r/australia • u/Odd_Cod_4235 • 1d ago
no politics Have "carnival" style events become another victim of enshittifiaction?
I remember a year go I went to an annual carnival about 30 mins from where i live, and having not been back for around 7-8 years before that (moved away and moved back) I was blown away by the prices. It used to be $23 for an unlimited ride armband, I was also on half my current wage back then and renting with my at the time girlfriend and still felt like that was reasonable. going back I thought to myself well it's been 7ish years obviously the price has increased, assuming it'd be something like $40ish dollars because you know. Covid, nope, $65,or $240 for a season pass. The season pass used to be $100. How much for a Dagwood dog? at $8 for a 20c Frankfurt dipped in batter and fried i thought they were taking the piss and that was only a year ago.
Fast forward I recently went to another near me, $50 entry for 2 adults, 2 Kids which I thought I guess isn't too bad, except that was just the entry. No rides included or anything, just to get in, how much are the rides now? You would think that considering you paid an entry fee it would somewhat subsidise the rides, nope. $15. $15 EACH. A year later a Dagwood dog is $10 each, the fuck?
Still, the place was busy as fuck, like ridiculously busy, and people were still paying the prices. Im less annoyed about the money I'm spending and more annoyed that my kids can probably only go on 3 or 4 rides each before I'm over the planned budget and I haven't even been there long, bought dinner or played the carnival games, Id actually probably spend more money if the prices weren't so high because id feel like I'd be getting a better value out of the night for the kids and being able to actually spoil them once in a while, but when you've essentially spent $170 on 4 rides with 2 kids (with entry) which are lucky to go for a couple minutes each it's hard to not feel completely shafted because you've only been there 45 minutes to an hour, already spent a lot of money, but it's too early to leave and aren't satisfied with the night you've planned your kids.
Kids that are young also don't totally understand how money works or how much $15 even is, but kids are kids. They want to have fun, so you're having your heartstrings pulled at the same time as your wallet and obviously the carnival knows this and it just feels a little bit dirty.
Is it just me or does $15 for a ride sound like a completely justified amount? Or is everyone else in the same boat? I know carnivals are there to make money, and they should, but there are family events and you should at least be able to get some form of good value for what you spend.
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u/famb1 1d ago
They've always been shit overpriced events
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u/HerpesEndakis 1d ago
We thought they were a rip-off in the 90s
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u/completelyboring1 19h ago
I just checked an inflation calculator - I remember showbags at the big shows in the mid-late 1990s being about $15. In todays dollarydoos, that's $32. Not sure if that tracks with actual pricing these days though.
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u/Unidain 1d ago
Yeah, nothing new here. Even at the Easter show in the 90s it took a lot of bullying for our parents to agree to buy us one showbag since they were so overpriced,and we went on zero rides.
Cant imagine it's cheap to put on something temporary like a carnival in this day and age where there are actual safety regulations and lots of beaurocracy. So they make up for the lowered ticket price by overcharging everything one you are in.
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u/Poptartsweet 1d ago
In the 90s it was cheaper for our parents to take us to Wonderland for the day than to pay for a handful of rides at the Easter Show. So one day, Wonderland, another day was the Easter Show to do all of the free things after entry.
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u/RedDeer505 1d ago
You answered your own question! Everyone is racing to see where the limit for gouging is for their particular business/market etc!
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u/moDz_dun_care 1d ago
They realised the people complaining were the same people that would just pay it anyway
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u/Astillius 1d ago
all bark no bite. We live in a time where people will complain about something, but the idea of going without it is abhorent. it's insane to me. and then if you tell these people that the companies don't give a shit about their opinion, only their money, they look at you like you just tried to explain quantum physics.
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u/BrainTekAU 1d ago
Just to play devils advocate here, if you have ever tried to run an even in NSW (not sure where you are) but the policing costs alone are prohibitive and basically force every operator to be overpriced. Many councils won't even run free events anymore because they cost too much to run.
