buying quality crap 2 of 3

BUYING QUALITY CRAP 2

At the same time that Wally was sneaking in either price increases, or lowering quality, or both, other companies moved from screwing both stockholders and employees to humping their customers ( no doubt inspired by the heroic adventures of Obammy ).  Quality started going to crap everywhere.  Now, I don’t mind terribly when the net weight on products is reduced, per se.  I keep on eye on that and have for twenty plus years after I found out from a Frito-Lay employee that the corporate strategy was to alternate product reduction with price increases.  At least it is easy to keep track of.  Quality reduction is impossible to judge, baring being with the particular company, until you waste your money ( “going Maytag” ).  Every broth injected chicken breast, every Pink Slime hamburger, every “five week wonder” shoe you buy, and NOT at any kind of discount, these are the standard practices companies engage in nowadays.  You avoid companies which provide too low of quality, both from experience and word of mouth.  But you can’t JUST buy expensive and expect quality, either.

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Do you really think a $300,000 home is any better quality than a $125,000 one?  They are both made from the same crappy material.  Isn’t a Ford truck at $40,000 a better buy than a $45,000 Chevy ( for the record, I always preferred Chevy, and they were a great company at one time.  Now…? Of course, that is a bit of apples to oranges as both companies are racing to the bottom ).  Not that I’d EVER, ever buy a truck for that amount of money, mind you.  I’m merely pointing out that price isn’t a true barometer of quality.  A $25,000 Honda is a far better product, but of course than you don’t get macho points.  Is a $700 AR a far better buy than a $500 one?  Of course-I don’t know if I’d want to risk my life with the cheaper one.  At the same token, a $1200 AR isn’t necessarily better than a $700 one ( again, for the record, I don’t know if I could ever buy one at any price.  Yes, a GREAT mid range sniper rifle, a fine platform IF you don’t use it as an assault rifle, but also a rather flimsy and less than rugged material platform.  I wouldn’t be opposed to scavenging them, then using as a sniper, but pay for one…? ).

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My current bicycle was a necessary increased price purchase, as Wally bikes are made to break, at twice the price.  But I “bought American” and I spent a smidge above “middlin” price and the thing is crappy quality.  Higher price didn’t protect me there.  When I replaced the wheels, a $60 unit broke quickly, whereas a $30 one lasted much longer.  Yes, there was surface rust shortly after it began raining.  But that was some time ago and the thing is still mechanically sound even if sporting a hideous appearance.  Higher price didn’t protect me there, either.  My $1 laundry soap might not deliver as robust of a cleaning job as Tide brand at $5, but with about a nickels worth of “Shout” pre-cleaner the load comes out pretty nice looking.  Perhaps not 100% compatible but close enough.  That’s ABOVE middlin quality.  While buying a $20 pair of shoes is a complete waste of money, buying a $60 pair only gives you about twice the life ( I have one more brand to try.  Dickies at Big 5 seems like a good last bet ). 

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BUT, if you go ahead and buy a $200 pair, will you get ten times the life?  That seems like a very expensive roll of the dice.  If you spend $200, and the shoes only last three years, would you have been better off spending $40 each until you found a pair that lasted more than six months?  If you know that the $200 is well spent, that is all well and good but if you are gun-shy about yet another company screwing you, and if you know that your odds of getting “Maytag’ed” are about 50/50...  Retail is in its death throes due to energy decline, overpopulation and economic collapse.  You can’t just assume what worked in the past will still be true.  If you gamble on everything you need to buy by only Buying The Best, not only will you receive far less than you need, you will not necessarily get the best quality on everything.  The odds are better, true.  But it is still a gamble. 

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I gamble myself, by constantly trying to minimize costs.  I don’t automatically buy the cheapest ( see earlier firearm and transportation examples ) because some things have gone lowest quality and have stayed there, but automatically going to highest price is just as problematic.  A LOT is just peacock feathers, companies selling status ( rich people don’t just piss away money because they can, but because they are signaling their wealth to potential mates and/or rivals ).  A LOT is a once quality product company bought out and then run into the ground for a quick pay-off.  You lose money on both ends of the spectrum, but one is a lot cheaper than the other, education wise.  The truth is that plenty of middlin products are both affordable and decent quality.  Some things you can get away with for cheap.  Some need middlin price.  A few, you are better off ONLY going high price.  There are no simple answers.  ONLY buying the cheapest is as stupid as ONLY buying the most expensive.

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The best land is usually the cheapest, from a survivalist standpoint ( off the beaten track, no power lines pointing to its location, away from population ).  The best firearm is WWII surplus bolt guns ( leaving aside the semi verses bolt issue, focusing on longevity and battlefield ruggedness ), yet also almost the cheapest ( the break open single shots are the cheapest, and most likely the least parts breakage, yet are not made to be abused ).  But the cheapest places to live, on-grid where jobs are, is NOT a very good bargain given the crime rates and other quality of life issues.  Spending more for location is encouraged.  The most expensive survival food is the worst for you, the cheapest the healthiest ( with wheat, NOT with dried hot dogs ).  The cheapest doctor isn’t the best health care you could get.  I’d avoid traveling to a Third Country craphole ( although to be fair, a lot of the US is entering that category ) for medical procedures, always worried I’d end up dead with my organs headed back without me.  In short, no easy answers to buying quality.  More tomorrow.

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