|
|
|
ARCO's ATM is anything but convenient
On Thursday, on my way to get car tabs, I stopped at an ARCO gas station to get gas and cash. I pulled up to the pump and inserted my debit card into the ATM. Of course, there was a 45-cent convenience fee (actually not bad for a cash machine). 
After I started pumping gas, I examined the ATM a little more; it soon became clear that there wasn't an option to get any cash from this machine. I was paying 45-cents for the convenience of using ARCO's gas pump, which is odd because Shell and Chevron don't charge extra fees for using their gas pump. I felt a little swindled by ARCO. I think most people would agree that an ATM should include the ability to spit out some cash. Even if you pay with a debit card at Safeway or 7-11, there's usually an option to get back some cash. And they don't charge you a convenience fee. What does ARCO have to say about this? Here's their website, which says this about how convenient their gas stations are: Straight up convenience. You can pay on the gas island with cash or your ATM card using PayQuick, It�s an easy way to purchase at the pump to get in, out and on your way quickly. To avoid the 45-cent convenience fee, use your ARCO Debit MasterCard. Plus you can earn reward points when you use it! Because I was in a hurry (and I needed cash for the emissions test you have to get in Washington state), I went inside to see if they had a real ATM. They did, but now they wanted $2.00 for the convenience of withdrawing cash. I don't know about you, but I don't find $2.00 in fees very convenient. Which is why I won't be visiting ARCO again anytime soon. I also recommend that ARCO change the language on their pumps to be more accurate. For example: Pay with cash or debit card The worst part was that I did pay the $2.00 convenience fee at the real ATM, because I was in a hurry. I know that ARCO was counting on this, but you would think they'd be interested in forming a long-term relationship with me so I'd be willing to return to their store and buy snacks -- because that's where the real profit is. Labels: Commentary, I'm mad as hell
posted by AndyO @ 4:49 PM
The highest-grossing movies (adjusted for inflation)
All this talk about Avatar racing toward Titanic's record as the highest-grossing movie of all time made me wonder: If these movies (and many others) were released the same year, which would really be the biggest money maker? Well, the results are surprising. Thanks to Box Office Mojo, you can actually see how these movies stack up when you adjust them for inflation. For example, when I saw Star Wars back in 1977, the average price for a ticket was $2.23. Today, the average price is $7.35. So, here's the list: (^ indicates multiple releases) | Rank | Title (click to view) | Adjusted Gross | Unadjusted Gross | Year^ | | 1 | Gone with the Wind | $1,485,028,000 | $198,676,459 | 1939^ | | 2 | Star Wars | $1,309,179,000 | $460,998,007 | 1977^ | | 3 | The Sound of Music | $1,046,753,000 | $158,671,368 | 1965 | | 4 | E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial | $1,042,629,400 | $435,110,554 | 1982^ | | 5 | The Ten Commandments | $962,850,000 | $65,500,000 | 1956 | | 6 | Titanic | $943,342,300 | $600,788,188 | 1997 | | 7 | Jaws | $941,379,300 | $260,000,000 | 1975 | | 8 | Doctor Zhivago | $912,395,600 | $111,721,910 | 1965 | | 9 | The Exorcist | $812,679,700 | $232,671,011 | 1973^ | | 10 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | $801,150,000 | $184,925,486 | 1937^ | | 11 | 101 Dalmatians | $734,391,800 | $144,880,014 | 1961^ | | 12 | The Empire Strikes Back | $721,627,700 | $290,475,067 | 1980^ | | 13 | Ben-Hur | $720,300,000 | $74,000,000 | 1959 | | 14 | Return of the Jedi | $691,336,700 | $309,306,177 | 1983^ | | 15 | The Sting | $655,200,000 | $156,000,000 | 1973 | | 16 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | $647,842,600 | $242,374,454 | 1981^ | | 17 | Jurassic Park | $633,612,900 | $357,067,947 | 1993 | | 18 | The Graduate | $628,949,700 | $104,901,839 | 1967^ | | 19 | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace | $623,469,700 | $431,088,301 | 1999 | | 20 | Fantasia | $610,369,600 | $76,408,097 | 1941^ | So, as you can see, Avatar is nowhere to be found, but Titanic is. The way this is calculated is through estimated number of tickets sold. For Star Wars, the number of estimated tickets is 178,119,600. Here are the estimated tickets sold for Titanic and Avatar: | Rank | Title (click to view) | Studio | Est. Tickets | Unadjusted Gross | Year^ | | 6 | Titanic | Par. | 128,345,900 | $600,788,188 | 1997 | | 52 | Avatar | Fox | 60,917,000 | $441,024,441 | 2009 | It makes you realize that while Titanic did indeed sell a lot of tickets, Avatar is making most of its money from higher ticket prices -- both from inflation and the higher cost of the IMAX and 3-D format. If Avatar were released the same year as Star Wars, it would only have grossed $135,844,900 instead of $441,024,441. (As of 1/13/09.) Either way, James Cameron and George Lucas are both very wealthy. And they both make pretty good movies. Labels: Film, random
posted by AndyO @ 8:12 PM
| | |