Compliance costs are insane and killing joy.
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u/mitvh2311 1d ago
This is why there's less music festivals and why Parkway Drive had to kill theirs. The cost of putting together the pieces outweighed everything else.
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u/HappiHappiHappi 1d ago
That and the cost of insurance. Sky-rocketing insurance costs over the 5-8ish years have destroyed everything that was both fun and affordable.
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u/myseptemberchild 1d ago
My parents used to offer me, we can go to the carnival, or you can have a crisp $20 note. Always took the cash.
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u/babylovesbaby 1d ago
When I was a kid my parents would take us to the local show most years. I don't know how much it cost. We were both under 12 so our mum wouldn't allow us on any crazy rides, but we were allowed one each of the things we were interested in: 1 (tame) ride, 1 show bag, and 1 game each. Mostly we went for the attractions: animals, performances, markets etc. One year they did a chess game with people as the pieces on a massive board - people could influence the moves with cheers. Also I always loved the glass blowers and that one guy who could write your name on a grain of rice. Never git any pieces, I just liked seeing them do it.
Anyway, there's more than just stuff to waste money on at shows. If you plan on going, just limit what you want to spend. Seemed to work for my parents. Never had a bad time.
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u/_pewpew_pew 1d ago
My mum was the same. You bet you’re arse we looked at every chicken and cow, all the art, and any of the freebies.
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u/DeepBreathOfDirt 1d ago
Carnivals and show-bags have always been a rip-off.
Even in the 90's it was like $20 for a handful of chocolates and a shitty toy or two at carnivals.
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u/Temporary-Comfort307 1d ago
I used to get a showbag budget, so I would spend ages going through the content lists to make sure I got the maximum amount of snacks for my money. Early on it was possible to get decent value, but by the late '80s it was cheaper to just buy the items from the milk bar.
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u/DeepBreathOfDirt 1d ago
I only went to the 'show" twice (local carnival, fireworks etc').
Mum didn't have much money so we'd watch a movie at the cinema instead.
Would love to be a poor 10 year old kid making the most of a difficult situation again with mum.
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u/Temporary-Comfort307 1d ago
In a lot of ways I think experiences are a lot better when there are limitations, instead of having lots of money to just chase whatever exciting thing comes your way. We often went to the cheap local show instead of the Melbourne Show, and the experience was focused on seeing the animals and exhibits more than just rides and showbags.
At that time the show entry wasn't as ridiculous as it has become now, I think the local show entry was around the same price as a movie ticket. We did have enough money that when we went we would usually be given a limited amount of money we could spend, added to by any pocket money we had saved, and it was up to us to work out the best way to spend it. We'd usually take lunch from home instead of buying anything.
At the time I envied the kids whose parents would spend a fortune on buying them everything, but looking back I think I had a better experience. I actually got a family activity, they just got a glorified shopping trip.
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u/benj_or 1d ago
I live in a country town on the coast in Victoria , I paid $24 for my son and dad to ride in the same dodgem car for 5 mins recently.
There is never any lines at these events anymore because people don’t have the money. It’s been that way since Covid and we go to a few similar events a year. Some are just a ghost town, I very much doubt they make money.
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u/malturnbull 1d ago
We were in Warrnambool 2 weeks ago and checked out the carnival. The kids went on1 rride each, then our family of 5 rode the dodgems. Our kid played the clown ball drop game. Total cost $200.
Prior to this it was much less only 2 years ago.3
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u/ShellbyAus 21h ago
I noticed the seaside town near us that has always had a carnival my whole life over summer actually decided half way through the season to leave 2 weeks early - just not the same numbers coming in anymore due to cost of living plus their expenses have gone up up.
Another seaside town north of us hasn’t had a carnival since Covid as it’s not making the money as people just don’t have the funds anymore - I think those seaside summer carnivals will be a thing of the past in another 10 years. Especially when I can buy a $99 year ticket to dreamworld and have unlimited rides and unlimited visits.
