The Go Along to Get Along Trap

How politeness became compliance, and why a free people must relearn the power of no.

I recently ran into a situation I’m seeing more and more often. I walked into my local bakery, a place I visit regularly, and noticed something unsettling. The pastries were all there, beautifully arranged as always, with the names chalked on little signs below each tray. But the prices were gone.

At first I thought I was missing them. Maybe there was a placard somewhere. Maybe there was a menu I’d overlooked. But after looking around, it became clear: the prices simply weren’t posted anywhere.

And it struck me that this wasn’t an isolated annoyance. I’ve noticed the same thing in other stores lately: products without prices on the shelves, products whose marked prices don’t match what rings up, purchases where you don’t actually know what you’re paying until the payment screen is turned around for your signature, and sometimes not until the printed receipt is already in your hand.

What bothered me wasn’t just the inconvenience. It was the feeling of being nudged into a social trap where asking the price before buying something had somehow become an unreasonable request. As if I were supposed to pretend prices don’t matter. As if my budget were incidental. As if I would never decline a purchase because it costs too much.

I am sorry to report that I am not in that tax bracket, and most people I know are not either.

As I got closer to the register, I quickly ran through my options. Maybe I should ask the price of every item in the case and really make a nuisance of myself. Maybe I should leave without buying anything at all and never come back. Maybe I should just suck it up, keep the smile plastered on my face, and buy the pastry whatever it cost.

Or maybe I should say something.
So I asked why there were no longer any posted prices. Politely.