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For example I often buy a new shower mat when it inevitably gets moldy and they're relatively cheap, but I appreciate I could clean it instead, which would be less wasteful.
There are some things that require extra attention, like a microwave oven
So when this hurried connection made in an awkward place turns out to have been poor and breaks after a few years; "the dishwasher is broken" and a repair shop charges half the cost of a new one to come out and look at it... It made sense to these folks to just go ahead and get a new one without the stains etc.
Lots of electronics get that treatment, its too complicated to think about what's inside it; so the whole unit is either working or broken but not considered repairable.
I've seen two people replace dishwashers because the power cord wasn't connected well and failed. They don't include a power cord with the appliance, here; you buy your own and wire it up yourself, or the installers do it for most people I guess. So when this hurried connection made in an awkward place turns out to have been poor and breaks after a few years; "the dishwasher is broken" and a repair shop charges half…
Furniture
I just repaired a dresser that had both of these issues with wood glue and finish nails for the fascia and bondo and a drill for the failed MDF foot mounts.
Cheap furniture will not stand up to many moves but you can definitely repair a lot of it for very little time and money.
More related: the service person who looked at it charged about half of what a new one would have cost, so I understand how the economics often lean towards just replacing stuff.