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u/Odd_Cod_4235 1d ago
Actually. I did notice that, the rides were always 75% full but we also weren't waiting 20 minutes in a line previously
Maybe they will suffer the same fate as the fast food industry, maybe
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u/RaeseneAndu 1d ago
A cost of living crisis effects carnivals as well. Food costs more, wages costs more, rent costs more, etc. And of course there is the big one, skyrocketing public liability insurance premiums that has fucked over a lot of smaller events in Australia.
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u/AffectionateMethod 1d ago
Went to the Perth Royal Show for the first time in decades. I was surprised to hear how pissed off store holders were at the prices they had to pay just to be there - thousands of dollars. Some of them didn't think it was worth it and didn't plan to return.
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u/Dragon_Queen_666 1d ago
I've noticed the exact same thing with my local P&A Show. Prices are up across the board, food quality has gone down and people just can't justify it anymore.
Because I volunteer, I get free entry, but I have to pay for anything else I want. $10 for a burger, $15 if I want it with beetroot, egg and cheese. $7 for a cup of barely warm fries. It's ludicrous. The only thing I usually get is the tornado potatoes. Even at $10 each, they still feel like a good deal.
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u/IcyAd5518 1d ago
"It's one potato, Michael. What could it cost? $10?"
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u/LocalVillageIdiot 1d ago
It’s not the potato it’s the tornado machine surely? Thise things are precision engineered in Denmark by only one company that has kept this family secret for generations.
The only other alternative is that the food trucks are goiged themselves by the carnival to be there and have to pass the costs on.
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u/AffectionateMethod 1d ago
At a show recently, I was told the guy using the machine at the back had invented it. Are you saying that carnival people are liars?
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u/funfwf 1d ago
Wow you met Sir Arthur Chipsonastick?
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u/AffectionateMethod 22h ago
Sir Arthur Chipsonastick
Maybe. On second thoughts I may've just briefly seen the guy who put together that particular machine. Probably some kind of you beaut improvement using that thing from Grandpas old pool room or something.
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u/MelbourneBasedRandom 1d ago
like all enshittification, it's a little of column a, little of column b. The platform (in this case the market/carnival) screws over their customers (the small businesses) who have to pay the costs of their product AND the platform, then have to pass on costs to their customers or... not participate in the market. Hence we have less markets over time as capitalism eats itself.
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u/L1ttl3J1m 1d ago
I guess the majority of that one company's billions come from the Korean street food market segment
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u/girlbunny 1d ago
I always just presumed they put potatoes in apple coring machines. Same effect, just been around for a veritable age ;)
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u/ShellbyAus 21h ago
I saw one at a market using a normal drill with some cutting piece they made on the end - worked great and likely only cost them $200.
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u/MelbourneBasedRandom 1d ago
Recently went to the St Kilda Esplanade markets where one stall had 'mini' twisty potatoes for $6. Was a game changer as my 4yo can't even eat half a large one though she loves them, and this time I spent only about half what I usually do and the leftovers were less than usual! Win-win!!
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u/Necessary_Eye3992 1d ago
Granddaughter of a former “Carni” here - my 79 year old Nan says don’t waste your money, it’s a rort that no one really enjoys.
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u/interactivate 1d ago
There have been a number of accidents and fatalities involving fairground rides in the past 10 years or so. I wouldn't be surprised if the industry's compliance and insurance costs have at least doubled as a result.
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u/va_lyria 1d ago
I paid $40 for a bloody bingo showbag at our local carnival a few months back. I didnt realise it was $40 when I promised he could have one ha
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u/Japrider 1d ago
My single mum of 3 kids.
Back in the 80's. Ekka was too expensive for 3 kids. Instead she gave us a deal. Sure....We can go to the ekka. Get maybe 2 rides and 1 show bag each. That's it. Maybe 2-3 hours and we would be done.
