Aspen’s High Prices Overcome Via Barter
In one of the
most beautiful areas of the world—Aspen, Colorado—the prices are
absurd! You don’t get nickeled-and-dimed but 100-dollared and
200-dollared. Recently in The Wall Street Journal, an article
noted how the entire city is becoming “too swanky” with all of the
high-end, world-famous clothing and jewelry stores.
This is the
place of $50 oil changes, $30 an hour for baby-sitting, and
lift-tickets cost $87...in comparison, a day of skiing at the finest
resorts in Europe is never more than $60. As a result, the locals
are finding that barter is increasingly important; trading one’s
services is the way to keep costs down.
Aspenites are
clever about stretching their money. They know the places to go for
affordable fine dining (on bar menus) at area restaurants. And they
earn tickets to high-dollar events - like the Food & Wine Classic or
Jazz Aspen - by bartering (volunteering) their time.
When it comes
time to get their house painted, pipes fixed or baby-sitting, and
they don’t want to pay the inflated prices, many offer their
services in exchange through the local informal bartering system.
For the informed business owner in Aspen, there is a commercial
trade exchange there...International Monetary Systems.
Living in the
famous resort town calls for some imagination, but most Aspenites
say it’s worth it.
