The Real Price
On what we give up without knowing it
“Grab the opportunity of owning the phones at the lowest prices before the end of the day. Offer valid till stocks last.”
The host pointed toward the stacked boxes as he spoke. Within minutes the people standing next to me rushed to the counter. Many who had already decided which phone to buy pushed forward to grab their device before the stocks ran out.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and looked at it. I had bought it only a few months ago. I put it back and watched the crowd.
A few meters away a man in a blue suit was talking to his teenage son.
“Your phone seems pretty new. I don’t think you need a replacement,” the man said.
The son leaned his head back and let out a breath. “Dad, it’s available at a throwaway price. I am not replacing it. I am adding an alternative.” He looked at his father. “Please. Let’s go before the stocks end.”
The father looked at him quietly. “The phone will cost more than you think. And you will be spending your scholarship money. Don’t expect me to sponsor anything if you run out.”
The son straightened up. “Yes. Can we please go now?”
The father rose and both walked toward the counter.
After a while they returned. The son was smiling, clicking pictures of himself and the surroundings, holding the new phone up to show it off.
I looked at the father. He had a plain, average phone in his hand — nothing like the devices on display, nothing that matched the quality of his suit.
“Excuse me,” I said. He stopped and looked back. “I overheard you telling your son that the phone will cost more than he thinks. Was the price different at the counter?”
The man shook his head. “No. Same price.”
“Then what did you mean?”
He glanced toward his son who was now leaning against the car, still clicking pictures. “People look at the price tag and think that’s what it costs. But what about the money spent on accessories, the time spent setting it up, maintaining it. That is the actual cost.” He smiled. “And people often forget the opportunity lost.”
I creased my brows. “Opportunity lost?”
He shrugged. “The same money my son spent on this phone could have gone toward something of more value. But that opportunity is gone now.” He looked at me. “When you buy something you are not just getting something. You are also quietly giving something up.”
He tapped my arm once and walked toward his son.
I took my phone out again and looked at it. This time I was not comparing it to the phones on display. I was thinking about what else the same money could do.
Quiet Clarity We count what we gain. We rarely count what we quietly lose.
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