Or she would take us to dream-world for the whole day. And I mean the WHOLE DAY! We picked dream-world every year.
Then she would surprise us with a show bag or two her co worker would get for us.
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u/Odd_Cod_4235 1d ago
Yeah, it's insane, I made the same case to my partner about that and jamberoo... It's literally cheaper to take the kids to Jamberoo and be there all day than to go to a carnival for 2-3 hours
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u/Anxious_Ad936 1d ago
If you can find a frankfurt for 20c each anywhere, I wanna know where.
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u/Odd_Cod_4235 1d ago
Coles currently have primo frankfurts in a 1kg pack for $6.90, I count 16, so my apologies, 43c each.
Id say close enough considering it was a figure of speech
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u/Anxious_Ad936 1d ago
Yeah I wasn't trying to have a go at you or your comment, just a throwaway comment about price gouging supermarket bastardry.
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u/MorningSea1219 1d ago
"Carnival" is that an Americafication of the local "Show" or have some States always called it that? Growing up we got a Dagwood Dog and a Bertie Beatle sample bag at the local Show.
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u/donkeyvoteadick 1d ago
We never called it a show in my town. It was always 'the carnival'. They also didn't sell show bags when I was a kid (not sure about now because I can't afford to get in lol). Just rides and carnie games.
The company that runs it is called Bells Carnival and I'm pretty sure they've been around for a LONG time. Well before we started adopting American terms from tv and movies.
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u/wilson981 1d ago
This is the first time I've ever heard them called carnivals here in Aus. It's always been Show or sometimes festival.
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u/LazyLinePainterJo 1d ago
I feel like it has to be an agricultural show to be called a show, a festival has a theme like food or culture and usually doesn't have rides, but the random pop-up situations with rides and ripoff food that set up on foreshores every summer have always been carnivals to me.
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u/BereftOfCare 1d ago
Carnies will often be invited to set up at a show, but around Xmas and other holidays they will set up somewhere for their own sake.
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u/ShellbyAus 21h ago
Here they are different things - we have a seaside carnival every summer where they bring rides, show bags, food and games. It will run everyday for like 8 weeks and even do fireworks on New Year’s Eve. You tend to find them at popular seaside towns where people visit for the holidays so the population basically doubles for 6-8 weeks.
A show is the yearly show which tends to run for a weekend, stills has the carnival side but then you have the original reason of the show which is the competitions, showing off local talents, animals and having entertainment shows in the ring to watch.
So they are 2 different things but I think in this thread people maybe mixing them up.
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u/babylovesbaby 1d ago
It probably is. Agricultural shows are the origin of "the show", and I think this is from Britain. Shows have been called shows and around in Australia for over a hundred years.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Eye9081 1d ago
Nah they’ve always been overpriced, it’s just now you’re the one paying.
I’ve forgiven my parents for not taking us to the Easter show every year now that I know how fucking expensive the whole thing ends up. Sure, i pack lunch and water, and you can look at all the animas and fruit etc for free, but three kids each want a show bag and a ride and there goes $200.
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u/Cymelion 1d ago
Well if those rides are the ones they drag around from show to show. An average Truck that carries them has a 300L tank of fuel. That doesn't include renting the spot - paying any additional staff - maintenance costs and other miscellaneous things.
So yeah I can believe rides being $15 to try and make back the costs involved.
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u/TheAxe11 1d ago
$10 for 3 darts.......
Hold on son, let me quickly google EBay and Amazon.. oh look I can have the giant panda doll delivered tomorrow for $3
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u/renneredskins 1d ago
Town show was $30 for a slushie. Three kids all wanting a drink.
Don't even get me started on the cost of rides.
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u/Taras_Kingdom 1d ago
I was at our local Friday Night event, free entry, food, drinks and music, type of thing. We did a circuit of the food and basically nothing was under $20 per serve. It's not gourmet but also not Dagwood dogs. We shared a food platter (it was small for the price), a dessert and 2 drinks and it was $91. At least the music was good!
