Re: Another reason why the economy is in the toilet.


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Posted by Dan Shockley on Sunday, April 12, 2009 at 00:10:52 :

In Reply to: Another reason why the economy is in the toilet. posted by Jerry in Idaho on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 23:36:15 :

Jerry,

You definately make some great points. I have had similar experiences with some products. In particular Vasque hiking boots. The story follows very much the same line of discussion that you shared above. I am grateful that they still make some highend products that share the same level of quality as my first pair - the problem is that my last pair cost $335!!

We have to be careful blaming the manufacturers. A big part of the problem is the consumer. You mentioned a couple key points in your note. You bought your new Birks online. And, you paid $27 less than list. The average consumer is very price sensitive. They will move from one store to another or from one product to another over a couple bucks. This has put a lot of pressure on manufacturers to cut costs as much as possible - so long as it doesn't impact their perception at the time of the sale. What I mean is that when they buy they can't tell the difference between a show that will last 1 year and one that will last 20. And, in 1983 we didn't have amazon and google to find the lowest price. We walked into our favorite store and bought at their price.

Secondly, if I use the numbers that you gave in your email - you could argue that when corrected for inflation the shoes have actually gotten cheaper over the years.

If I calculate, you bought the first pair in about 1983 and paid roughly $50 versus the $98 that you paid in 2009.

I went to: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ which calculates prices adjusted for inflation. (it is kind of fun to play with the numbers to see that lots of things that we buy regularly have come way down in "real" prices.) And, I plugged in the numbers.

In 2008 dollar terms, your 1983 Birks cost $106.72. Versus the $98 you paid online.

I completely agree with your points. There are too few consumers like us that are willing to pay the extra money for products that will last 20 years. If all were willing to forkout the extra bucks to vehicles built like our power wagons, maybe someone would make them...

Happy Easter.
Dan





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