Tell me about a time you accidentally overpaid for something because you were too embarrassed to back out

[FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop]

For me it was when I was a Uni student, visiting family in France and went into a little French boutique that had reasonably priced trinkets - €10-€20. I picked up a purse simply because I needed a new one, assuming it was €20 as it was on a table with other €20 stuff. €135 I couldn't speak French very well and was too embarrassed to put it back so forked out. That was my food money for the month. I survived for the next 3 weeks on pot noodles and plain jacket potatoes

22 years ago in a fancy makeup shop, didn't think to ask the price of a foundation and highlighter stick. £135. I've never forgotten paying up as I didn't want to look like I couldn't afford it as the assistant had been so helpful.

Very timely. Just managed to join a dental practise that does NOT welcome NHS. I am sure it said so on their window. Too embarrassed to back out now but actually had already seen their prices online so I more or less know what to expect. Plonker!

Tiny pharmacy abroad. First day of school holidays. Realised kids had nits. Had to look up
Words for headlice. One bottle cost €24

£18.30 for a 30 min lesson (peripatetic music teacher) at DC’s school.
We stopped them when DS told me that at least 10 mins (the first and last 5 mins) consisted of faffing about finding or putting away music sheets and another 5 mins cleaning or assembling instruments. 😕

The shampoo and conditioner my hairdresser ‘recommended.’
What she didn’t tell me was that each bottle cost £25 😡

On holiday many years ago, ordered drinks on the beach (hotel private beach). DH signed for the drinks and turned round just as DS1 loudly slurped down the last of his chocolate milkshake. 3 seconds for a milkshake that cost £8!!! mind you, DH wasn't much slower with his beer 🤣

Have also been caught out in France by La Cure Gourmande biscuit shops. They tempt you in with samples of delicious biscuits and you think how expensive can a tin of biscuits be? The answer is £50 far too easily! 🙄

Not a purchase as such but might as well have been!

Way back in the early 90’s in Turkey when I smoked, I was in my early 20’s!

Sitting outside a bar with a few new friends we’d met at the hotel, we hear an occasional balloon pop!

Next thing, heading over to us was a guy with a huge bunch of balloons! Walks over gesturing to me with my cigarette to pop them! Of course, why not! So I proceeded to pop every single last one of his multicoloured balloons with my cigarette! Felt quite good!

Then he holds out his hand! Oh! Turns out he wanted money for every balloon popped!

I can’t quite remember how much I paid but I do remember negotiating a deal with balloon man!

I was mortified and remember watching him blow up his next lot of balloons for his next (unsuspecting/naive/pissed up) ‘victim’!

It’s a story DH and I often laugh about!

@Noshowwithoutpunch

Nougat

I thought of nougat when I read the OP, but actually real Italian nougat is so gorgeous it's worth the price, & even I can eat it a tiny bit at a time.

I miss the nougat stall which appeared a couple of times at our local food festival, with huge elaborate cakes of the stuff looking like colourful sea anemones... mmmmmmmm

In Boston in America in a not swanky or even very nice restaurant really, bought the cheapest bottle of wine on the menu $25 only to find out when it arrived that it was per glass and a small glass at that.

An opposite one. In the early 80s we lived in Warwick. In laws came to visit, so we took them from a day out on the Cotswolds. Found a nice teashop in Broadway for afternoon tea, a bit expensive, but we were treating our guests. Went to pay the bill and it was half what we expected it to be. I queried it with the owner and she said 'Oh the menu prices are for the Americans'.b

@barbedwired

22 years ago in a fancy makeup shop, didn't think to ask the price of a foundation and highlighter stick. £135. I've never forgotten paying up as I didn't want to look like I couldn't afford it as the assistant had been so helpful.

OMFG I would have died inside I'd literally have to put it back, no way could it have happened it would bankrupt me I thought mine was bad enough - a few years ago in a nice farm shop, got a few slices of turkey (think there was about 4 in total.) Came to 17 quid and I didn't say a word even though was I was and properly kicking myself for weeks months afterwards

1st year of uni and a big salon in town had been giving out vouchers for 50% off your first visit. ‘Brilliant!’ I thought! (I should add that until I’d gone to uni I’d not had my hair cut for years apart from Mum trimming the ends so I was stupidly naive about salon prices but thought with the voucher it might be around £50).

Sat in the chair for the consultation and the lady suggested I’d look lovely with a few gentle highlights and a layered cut. By the time I’d finished my long thick brunette hair resembled the ‘Rachel’ with blonde zebra stripes.

Obviously I did the usual thing and nodded politely at the mirror while crying inside. Ushered over to reception where the bill came to £130… AFTER the 50% discount! I was mortified but figured as I hadn’t thought to ask before we started it was my fault and paid up.

Really had to embrace the student life of beans on toast after that one!

I may be about to find out if I've done similar tomorrow morning.

At a hotel on holiday and they suggested the lobster. Had to be pre ordered 36 hours before, and said market price. It was a lovely meal but the lobster seemed very big compared to others I've had. And we weren't told the price and haven't received a receipt for any meals here as it just gets added to the hill. We leave tomorrow so we shall see then ...

paid the equivalent of about £18 for a single pregnancy test in geneva 2 years ago. wasn’t even a good brand. i was ttc and late by a few days and it was the only pharmacy i could find. plus i thought it would be worth it if it was positive. it wasn’t

Ooh, fingers crossed it didn’t turn out to be gold-plated lobster, Abraxan!

We got gifted a free meal at a swanky restaurant. The waiter asked us if we wanted an aperitif drink and suggested a glass of champagne each. We stupidly thought this was included in our gift meal package. Those two glasses of bubbly cost is £36 !

@SedentaryCat

2 bras for £160. They were lovely and fitted beautifully, I was just too shy to say no to the bra fitter. Not something I would have a problem with these days.

Every time I wore them I'd calculate how much each wear was costing me!

Strangely enough, the shop went bust. I guess there's no a market for £80 bras where I live.

The bra shop that went bust 🤣🤣🤣

@TeaAndBiscuitsAndWine

Ooh, fingers crossed it didn’t turn out to be gold-plated lobster, Abraxan!

Was remarkably reasonable in the end, especially for its size. £40 And it was delicious!

The bra shop that went bust

@ProfessionalWeirdo

Not me (thankfully), but a friend told me some years ago about an embroidered tablecloth that had caught her eye in a shop in Spain. Unfortunately she'd misread the price tag, and hadn't noticed the final zero. By the time she realised that what she thought would cost €40 was in fact going to cost €400, the shopkeeper had beautifully gift-wrapped the cloth and she was too embarrassed to admit that she'd made a mistake.

Does she ever use it? 🤣🤣

Went to work awards.event that was in a crap hotel in Bradford, this was about 2015.
Ordered a medium glass of white wine at the bar it was £8.
I only had the one.

Went to a independent opticians and spent £250 on 1 pair of glasses - no fancy prescriptions or anything added.
They didn't last any longer than the Specsavers ones, where I got 2 pairs for half that

I should have taken the prescription and left!