I think what he is trying to say has nothing to do with the cost of the tattoo, but with the amount of effort of thinking about what kind to get. Immediate gratification. You see something, and don't think about if it is a good idea to get it done. A person doesn't want to feel hungry, so they get the chips from the kitchen instead of the food that is best for them, just so that they do not feel hungry. At the time they don't care about the consequences, but there will be consequences later on.
So for tattoos, people see something on another person, or in a book, and decide that's the one they want, not thinking about the future implications. Those Tattoos are the "Chips in the kitchen". It would be better to wait for that person to see if their feelings change or that of the trends, but they don't. Or if there is something better out there. I research cars to death when I buy a new one. Something might look cool but is it worth the price and financial pain later on because what is under the hood is junk?