I broke the main fuse seal

[JohnW2]

Hmmm "Fair" well John you might remember my tale about me and the owner of my local kebab shop, still makes me laugh though. ... How fair is it when some seek best bargain - should they be rewarded or chastised? ...

I suppose the answer to that depends upon whether or not the 'seeking of the best bargain' by some impacts negatively on others (which, as below, is not necessarily the case)

Before I became an OAP I use to think how unfair it was that for example a decorator friend of mine gave a 10% discount to OAPs and (in mirth really) I pointed out that I would not be a customer of his because he would be charging me more for the same job therefore I would be subsidising OAPs .
.... No I wouldn`t he says, oh yes you would says I. ... He asked how I figure that.
"Well all businesses, like me as a sole trader for example, decides I need a certain income therefore an hourly rate etc and if I reduce OAP by 10% then I charge other customers extra 10% to compensate and preserve my income - not strictly correct in simple arithmetic but you get the drift I hope.

That's not necessarily the case. A 'decent' business (particularly a sole trader) could decide that it was achieving an adequate 'certain income' on the basis of just their work for non-OAP customers. If that's what they decide, they can then give discounts (theoretically, even '100% discounts'!) to OAPs (or whoever) without increasing their prices for non-OAPs.

As an example, I could (again!) cite my great-grandfather's very unusual 'business model' (based on his 'Christianity' and views on morality/decency). He ran a very successful bakery and 'restaurant' business and, having paid (and 'treated') his employees very well, and having himself drawn what he regarded as a reasonable/decent income from the business, if there was still some 'profit' he would reduce his prices (and often donate the excess profit to charity). By the same token, if he had already paid his staff well and drawn what he regarded as a reasonable income for himself, he would then give discounts (sometimes '100%') to what he regarded as 'needy' customers - and, again, that did not result in his other customers paying any more.

Kind Regards, John