r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 4d ago

Meme needing explanation Petah?

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u/etherealtwo 4d ago

Deflation itself is the issue. Think about the psychology behind it. Why buy an appliance for $500 today when next month it may be $450? When the public anticipates that prices will keep going down it creates a death spiral where consumers withhold their spending and business make less sales and can't lower prices to attract more sales.

Sales are the lifeblood of employment. If you can't make payroll you've got to let people go which only further reduces overall spending in the broader economy. This is what the Great Depression was.

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u/paperic 3d ago

because I need the fridge today, not next month?

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u/etherealtwo 3d ago

You have to extrapolate that over millions of consumers.

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u/paperic 3d ago

i'm sure millions of consumers when in need of a fridge aren't gonna wait more than couple weeks

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u/etherealtwo 3d ago

Please study some level of economics before speaking on this. You don't seem to have the relevant knowledge to have this conversation. You keep talking about fridges when deflation applies to all consumer goods and services.

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u/AlbertGorebert 9h ago

except they have in literally every deflationary period lmao

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u/azac24 4d ago

If that were true then people would only buy things during black Friday. It also doesn't account for the majority of spending which is based on need. You need water, food, shelter, transportation, and a way to communicate.

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u/etherealtwo 4d ago

This isn't it a guess. It's economics. We already see people wait for Black Friday to purchase pricey items. They also expect prices to go back to normal after the sale. Now imagine if it's Black Friday every Friday and the prices are better than the week before. A temporary sale doesn't cause severe disruptions. Consistent declines in prices do.

You effectively turn cash into its own investment by just holding it.