If you were born before the Great Financial Crisis — and if you’re reading this, you pretty much certainly were, you are familiar with basic economic principles like “the law of supply and demand.” That “law” is like circa Adam Smith, I think. It’s essentially one of the oldest tenets of economics.
However, many companies are deceiving customers, perpetually raising prices. I just saw a YouTube video today posted by an aggravated car mechanic talking about a major vehicle manufacturer using low-quality parts and designing modern vehicles so they can only be serviced at a corporate-owned dealership, rather than an independent mechanic — thus higher fees for vehicle owners. Me, I am not surprised by this. I see this pitiful condition as just another aspect of the low-quality junk producers seek to innovate upon consumers.
One hundred years ago, Henry Ford thought it clever to pay factory workers more in part so they would be loyal employees who could afford to buy Ford vehicles. Now, most corporations seem to be producing low-quality goods while seeking to extract greater fees. I have heard this pitiful condition referred to as “enshittification,” which seems like an accurate descriptor.