(idea submitted by Miriam Z)
Jewish Young Adults of today tend to be highly conscientious consumers, be it in knowing exactly what they want, knowing exactly where to find it, or knowing exactly how much an item is worth. While everybody likes to get a good deal now and again, scoring a pricey item for a fair value, JYAs have a keen subconscious understanding of nebulous economic concepts like price elasticity and utility, making them prone to bragging about bargains.
It is important to note that modern day JYAs are not concerned about the price point, but rather focus their efforts on the percent change from the original price. In other words, it is not the amount paid that illicit bragging rights, but rather the amount not paid.
For example, “Lisa”, a female JYA paralegal from the Upper East Side, makes her annual Hajj to the Barney’s Warehouse Sale every summer, and gleefully announced to her best friend “Can you believe I got a Balenciaga for half off!” While a fifty percent reduction is an outstanding discount for any product, Lisa slyly failed to mention that the original retail price was nearly $1700, and that she still paid over nine hundred dollars with tax.
Male JYAs are just as prone as females to brag about their bargains. “Mark”, an aspiring entertainment lawyer from Los Angeles, wrote on his Facebook profile that he “Totally got hooked up with free beers at Element last night”. While impressive in its own right, Mark ignored the fact that he shelled out over four hundred dollars for a table that same night, not including the fifty dollar door charge to get in.
Therefore, for any Non-Jew who is concerned about how much something actually costs, as opposed to how much you could save, it is recommended to do your own research instead of relying on hyperbolic information from a JYA.
