Shopping Sucks Now

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 10:20 PM UTC

basseq wrote: post #54

Retric wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consistent quality is the entire point of brands. Find a soap you like and you can mindlessly get the same thing for the next 20+ years. Which also generally means you can pick a random brand and not end up with junk as long as trust the supply chain. The issue is when you want something different than the millions of other people out there. Sure, things change and the quality may slip, but there is only so much time…

That's kind of the point, though. Supply chains are becoming more transparent and accessible to the end customer, so in 2020, you have a much better chance of going "directly to the source" than you did 20 years ago. So the FOMO is paying a brand markup for consistent quality you could get for less. Then you have "established" brands that are just trying to maximize profit. And "new" brands that are just AliExpress r…

Post by madengr » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 10:21 PM UTC

lr wrote: post #27

I do really feel badly for (mostly) young people who have no frame of reference for things other than Amazon and comparison websites. I would probably never go to Amazon for something like gloves (or most other things) because you have no idea what you are going to get. When I do know what I want, the first place I try to buy it from is the company that makes it. If they don't sell it direct, then they will probably…

Post by swiley » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 10:22 PM UTC

Post by killface » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 10:24 PM UTC

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #39

egypturnash wrote: post #12

When I was living in the PNW and realized I direly needed gloves, I just hit up a few of the department stores downtown until I found some that met my criteria. Which are probably similar to those of this author, I wanted some that looked cute, had a conductive patch on the finger so I could use my phone without taking them off, would fit on my long hands with long fingernails, and weren’t super expensive gloves desi…

I think this might be the key. It's not that the internet provides too wide a selection, it's that it fails to provide some very basic pieces of information. How does the product feel in your hand? Is it soft? Does it feel durable? Does the stitching look neat, or haphazard and frizzy? When we evaluate a product in person, we make all of these assessments without even thinking about them.

Post by killface » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 10:24 PM UTC

cgriswald wrote: post #48

paulcole wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're talking about a pretty specific type of physical goods that have to fit properly and meet your requirements for aesthetics, quality, and function. Buying physical commodities or items where those factors don't matter on the Internet is incredible. I don't have to go anywhere, I don't have to talk to anyone, I don't have to lug anything anywhere, etc.

What are you buying that quality and function don't matter? I expect quality and function even in something as basic as toilet paper. It used to be I could find a brand and type that I liked, and then order it over the internet, often in bulk since it stores without really going bad. But now, I can't be sure I'll even get the genuine product from ahemazon certain vendors.