Couldn't make it up if I wanted to.

These kids had responded to a Craigslist ad my wife put up for a couple of chairs.  When exchanging info the young lady who wants these things so badly explained that they work for the church, and are also following Dave Ramsey.  The deal is already done when an hour later this text comes through:

We were asked to fill the truck up with gas in order to borrow it, would you be willing to take 350 instead of 375?

Am I a sucker buying a bunch of excuses?  Maybe, but I don't think so.  And that's the point about the current situation in our economy.

Oil companies, with their 30% profit margins, are taking all the marginal money that would otherwise go to consumer outlets, especially in light of wage stagnation.  This is the daily economy of everyone else.  The one that serves the other side of the gulf in socio-economic classes.

$25 lost per deal x 300 MM citizens = $7.5 billion lost in principal commerce