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Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

theguardian.com

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Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#171

Post by geoka9 »

OptionOfT wrote: post #165
sershe wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How often do you need to replace foam? Our 10 years + 2 moves old couch (that cost iirc $700-800 then) is basically good as new. I guess we don't have kids or dogs, the worst thing that happened to it is a gerbil briefly finding a way into the hollows :)

My couch is 2 years old and all the pillows collapsed.

Removable cushions in a couch are pretty rare. As a counter example, both of my couches still have perfect cushions. One bought for C$800 15 years ago and another for C$1500 5 years ago.

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#172

Post by DaemonHN »

SV_BubbleTime wrote: post #169
Eddy_Viscosity2 wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, when the budget is tight and the washing machine you got just two years ago has a major breakage (just outside the warranty period), the cost of fixing it or getting a new one become pretty close. Couple that with the fact that the washer you replaced it with worked fine for 30 years before it broke and I think the anger is very rightly justified.

Completely off topic and no one will see this, but in 2017 I bought a new speedqueen washer and drier. No “new” features just does its job. God damn one of the best purchases I’ve made for a house. There is a market for “dumb products” that aren’t stupid.

The sad part is that Speed Queen, while absolutely worth it, costs 2-3x the price of the average pile of junk sold in [Home Depot, Lowes, etc]. Buy once, cry once and a legit example of the boots theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#173

Post by nunez »

techjamie wrote: post #133
nunez wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Accents have gone away?

The University of Georgia did a study and came to the conclusion that the Southern accent is fading. Less formally, a word game website did a survey that found the standard New York accent is fadingas well. The Georgia study largely attributed it to migration and people moving more than they used to, with a focus on growing metro areas in the south. Though apparently some younger generations are trying to shed their…

> https://news.uga.edu/classic-georgia-accent-fading-fast/

Fascinating! Thanks!

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#174

Post by nunez »

mancerayder wrote: post #154
nunez wrote: post #103

Maybe the increasingly common trend of companies making it impossible to contact human beings when help is needed has something to do with that.

Good afternoon nunez! How can we help you today. You can say things like "Question about Order" "Talk to Salesperson" "Billing inquiry" ... I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch yet. Good afternoon Nunez...

Literally had this happen to me not three days ago. You get hung up on if you try to use the Operator trick.

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#175

Post by Filligree »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #47
Filligree wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don’t run them through the dish washer. Limited heat tolerance is common even for the really good ones.

My dad has had the same set of steak knives for 25 years at least and has never washed them by hand even once I bet We stopped making good products at some point

25 years isn’t that long, but it’s more about the material. If you have metal studs inside a plastic handle, then the metal expands in the dishwasher and cracks the plastic.

If the handle is wooden… everyone knows wood won’t survive a dishwasher.

If it’s metal, then yeah, that can work. That is, fortunately, easy to spot when you’re buying them… but the kitchen store in my city doesn’t have any knives that are all-metal and hold a decent edge.

(Except some overpriced Japanese ones I skipped over on basis that the metal is so hard it would be easy to damage them by accident. And I don’t need to do the “cut paper in half by dropping it” trick.)

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#176

Post by FeloniousHam »

expectsomuch wrote: post #55

All of the notes regarding the degraded quality and customer support / experience for products and services is true. But the additional factor is that so many of us are pushed to the brink now, in terms of affordability and costs of goods and services. If you're making good money and you order a sub-par product, it's definitely a frustration, but it's not the end of the world. But now, for so many, there is less marg…

I read comments like this, they’re all written in broad language I assume to people already nodding in agreement.

The world today is not perfect: the smartphone and social media have rapidly and I think negatively changed society, empowering fringey issues, elevatiing the angriest personalities and inflaming passions. But materially, apart from housing and healthcare (which is hardly the greatest present concern of most people short of middle age), *we live in an age of wonders*.

To your complaint about bot reviews and product quality, it has never been easier to return unsatisfactory products through Amazon. And thanks to its massive market power, the seller eats a lot of the cost of that return. As for longevity, I just don’t see it. I buy a lot of cheap little Chinese tools and supplies from AliExpress (which does not have Amazon’s generous return policy), and I’ve never been disappointed.

Healthcare is expensive because it doesn’t scale, and Americans use a lot of it and demand that it be the absolute best. 92% of Americans have health insurance, ~55% through work.

I’m sure you’re aware of these facts, but boring realities would diffuse the angry attention you enjoy. Well, enjoy it!

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#177

Post by cliglot »

Probably because they’re too stupid to see all the wonderful things that have now. You can buy a massive flat screen TV for under $400 at Walmart! Computers are so cheap that everyone can be a gambling/porn addict now. Who cares about high beef prices, just eat the livers you peasant. It’s not like you’re going to starve.

Your grandpa could afford a house and family, but he’d never have been able to afford something so wonderful and life changing! US consumers should stop complaining and realize that those starving children in Africa can’t afford such TVs and they should shut up and be happy with what we give them.

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#178

Post by Oanid »

mancerayder wrote: post #150
Oanid wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I paid $2,200 for a couch that's made in Canada from solid wood. Not sure I can agree with you. https://www.urbanbarn.com/en/product/sibley-sofa-chaise-SIBL...

You lost us after "Canada." I have zero doubt things like furniture and clothing are going to be superior if made in Canada than the U.S. or China. I checked your link and there are no stores in the U.S. (or their zip code search doesn't work).

I never said Canadian-made furniture is inherently superior. My point was simply that the blanket statement that you can't buy a decent couch for around $2k isn't universally true. I bought one in that price range that's solid wood and well-built. It even has removable cushions.

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#179

Post by giardini »

blooalien wrote: post #121
giardini wrote: post #78

[flagged]

Every single time someone mentions "TDS" all I can think is how much you sound like a literal cult member worshiping "Dear Leader". If you're incapable of independent thought using your own "God-given brain", that's not a thing to be proud of. It's a level of childish ignorance on-par with "Okay, Boomer" but much worse due to the "cult-mind" aspect of it.

[flagged]

Re: Why are US consumers so angry? It's not just high prices

#180

Post by mancerayder »

eudamoniac wrote: post #163
mancerayder wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starting a business, but that requires financial independence, right? If not, what do you do in your 40's with no healthcare? Or the state marketplace healthcare that is basically 'catrastrophe only', with no out of network support, and still costs over 800 a month? Do you rent, or do you own, and if you own, how about the property taxes. Starting a business in 2026 is for the Made Men of tech, who've sold monstrous…

> Starting a business, but that requires financial independence, right? What are you even talking about. How many of your local restaurants, coffee shops, laundromats, roofing companies, landscape consultants, shoe repair shops etc do you think are owned by anyone with financial independence?

Right. Your suggestion seemed to be that's the path we should go down - the restaurant industry, which has a very high failure rate. Or do we become master electricians?

This isn't the 1950s - spending is down everywhere, costs are up, interests rates are high.

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