[Atheros]

If enough people have this attitude then the system collapses. Because if everyone tolerates the advertised price being 66% of actual then they'll tolerate 65% of actual. And businesses can make 1% more money by doing that. Which is a race to the bottom where advertised prices become completely disconnected from actual price and become of no value at all.

You've just given up and are letting other people fight the fights for you.

[JonathanMerklin]

What fight do you recommend I take? The way I see it, if I balk at additional fees, taxes, and tips, there is a relatively high risk that I don't even receive the product or service - which is no different than my current strategy of, loosely, "spending within my means plus a 50% buffer", with the added detriment of wasted time and effort on the haggling process.