I'd buy that for a pound

This afternoon on one of my occasional visits to TK Maxx in Wimbledon to see if there's anything good on sale I came across an example of how unrealistic some apparel prices can be. Passing a rack of baseball caps, I noticed an interesting-looking Greek inscription on one. This turned out to be on a Nike cap, and Nike products haven't been my cup of tea ever since I read No Logo. (I know, Nike isn't alone in using the methods Naomi Klein described, and singling out just one brand is illogical).

But the main reaction I had wasn't to the quality of the headwear or its origins. Rather, it was to the original price label that TK Maxx affixes to all its products, so customers get an idea of how much they're saving from the original retail price. The red caps were now selling for a hefty £29.99. This when the most expensive Nike cap I could find on the company's website was 'only' £30, and the most expensive on Amazon UK cost under £10. But even more outlandish than that amount is the fact that the original retail price - the one that wasn't tolerated by Nike customers, leading to the caps being shunted off to TK Maxx - was supposedly £72.50. That's the equivalent of 29 Oyster journeys from Wimbledon to Zone 1. Perhaps, as with many such retail offers, buying Nike caps at anything like full price is just a tax on stupidity.

"Buy yerself a new titfer, guv'nor?"