Anyway, maybe I am being pedantic here..
Normal shop $5 for an IC.
RS maybe $7.50 for the same thing...at least I know the RS one is the real deal and original.....
I agree with you.
The stuff from RS is expensive for several reasons,
They stock millions of different items
Holding stock costs money
Their stuff is good quality and "does what it says on the tin"
They sell small quantities
Their stuff is correctly handled at all stages through the system.
ESD precautions.
It is accepted within industry that proper ESD precautions for ALL semiconductor devices is necessary.
It has been found that if a device gets an ESD zap, it may not fail immediately, even though it has been damaged to some extent.
If the failure occurs during the build/test stage that is annoying and has a cost associated with the rework.
If however the failure occurs when the equipment containing the zapped device is in service, it can be:
Dangerous, think bits in an aircraft.
Expensive to replace. In a aircraft not so bad they are easy to get at when on the ground. But something on the bottom of the sea, or in space, we are now talking mega-bucks.
There can also be consequential costs, an aircraft on the ground being fixed earns no money, delayed passengers go on the huff and fly with your competitors next trip.
If the broken bit on the sea bed means you are not producing oil/gas, that is VERY expensive.
On a personal note, my wife would not let me forget the three zapped modem chips at £20 a time, all due to the carpet in my radio/electronic hobbies room.
JimB