Why can buying a prom dress be legally similar to buying a textbook?
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Puzzler on Prom Dresses and Textbooks
Naked Self-Promotion
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I dont know legally but I know economically why they are similar:
because you use them both in a limited time frame then they have no use after that time period. Also they both drastically depreciate, where one is better off buying used.
Finally b/c one would be better off renting both instead of buying
http://www.alexandriasformal.com/page/page/1394292.htm
http://www1.campusbookrentals.com/
Both are required for their respective “events” and have much less monetary value after the event ends. Therefore, both typically are subject to No Returns policies.
There is a significant principal-agent problem. In each case, one party (high school student/college professor) selects the item for purchase (dress/textbook) and a different party (parent/college student) typically pays for it. Clearly there will be a tendency to make a more expensive choice.
The buyer has undertaken an action contingent on a future event occurring. For example, a girl buys a prom dress assuming that her date will actually show up and take her to the prom. A student buys a textbook assuming that the professor will actually teach from that book. If the follow-up action does not take place, the buyer has undergone a hardship, some of which is (often) legally the responsibility of the promiser to repay.
The School Board decides the areas that both must cover.
They are both a rip-off.
Both are a required purchase to partake in a particular event. You need your book for class, you need a dress/tux to go to prom.
Beyond that they are both extremely overpriced items with incredibly short lifespans of use (one night and about 3 months) and both lose almost all their value in a very short period of time (no resale value).
It’s something you’re only going to use once (one night or one semester) and should probably resell afterwards.