Plague Journal, Supply Chain, etc. etc.
Today I purchased a vehicle. The Suzuki SX4 that has faithfully served me and afforded enjoyable driving has reach its end of service. After fourteen years and 170,000 miles, I offer my respect to the designers, engineers, and manufacturing workers at Suzuki Kabushiki-Kaisha, Hamamatsu, Japan. The product speaks eloquently for the company.
Yesterday upon stopping in at a local dealership to inquire about purchasing a Hyundai, mention was made of the difficulty the dealership was having getting vehicles. A semiconductor chip shortage is causing supply chain disruptions in the car business, etc. etc. The imbalance of scarce supply and robust demand resulted in the owner’s decision to add a $4,000 markup to the normal sticker price of $18,000 on the vehicle of my interest. Recovering from the revelation of the “new reality” imposed upon myself and every prospective customer, I made a decision. I did not purchase the Hyundai.
This morning I enjoyed the countryside of McHenry County, of Lake County as I drove to a Kia dealership in Antioch. The dealership is owned by an individual with whom I had a mutually satisfying business relationship for many years before I retired. I was not surprised to find that I was treated fairly in my discussions with the sales representative, and particularly in exchange between myself and the finance manager who is responsible for “closing” the deal. A hazardous phase of an automobile purchase occurs when the customer has the “across the desk” chat with the finance manager. Resisting the inclination to say “yes” to a list of add-ons to the deal, is always uncomfortable.
I purchased a Kia Forte. Monday at the end of the day I will pick up the vehicle.
We dislike following,
or leading,
to its conclusion a depressing train of thought,
however unassailable;
we resist it
just when it affects our entrails,
at the point where it becomes malaise,
truth and disaster of the flesh.
— No sermon of the Buddha,
no page of Schopenhauer
fails to turn my stomach…
–Excerpt, All Gall Is Divided, by Emile Cioran
The depressing train of thought that haunts me lately: the “winner-take-all” capitalism that we practice is particularly corrosive, damaging to the futures of those least able to afford to be victim. There’s a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach.
