Value Isn't Real

     Value is how much someone will pay for something, but it is constantly changing. If a simple plastic bottle of water is worth $0.89 in a bulk package at Albertsons, $1.29 at a gas station down the road, $4.00 at the movie theater, $5.00 at Disneyland, $12.00 at the top of Machu Picchu, and nothing at all if it is lying on the sidewalk, what is the true value of that bottle of water? The truth is that it has no value because value isn't real. What is real is our desire for the product or service in question. Do I want it badly enough to buy it here and now or can I wait?

     This picture got me thinking about cross-cultural value. At first it's just funny to see the two different prices on the same sign for the exact same product the only difference being the languages in which the product is marketed. When you think again, though, monetary value is extremely subjective. What we spend our money on and what things and services we covet are very culturally-specific. Whether you would spend your extra money on some new rims, a gift for someone, an outing for the family, some food, or a manicure, and how much you would spend on these items...these are decisions that are positively dripping with cultural background.

      So, I understand this sign a bit better from the cultural perspective. But I am definitely going to speak Spanish when I go shopping there!