Arizona man recalls how much TVs cost when he worked at Best Buy. Then he sees how much a 75-inch Vizio TV costs at Walmart

There are a few things that are lower in cost relative to inflation: cars, household furnishings, and, surprisingly, large 85-inch televisions. One man noticed that a television currently available at Walmart is the cheapest he has possibly seen, which led some of his commenters to say the “depreciation needs to be studied.”

TikToker @lovinglongway used to work at Best Buy when TVs cost $4,000. But now, the content creator posted a video with more than 28,100 views pointing out that there’s a 75-inch TV at Walmart available for only $498.

Are Walmart TVs Cheap Now?

The TikToker isn’t the first person to recognize that TVs are so cheap. In fact, he’s one of many consumers who have seen the decrease in television prices relative to inflation. In the 1970s, televisions were luxury products that cost thousands of dollars. Manufacturers individually made their screens, which increased the amount of time they spent on each product. In addition, the TV world, while large, wasn’t a multi-billion-dollar industry in the same way it is today.

According to Sound & Vision, a 21-inch color console cost around $500 in the 1970s, which is roughly equivalent to $3,300. In comparison, Lovinglongway saw a 75-inch television at Walmart available for $498.

Recent changes to manufacturing processes, such as the ability to create “mother glass” and create multiple large screens at once, have completely changed the market. In addition, televisions aren’t as rigorously regulated as other products, which means there’s significant and healthy competition in the TV market. That lowers the cost of individual products.

Data collection and brokerage: a market

One viewer said, “New Vizios make you subscribe to walmart.com and it tracks everything you watch and look up.” 

Another said, “I want a new TV but Im so apprehensive because Im afraid of it listening to me.” 

As it turns out, there’s a kernel of truth in their fears. The Federal Trade Commission previously fined Vizio $2.2 million for tracking and selling its users’ data without consent, which illustrates another reason why televisions are so cheap. The data collected from TVs is another product that manufacturers and businesses sell.

Consumer privacy advocate Sara Geoghegan told CNN that “As we watch TV, our TVs watch us.” According to her, smart televisions collect and track information unless customers adjust their security settings. 

There are a number of online guides that tell TV owners how to prevent companies from collecting and tracking personal data. The FTC directly pushed Vizio to be more transparent and stated the company had to “prominently disclose and obtain affirmative express consent for its data collection and sharing practices.” 

@lovinglongway TV’s are mad cheap now! #tv #cheap #shopping ♬ original sound – lovinglongway

Despite this, many consumers are skeptical about purchasing Vizio devices or even smart TVs from other brands.

The Mary Sue reached out to Walmart via email and Lovinglongway via TikTok direct message for more information.

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