The first loss was seeing a Pinot for about $3 cheaper than what I paid at Wal-Mart. But that was a wee preview of the carnage to come.

This is the coffee maker I got for about 14,000yen last summer. (*$1.00 = 105yen at time of purchase)

This is what almost made burst into tears in the middle of Target.

Notes:
-The Japanese one isn’t sold under the “Black and Decker” brand — it’s called “DeviceStyle” and purportedly designed and built in Germany.
-The caraffes on those two things were identical. The designs of the base units were also almost the same, except that the cheaper one had a timer (which, mysteriously, is unheard of on coffee makers in Japan [their up-market rice cookers, by contrast, have more special abilities than Kit from Knight Rider]).
-The Japanese one is 1.2L, the B&D is just 0.8L. For what it’s worth, I was looking for a relatively large one. Perhaps that’s why it cost more.

I have only myself to blame. I lose.

I should make a business of this. If I could get 2 suitcases full of coffee makers thru customs at Kansai Int’l, I could practically pay for my plane ticket with the proceeds. Who’s in?

Friday, May 27th, 2005 @ 11:02 am Consumerism, Gadgets
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