41–50 of 68 posts
> Where does my logic break down? What am I overlooking? (1) Clothing manufacturing is a lot more complicated than sockets (2) Generally products aren't discontinued because they're popular. So what you're describing is a lot of cost, for products that a lot of people don't care about. (3) Even if someone did write up a spec for a t-shirt—what would you do with it? (4) The need for standards is a lot more important f…
Yes it's super annoying, especially for shoes, which take a ton of effort to find. I guess they do it to appeal to their biggest customers - people who can't resist buying way more shoes than they need. But it does seem weird for some brands that aren't exactly fashion houses, e.g. Ecco, to do it. It must cost them a fair bit of money too. I wonder how much cheaper you could make shoes if you only designed one set an…
Unfortunately Levi's has started making subtle changes to the same models. I have a drawer full of Levi's, all the same model. The older pairs are 100% cotton. The newer pairs are 99% cotton, 1% elastane, and have noticeably thinner fabric . Usage that would just scuff the older pairs will put a hole in the newer pairs. Very disappointing.
Your logic breaks down at the critical point of sourcing: not only must we have the means of production and the schematics, we also need the original materials required to create the stuff. If we lose access to the original materials, or if they are no longer available, then the rest of the chain doesn't matter. However, I do find promise in one aspect of your idea: an infinite archival catalogue of items-that-once-w…
I always have trouble buying shoes, most shops don’t stock my size in the first place, and sizes vary greatly across manufacturers, and even styles. Now when i find shoes that fit, i go order at least another 2 pairs online to avoid having to hunt down a new pair that fit well. One bizarre one, i find when i find some foodstuff i like, the shop will eventually discontinue it, it seems almost personal…
There might be something to this. It does seem older models of things are better than newer models of things. So it could be the drive to lower costs and increase profits are causing this, at the appliance, car, etc. level. It doesn't explain why every couple of years I have another four or six pairs of yet another set of socks, from the same company, but with enough variation that now I have multiple different gener…
That's why I repurpose or discard all of my old socks every time I Invest in a new set. I do this about every two years. I rotate them for uniform wear. I've successfully eliminated the possibility of mismatched socks.
I always have trouble buying shoes, most shops don’t stock my size in the first place, and sizes vary greatly across manufacturers, and even styles. Now when i find shoes that fit, i go order at least another 2 pairs online to avoid having to hunt down a new pair that fit well. One bizarre one, i find when i find some foodstuff i like, the shop will eventually discontinue it, it seems almost personal…
There is a marketing demographic of people who like products that fail in the market. I'm pretty sure I'm in it and you probably are, too.
Are you a “harbinger of failure” Study: Some consumers have an unerring knack for buying unpopular products.
Nothing lasts forever: be it websites you visit, your favorite food and the recipes and ingredients used, the clothes you wear or even the people and living things around you.
You can only delay the inevitable, but with perishable goods or clothing that will break over time? Buy more! Like those shoes? Pants? That special hoodie? Buy a few of them.
Not only will you have backups of that awesome item you love in case something bad happens, the wear and tear will also take longer as you are not using that same item over and over again.
Good luck out there and stay safe!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is a marketing demographic of people who like products that fail in the market. I'm pretty sure I'm in it and you probably are, too.
Are you a “harbinger of failure” Study: Some consumers have an unerring knack for buying unpopular products. https://news.mit.edu/2015/harbinger-failure-consumers-unpopu...
These are all "semi-durable" items that get a lot of wear and tear and inevitably need to be replaced every year or two. There really are definite quality differences, and you don't want cheap and nasty, but there's also no point overpaying because anything you get will need replacement in the not too distant future, and it's not like any of these items are status symbols.
There are often a lot of marketing hijinks in this space, like "Ralph Lauren" bedding or "Nautica" towels or whatever, where it is clear that the brand is just licensed by some no-name bedding company for product differentiation, instead of developing their own brand known for quality.
There are (very few) brands that mostly stick to a good, pretty consistent middle-market level of quality/consistency. e.g. people have mentioned Levis for jeans, LL Bean is pretty good for bedding & clothing and basically have a modest range pretty consistent / high quality stuff for shirts, trousers, etc. Crate & Barrel, Marimekko, etc. are also good usually.
I do sometimes wonder if a website/store/brand for consistently good, go-to staples could work. Something like Muji or Uniqlo, or costco "kirkland", or "amazon basics", where the store/house brand is consistently good over time, and there are few other options. I imagine it would be hard to really offer the same consistency over time with shifting supply chains/manufacturers etc, but you could try, or where that's not possible have some "transition"/"upgrade path" like our old model A sucks are no longer available, the closest new options are B, which is slightly thicker, or C, which is slightly longer.
Alternatively, there's NYT wirecutter or Consumer Reports and such that basically just tell you the right few options and cut through all the gimicky chaff.
I guess this is basically what we lost when department stores went away - a curated, modest selection of go-to items at your price point has now been replaced with millions of options, 98% of which are awful.