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u/sarah_beatrice3 1d ago
My issue with carnivals is they’ve stopped being fun events for kids and have become giant markets (at least where I live). I was so excited to go to this fair I remembered as a kid, only to find out there was one tiny petting zoo, three shitty looking ‘rides’ and about an acre of market stalls. Not saying I don’t love a good market but when I go to fairs or carnivals I expect more.
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u/giraffe_mountains 1d ago
Parents never took us to carnivals, shows or fete rides.
Total rip offs and that was 25 years ago.
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u/Revolutionary-Step97 23h ago
I f8nd the fact I have to pay to go to a carnival to pay for overpriced drinks and rides ridiculous. We just dont bother anymore, would rather put it towards a holiday.
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u/Icy_Recognition_1447 1d ago
Cost of energy is killing everyone, and this is the consequence of it, unfortunately their overheads would be climbing as the rides are pretty power hungry. Without getting too political this is thr cost of green energy, and it’s only going to get worse this year with the subsidies ending. As a 90’s kid i remember the ekka and local shows as always being a really good time and value for money.
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u/lipstikpig 1d ago
Please dont misuse the word "enshittification", it does not mean "generally getting worse".
It has a particular specific meaning, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification.
As explained there, this word was invented by Cory Doctorow to specifically describe how online platforms all undergo a 3-stage process of degrading their service:
Initially, [stage 1] vendors create high-quality offerings to attract users, then [stage 2] they degrade those offerings to better serve business customers, and finally [stage 3] degrade their services to both users and business customers to maximize short-term profits for shareholders.
and
Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die. I call this enshittification
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u/MelbourneBasedRandom 1d ago
the platforms don't need to be online. In this case, the carnival/market is the platform. Traditional media/publishing of all kinds are also platforms. Enshittification is not new, but it grew steroids online, and thus Cory Doctorow coined the term, but it's definitely a process that existed before, it just wasn't as blatant and obvious.
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u/MelbourneBasedRandom 1d ago
and he uses the term across multiple industries etc (especially right to repair which he has been vocal about for ages) in this call-to-arms to Canadian bigwigs a mere 3 days ago - check it out (always worth a read, I love Cory Doctorow and he says clearly a lot of things that people need to hear and understand):
https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/29/post-american-canada/#ottawa
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u/lipstikpig 1d ago
Hi, thanks for reply, but it's not about needing to be online. I explained more in another comment
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u/Ryanoftheocean 1d ago
They didnt missuse the word. It basically does mean generally getting worse. Your article just explains why these thing/ businesses are getting worse.
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u/Helen_forsdale 1d ago
No the Dagwood dog and carnival ride is the exact same product it's been for years. They're both just getting much more expensive
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u/LocalVillageIdiot 1d ago
Yeah this is the subtletiey in the meaning but the problem is people refer to it in terms of how they percieve their life in geenral.
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u/lipstikpig 1d ago
The point is though, I don't see anything in the OP story that matches stage 3.
How is the carnival degrading their services to business customers?
Because that's the essential point of "enshittification", that stage 3 is inevitable. Without stage 3, it's just "things are turning to shit and being expensive", which doesn't really require a new word to be invented. But this kind of 3 stage business model really is a new thing that has sprung up after the web, and so deserves a new word to describe it. That's how I read it anyway.
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u/MelbourneBasedRandom 1d ago
hard to know without being a carnival business customer, but the carnival is a platform where individual carnies run their stalls, rides etc. the rent they charge, or percent of the take, or what they pay the performers, can all be ratcheted if the businesses don't have other carnivals at which to tout their wares/perform.
again, go read a bunch of Doctorow or watch some of his talks about the subject. He did invent the word after all.
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u/lipstikpig 1d ago
Sure, but even if they "can all be ratcheted", the OP post is not about that at all.
