Ok, but I don't see anything in gaming where the stakes are high enough for that distinction to matter there.
...since when do stakes matter for this?
The one and
only reason I argued against Lanefan's original statement was because it
did expect players to consistently roleplay each and every shop encounter, every single time, with each and every instance requiring the players to opt out of doing so. That the "default should be" every single scene roleplayed,
unless the players opt out.
He has since completely changed that, so that it is instead always permitting the option if folks express interest (presumably this is a pretty low bar, as in, "if a player sounds interested, I respond in kind and whatever happens happens"), but not actually "defaulting" to always playing every such scene out every time. The players do need to opt in, but it's a very gentle kind of opting in. No hoops or difficult requirements. Indeed, players may not even realize they opted in unless carefully reflecting back on their behavior afterward.
That latter thing is quite reasonable and, as he said, means he and I are not actually very far apart on this. Of course, in my experience, many players lose interest in doing haggling over tiny things pretty quickly because neither I nor they have an infinite well of improvisational energy to suffuse into every character we dream up. If it's even slightly a "big" purchase though (which includes things like potions at alchemy shops or special-purpose gear or horses, not just fancy big-ticket items), often they like to see how that process plays out, and some of the time, something interesting comes of it--which means I'm fully happy to embrace that.
But that still means Lanefan changed from "the default should be" definitely playing through
unless opting out, vs a default of always leaving the option open while only following through with it if someone expresses at least a little bit of interest first.