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PostOnce ◴[] No.44361768[source]
Theoretically, credit should be used for one thing: to make more money. (not less)

However, instead of using it to buy or construct a machine to triple what you can produce in an hour, the average person is using it to delay having to work that hour at all, in exchange for having to work an hour and six minutes sometime later.

At some point, you run out of hours available and the house of cards collapses.

i.e., credit can buy time in the nearly literal sense, you can do an hour's work in half an hour because the money facilitates it, meaning you can now make more money. If instead of investing in work you're spending on play, then you end up with a time deficit.

or, e.g. you can buy 3 franchises in 3 months instead of 3 years (i.e. income from the 1 franchise), trading credit for time to make more money, instead of burning it. It'd have been nice had they taught me this in school.

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lm28469 ◴[] No.44364104[source]
> the average person is using

The "average person" is told from birth to consume as many things and experiences as possible as it if was the only thing that could give their life a meaning. The entire system is based on growth and consumption, I have a hard time blaming "the average person"

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ljm ◴[] No.44366742[source]
Wages for the average person (working class) typically remain stagnant while cost of living increases, particularly through inflation. I imagine minimum wage would be 25-30 bucks an hour if it did track inflation and that would only serve to keep your purchasing power constant.

Credit, in this sense, is also used to solve a cash flow problem. It’s a bad sign when that credit (or Klarna Pay-in-3 style setups) is applied to basic day to day expenses like buying groceries or other necessities.

Basically the market’s answer to increasing poverty: you’re not getting paid more, so how about we give you a payment plan to spread things out?

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1. BobaFloutist ◴[] No.44367287[source]
I do wonder if there's hidden benefits to using Klarna to get, like, bulk discounts. Buy three months of toilet paper/chicken broth at once at Costco, pay it off over three months, save a few bucks each time.
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2. ndileas ◴[] No.44368422[source]
You don't need klarna for this. Credit cards already fill this need, and with careful use are free. Most people (in my circles) already do this type of thing
replies(2): >>44368685 #>>44369935 #
3. johnnyanmac ◴[] No.44368685[source]
That "woth careful use" is carrying a trillion dollar industry on its back, sadly. Clearly society is in fact not careful.
replies(1): >>44369105 #
4. cyberge99 ◴[] No.44369105{3}[source]
Not really. The people that pay interest on credit cards are the ones that pay for the luxuries/points/rewards of those who use credit cards wisely. If I get a 0% apr credit card for 18 months, i put all of my expenses on it for 16 months. I put that equivalent cash in to a high interest yield savings account (HYSA) and pay the card off before it’s due. I pocket the difference since the bank just gave me a free loan.
replies(2): >>44372048 #>>44380277 #
5. GreenVulpine ◴[] No.44369152[source]
They had a $5 off a $20 purchase promo on eBay recently. I imagine they'd make similar offers on other platforms too.
6. BobaFloutist ◴[] No.44369935[source]
Credit cards fill this need for a month of spend, but if you want to go three months at a time you need to figure out a different solution.
replies(1): >>44371344 #
7. ndileas ◴[] No.44371344{3}[source]
When purchasing durable goods or bulk supplies, the difference is minimal. It might require saving before purchase, or gradually moving to the bulk model to preserve cash flow. But it's totally doable with a credit card on the household scale.
8. johnnyanmac ◴[] No.44372048{4}[source]
I don't think we are disagreeing here, you're just describing the model on why (as usual), the credit card industry punishes the poor or irresponsible. And people who can exploit the system benefit.
9. SirMaster ◴[] No.44380277{4}[source]
I thought the businesses pay it? Isn't it like 3% for a transaction fee that a business has to pay to accept a credit card, and the credit card company gives me the card user back like 1% or 1.5%.