>>93306And if it's any consolation, at my store at least we actively try and discourage customers from over-spending on gear.
We do sell those $550 backpack type items, but they're really for a very specific customer so we don't have a lot of them on hand so we try to keep them around for the customers that really need them. Also, we make a better profit off a $180 deuter pack than we do off a $500 arcteryx pack.
I do know the kind of people you're talking about, though. They're Mustavs (I must have that), they see a product in Backpacker magazine or Men's Health and come beating down the door for it. Luckily they're a very small part of my customer base.
They are one of my least favorite types of customers, though. Right up there with the Angry Mossbacks (I've got a 5 digit member number!) and the Great Northwestern Blowhard (I climbed Mt. Adams in sandals, backwards, with my eyes closed!)
