this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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A Boring Dystopia

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 1 points 17 minutes ago

The only time I've used these was on Black Friday, and ultimately, it was worth it.

But they are 100% predatory.

[–] WhatSay@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 hour ago

And people have an issue with dumpster diving. Fools

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Right after I got my house I had to basically live on bread and water for the first couple years as the tax situation devolved and resolved. Not above doing it again to keep my home

[–] neomachino@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 hours ago

This is how I feel. Growing up ramen was too expansive. I have no problem going back there.

I worry about my kids but thankfully my sons favorite meals are my home cooked rice and beans and my homemade veggie stromboli that I can get down to ~$2 for a giant Stromboli if I make my own cheese sauce for it.

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

More Americans get stupid with desperation

[–] endeavor@sopuli.xyz 31 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

Literally what russians were doing while being loud on internet about how sanctions don't work. You can look foward to anti theft tags on bread soon.

[–] altphoto 7 points 7 hours ago

What about shaving items and deodorant?

....yup done already.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 11 hours ago

And butter locked up

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 21 points 12 hours ago (3 children)

Odd to think if you can't afford food now you could afford it later plus interest.

[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

...and the additional food then.

[–] Laser@feddit.org 6 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

First off, I fully agree with you. But how people are lured in is that there is no interest if you pay on time, so it's advertised as interest-free. But obviously the business model is built upon people not paying on time, and as such one should calculate that cost into it…

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 1 points 3 hours ago

This works when talking about seadoos and lifted trucks. When it is food the title of "fool" goes from lendee to lender.

[–] Monstrosity@lemm.ee 41 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Also odd to think people can put off eating until they have the proper funds.

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 12 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I am talking more about the people lending the money, not sure why they think this would be sound lending. People will do far worse then default on a loan to keep eating.

[–] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Money is like stamina - you usually have much more than you think, but accessing it is not without a serious toll. Extreme example - you can probably sell an organ to cover your debt. And there is a wide spectrum of things you can do before reaching that point, many of them crossing the legal, ethical, and humane border.

The original BNPL creditors are not going to make you do them. They need to be legitimate, customer-facing businesses. But they can sell your debt to collection agencies, which will be more willing to put pressure on you. And if that doesn't work - there are always gray market collectors to sell it to.

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 1 points 3 hours ago

As someone who has worked a bit in lending (many many years ago), there is diminishing returns to bad loans. No one is sending people to "break knees" over BNPL loans, they charge so many fees just to cover the defaults. There is no real "grey market" to sell these bad loans to (at least for now). They harass and threaten a whole lot, but really don't do much (due to cost not morals). At the point people are taking payday loans out to buy food, you have got to the point of trying to squeeze blood out of a stone.

[–] Monstrosity@lemm.ee 4 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Oh, I guess I was assuming the vast majority of these folks (I'm one of them actually) are using credit cards, so the loaners don't really know ahead of time.

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 6 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I can't open the article (forbidden) but I am also assuming this is about the new DoorDash and others eat now pay later crap.

[–] Transtronaut@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, "buy now, pay later" usually refers to installment plan services like Klarna and Afterpay. Credit card companies have a different business model.

The business model for those services is basically to do all the shady shit that credit companies can't do anymore because they've been around long enough to become regulated.

Going back to the original point about thinking people will be able to pay later. I doubt that's the goal. My impression is that their income is meant to come from two places:

  • garnishing people's wages forever and getting them on interest that they can never repay (won't work on everyone, but maybe enough for margins)
  • laundering and selling these subprime loans by bundling them with better loans, like the mortgage industry pre-2008
[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 1 points 3 hours ago

Yeah, you are getting nothing from garnished wages of a person who went into debt to buy food (people seem to think that you can just garnish 100% of someones income for some reason). You hit the nail on the head with the comparison to the 2008 mortgage crisis, these are very very very bad loans that they will try to bundle and sell. Another game of hot potato with a grenade.

[–] DicJacobus@lemmy.world 6 points 11 hours ago

Steve Carrell: HEY... THERES A BUBBLE!

[–] muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee 38 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

The people in power will soon come to realise we are all just 3 warm meals a day away from anarchy.

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 6 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

What kind of psychopath has three warm meals a day? You cook three times a day? Or do you eat out three times a day? I believe the latter to be more crazy.
I do share the intended sentiment however.

[–] neomachino@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 hours ago

I cook 3 times a day. It's fucking exhausting and I've come to hate my kitchen. But it keeps everyone fed and happy for a fair price.

I also work from home though and mostly cook on company time.

[–] CrackedLinuxISO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

Breakfast: Coffee and toast

Lunch: Toasted sandwich or reheated dinner leftovers

Dinner: Something home-cooked

As someone who usually prefers a hot meal over a cold one, that's my standard fare. It's not a crazy effort.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago

I'm more worried that they know

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