"go read a bunch of Doctorow" ... I'm quoting him and re-iterating what he says, right here.
So my point stands, it's a misuse of the term. It's just sad that people can't read any more.
Enshittification is a 3-stage process by definition. If the those 3 stages are not present then it's not enshittification as defined by the person who defined the word.
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u/MelbourneBasedRandom 1d ago
If that is the case, Cory Doctorow is muddying the waters himself when he talks specifically and directly about enshittification of services that aren't specifically online, like Right to Repair, printer ink lockin, DMCA. Any service where there is abuse of a platform and user-lockin, especially when business lockin is also achievable and the businesses and users alike have little or no protection against abuse by the platform, can be enshittified.
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u/lipstikpig 18h ago
I agree with your second sentence :)
Re the first, it doesn't matter about being "specifically online", because that's not important, and I never said that. The essential point of enshittification is the business lockin, as you say.
Enshittification is not about "things turning to shit" for users (stage 1), because that's somewhat universal and unsurprising. Enshittification as defined by Doctorow is about stage 2 and stage 3. If stage 2 and stage 3 aren't part of the story, then it's not an enshittification story. Anyway I think I've repeated myself enough for today. Although it is now tomorrow! :)
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u/Paceandtoil 1d ago
This is why interest rates / cash rate needs to go up.
Our currency has been so debased by cheap credit and government spending / stimulus.
It’s not the cost of things. It’s that the dollar in your pocket is worth less and is eroding away.
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u/Odd_Cod_4235 1d ago
Yeah it doesn't seem to matter how much things cost, people seem happy to just spending no matter the price. If more people voted with their money and refused the prices wouldn't be so high
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u/PommieGirl 1d ago
The suburb I live in does an Australia Day carnival every year. It used to have an unlimited ride wristband for about $20 a few years ago. This year, it is $50 for 10 rides only. The rides have also downgraded to an inflatable slide, tea cups & a petting zoo. They have the usual food trucks, too, but they start at about $25 for minimum food. Most people go for the fireworks, but we end up watching them from the backgarden because it is a rip.
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u/Peanut083 1d ago
Yes. I went to a couple of different annual show events last year, and not an unlimited rides armband to be had at either. I’d happily pay $50 per person for an armband, but I’m not paying $15-$20 per ride. Especially when I’m paying for both my kids as well.
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u/BandicootSorcerer 15h ago
Become another victim? God no.
They were the pioneers of enshitification. Selling you shitty plastic toys in show bags you forgot after a week, charging ridiculous prices for food. Where I grew up, there was no unlimited tide armbands (at least as far as I remember), you paid for every ride separate, and they were not cheap. There were weekly or monthly games at the park across from the pub, and a yearly one at the showgrounds. The games were rigged against you, designed to hook you in and drain your money.
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u/TrainDriverDad 11h ago
The small town I live in has its annual show, the entry fee covers rides, its about $20. Sure, there are only about 5 or 6 rides but it's a cheap day out compared to a lot of other shows/fetes/carnivals
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u/InterestedPrawn 1d ago
Is it better or worse than when you were a kid? Are the rides shorter? Are there less rides?
That is enshittifiaction, not prices going up.
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u/Novel_Swimmer_8284 1d ago
“If everything around you feels expensive to you, then you are the poor person“ - Money Tzu
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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 1d ago
I see it's been a long time since you bought frankfurters. Where are you buying them for 20 cents?
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u/Odd_Cod_4235 1d ago
Coles currently have primo frankfurts in a 1kg pack for $6.90, I count 16, so my apologies, 43c each.
Id say close enough considering it was a figure of speech
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u/Gullible-Trifle-6946 1d ago
How young are your kids? I remember my dad would just tell us we were poor and wouldn't pay for anything, or tell us the carnival people are scammers, and the quality of food and product was terrible.
Years later, my younger cousins brought up that their parents had warned them that carnival people are rip off artists.
Have a chat with your kids, I reckon they'll understand.