I was considering buying a Vitamix blender ie the queen of blenders here in Argentina.
I dont know whether to laugh or cry when I look at amazon US reviews for the blender. MOST of the reviews show some sort of hesitation and it seems many spend weeks or months weighing it up 'ooh $500 thats so much to pay!!! (for a pro blender that will last 20+ years and save thousands on coffee shop smoothie costs etc and encourage a healthier lifestyle). These people on average earn $40 - 50 000 a year. The average arg wage is at least a third of that and those living in Argentina would have to pay 3 TIMES MORE for the same blender. The price/value difference is the same with digital cameras and so many other consumer goods. It really does give weight to the phrase - '1st world problems'
Yes, this exactly. On my last visit I was watching a friend of mine as he was surfing mercadolibre to buy a laptop for his brother. The prices on there are pretty shocking. Even at the blue rate, $2000 USD for the most basic of mac laptops or a crappy used pc. Granted his family seems rather well-off, but he didn't seem fazed by the prices at all.