"It costs how much????"

What do you say when a client says, "I can't believe how much it cost to have something reupholstered nowadays! When I was younger it only cost $xxx plus fabric to recover a chair."

As I was thinking about this I had these thoughts?

• I can't believe how much gas costs nowadays. When was young I remember the gas being 32 cents per gallon. Now it's close to $4 per gallon.
• I can't believe how much houses costs nowadays. When was young I remember that we bought a 3 bedroom house for sixteen thousand dollars. Now a similar house costs about two hundred thousand dollars.
• I can't believe how much food costs nowadays. When was young I remember when .....
• I can't believe how much water costs nowadays. When was young I remember ..... do you know what my water bill for the was this month?
• I can't believe how much going to a doctor costs nowadays. When was young I remember ......
• I can't believe how much eating at a restaurant costs nowadays. When was young I remember .....

Take that a step further. Will those same clients complain that they are making a lot more in wages than they or their parents were making way back then? How much per (hour/month) were we all making twenty, thirty , or forty years ago? How much were our grandfathers being paid sixty or eighty years ago?

For more on setting prices, go to "How Much To Charge "