People Used To Get 6 Things For Free Until Companies Breadcrumbed Everyone Into Paying For Them
Pixel-Shot | ShutterstockRemember when paying bills came without a convenience fee? Seems like a utopian idea now, but companies were not as money-hungry as they seem to be now.
But suddenly every single thing has a cost or fee attached to it now, or just needs some kind of subscription to reap the full benefits of using it. In a Reddit post, many people came together to share the things that were once free, but now we've been breadcrumbed into paying for them, and it's making people reminisce about simpler times.
These things were free until companies breadcrumbed everyone into paying for them:
1. Seats on airplanes
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Seating on a plane can be such a pain, but it's made even worse by the fact that almost every seat that isn't tucked away in the back comes with an added fee. After you've already spent hundreds on your ticket and then paid to check one or multiple bags, many people are usually exhausted by the time they get to pick their seat.
At least eight in 10 people refuse to pay extra to reserve a seat on a plane. Unfortunately, there was once a time when there was no extra fee for a seat, but those days are long gone.
2. Subscriptions without commercials
One of the biggest frustrations for consumers is that even after paying for services like Hulu and Amazon Prime to watch movies and TV shows, they still have to deal with commercials. Over a third of Americans (35%) don’t know how much they’re already spending on subscriptions, and at least two-thirds of American subscription users say they now "can’t afford" all the subscriptions they want.
So, it only makes sense that subscriptions should at least be available without commercials, especially given how much people are already spending for the convenience of these services.
3. Most apps on the App Store
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In the Reddit post, many people pointed out the lack of truly free apps on the App Store. Even if the app is free, you still have to pay all of these fees to even be able to get the full function of whatever app you're trying to use.
What starts out as a totally free service quickly turns into a monthly expense that you need to add to all the other expenses that you have. Consumers are pretty much sick and tired of never being able to get an actual free app anymore, and if they do, all the basic features make the app pretty much useless.
4. Bread at fancy restaurants
There was a time when sitting down at a nice restaurant meant you were guaranteed to have a basket of some warm bread arrive at the table for absolutely no extra charge.
It wasn't something you had to order, and you knew that you wouldn't see it on the bill. But now, the dining experience has completely changed. People are now noticing that the bread they're getting at restaurants is being added to their bills. There's nothing complimentary anymore.
5. Storage space on devices
It almost feels like yesterday when buying any kind of device meant you got all the storage that came with it. If you needed more room, all you had to do was get a memory card or some other inexpensive solution to ensure you didn't lose any of your memories.
Over time, however, many companies have started steering customers toward different cloud storage fees and subscription plans instead. It almost feels like they're making phones, tablets, and computers with little to no storage on purpose just so customers have to pay the extra fees. Or, if you want a device with more storage, you have to pay hundreds more just to buy it.
6. Sauce packets
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For so long, grabbing a handful of ketchup, barbecue, or sweet n' sour packets was completely free of charge with your order. You could receive some takeout, and they'd even throw in the sauce packets without you having to ask. It was just a complimentary part of the meal. But nowadays, if you want those extra sauce packets, you need to pay up.
Sure, the cost is usually an extra $1 to $2, but after paying $20 to $25 for the meal, you really aren't looking to spend anymore. It's annoying, and on top of that, some restaurants have even started limiting the number of free sauces they provide.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
