only a few, or in her case just one (Show tunes). For local news and information you still need traditional free radio stations. The satellite radio industry continues to grow each year but new technology such as HD radio as well as Wi-If and WiMax streaming audio with local content may slow its progress. Ipods, cell phones, MP3’s add more diversity to the mixture of audio media.
When we bought our first RCA TV, with its bulls-eye logo that came on after midnight when broadcasting ended, there were only the three major networks and the DuMont Channel. All you needed to do was plug it into the wall socket and attach it to the outside roof/window antenna. Then along came the Zenith Space Command remote control which birthed the term “couch potato”. Now we have cable, premium channels, and satellites orbiting high above transmitting to the receiving dishes which provide umpteen channels for almost any interest-- from food to fantasy and comedy to courtroom. No longer free. The choices, packages, specials, deals, and promotions are as mind boggling as the Medicare drug plans. One needs only time enough and pockets deep enough to absorb all that is available.
There was a time when if you purchased 12 items the merchant would add another at no charge. It was called a “baker’s dozen”. In most of Louisiana when that little extra is added it is called “lagniappe”. Because of the soaring gasoline prices a few months ago, when it was selling for over $4 a gallon, some restaurants in order to defray the new expense started charging for the “sides” à la carte. If you wanted lettuce or tomatoes on your hamburger it would cost an additional 10 to 15 cents each, cheese added another 25 cents; each vegetable on your entrée carried a separate charge. Forget about such a thing as a “free lunch” even though we're talking about fringe foods.
Nowadays the “freebies” are few and far between. I have a friend who at the checkout in the supermarket hands to the clerk just one of the two same items from his cart that is advertised as “buy one get one free”. When the item is about to be scanned he tells the cashier that he only wants the “free” one. Someday he hopes it will work. In the meanwhile we may just have to reminisce about the days when essentials like air, water, sunshine, and the courtesy of a “Please” ,“Thank you”, and “May I help you?” were dispensed freely.
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