I wouldn't call it "desperation" at all. If anything, it's "ignorance," but even that's not the case. A business advertises a service or product at a certain price; it is up to the consumer to decide whether that price is "fair" and/or is worth it to him. This is called "business."

It is the consumer's job to do his homework and make the judgement of whether or not a given service/product is worth a given price. Some people are ignorant, don't do their homework, and pay a price because they don't know any better. Others may do their homework and decide the service/product has sufficient benefits to be worth its price. Others may find the price sufficiently acceptable at first glance and decide it's more worth it to pay than to waste time looking for better deals.

Safeway prices are at least 10% higher than Target prices for identical items... does that mean Safeway is playing off the desperation of its customers? No, it means Safeway's customers are willing to pay those prices, whether it's because of the added convenience, the lack of desire to shop around, or because of ignorance.

Moreover, even if a business does play off desperation, that's still "just business." Airlines charge more for last-minute tickets; shippers and retailers charge more for faster shipping; banks charge more for wire transfers; emergency vets charge more than regular vets, and so on. When things absolutely have to get done, people are willing to pay more, and businesses know that. Should they have pity on us, sympathize with us, and charge us the regular price? Maybe... but that's not business. (And yes, I realize there are exceptions, e.g. bereavement fares... but those are reserved for truly special circumstances.)

A business is neither obligated nor expected to always provide the lowest price or best deal, nor to educate its customers and do their homework for them. It is up to the customer to decide whether a given price is "worth it" and then to buy or not. If it's not worth it to you, don't buy it... that doesn't mean it's not worth it to someone else. I absolutely agree that we should provide as much information to each other as possible, but we should not be making subjective judgement calls on behalf of others. Calling something "WRONG!" or "not worth it" or "sad" is an entirely subjective and personal opinion. It is up to the individual consumer to decide whether something is "worth it," given that individual's unique circumstances.