[OP]
Contributor
Reading an article in the business section this morning and came across this line, "But for many companies, the cost-cutting is worth a drop in quality."
OMG! That seems to be the mission statement of too many large businesses.
Do they even consider what customers will think about dropping quality to increase profit?
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Most times I would rather pay more for a better built product. I am looking at solar showers right now. They cost as little as $10, but pretty much all of them have complaints about the plastic tearing, or the shower nozzle falling off and the water pouring out.
The other thing I hate is shrinkflation for food. Just charge me more if you need to, but keep the quantity the same. Some food will shrink and shrink in quantity until the manufacturer comes out with a "new" larger size that costs more and is the same quantity it used to be.
Contributor
Jim, can you provide a link to that article? ThxOriginally Posted by Jim Koepke
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Contributor
Yep... and the new larger size is often called "Family size".
(So the shrunken one must be for a "family" of, oh, 1.7 people, I guess.)
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Contributor
No, it was for 1.5 people. hence the term "half assed".Yep... and the new larger size is often called "Family size".
(So the shrunken one must be for a "family" of, oh, 1.7 people, I guess.
Bill D
Contributor
Sadly, most people won't. Or can't afford to. Price is the biggest criteria most consumers base decisions on, whether it's airline tickets or underwear. And customers show no loyalty if there's a price difference. Companies priority is to make money for shareholders, not make good long-term customer relationships.
"The other thing I hate is shrinkflation for food. Just charge me more if you need to, but keep the quantity the same. Some food will shrink and shrink in quantity until the manufacturer comes out with a "new" larger size that costs more and is the same quantity it used to be."
I was just opening a new package of Oreos, and noticing their tiny size compared to the old days. Again, people only look at the price, and most people cant do the math to realize that there's less product. A pound of bacon is now 12 ounces, and a pound of coffee is 13 or less.
< insert spurious quote here >
Contributor
I'm not saving any money if an inferior product needs replacement often. I also probably won't patronize a company a second time if they don't make a quality product. A couple I know buys a new gas grill every two to three years for $200 to $300. They don't understand a quality grill for two or three times as much would cost less in the long rune.
Contributor
Winston Churchill would have seen the opportunity in the difficulty of profit & loss...or at least would have looked for it!! Love that sig-line Jim!!
Contributor
Some people can only afford the lower cost unit. In the long run, it costs them more money but...
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Contributor
Yes, it is about AI taking over in more professions formerly occupied by humans:
> https://www.washingtonpost.com/techn...i-taking-jobs/Technology used to automate dirty and repetitive jobs. Now, artificial intelligence chatbots are coming after high-paid ones.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
In business school we were given a case study about Henry Ford. After the Model T had been out for several years, he sent a team of guys to scour the country and find junked Model Ts to send back to Dearborn for examination. Everyone assumed he wanted to identify the failed components to try and make them more durable. In fact he wanted to identify the components that were still in good shape so they could be re-engineered to a lower quality and ideally last no longer than the rest of the car. A perfect scenario would be the entire car falling apart at once like Jake and Elwood's Bluesmobile.
For a business however, it becomes a mission critical task to find the right balance between quality, price and their typical customer's objectives. Personally I too try to buy higher quality things for the long view reasons that others have mentioned.
Choices are key.
[OP]
Contributor
It is one of my favorites.
There are a couple others that come to mind:
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." - John Ruskin
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right,” - Henry Ford
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Thankee --p.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
[OP]
Contributor
Some times the market is flooded with lower cost items because many retailers do not want a reputation for being "the high priced store."
One example that hits home for me is garden hose shut off valves. For years I have been buying them at various retailers and replacing them as they fail. It is fortunate if they last for more than a couple years.
Recently an email from Lee Valley had garden items listed. I knew they had the shut off valves of my dreams:
LV Shut Off Valve.png
When discussing this with a friend over emails, at first he seemed excited. Then he found these on Amazon:
Cheap Shut Off Valve.png
He ordered them and had to do a little work on one or two of them. But he did say he might order a second dozen just to have them over the years as they failed or got stepped on.
Candy finds the small levers on the inexpensive plastic and brass valves hard to turn.
For me the LV units have a larger opening in the ball valve to allow better water flow. The commonly available units have an opening of ~1/2". The LV units have an opening of ~5/8"
Some of the brass units used in the past have not lasted a full year. Some have lasted a few years. The ones that look just like the ones used in the past are ~$5 each on Amazon. They may have been a bit more at one of the Borg Stores.
I'm betting the cost of the LV will pay for itself over the next few years. They likely won't start leaking or causing other problems like the less expensive versions.
Another thing I like about them is the valve handle can be flipped. As it is shown in the image the lever turns toward the nozzle when in the on position. For me this gets in the way of my assortment of hose end tools. So the handle was flipped an now turns toward the hose. The bolt for the LV valve is 1/4" (I think). The screw on the lesser valves is often a ~#6 screw for threading into plastic and is often where the leaking starts.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
We have a bunch of three way valves. After fighting with the plastic and chinesium models for a decade I finally came across the LV ones. I'm in heaven-- they work, every time, even after sitting for the winter. I can get the hoses on and off without anything breaking. I can turn the water on and off without the handle coming off in my hand or rotating uselessly on the valve stem. I'm a very happy customer! Expensive? Not nearly as much as the high frustration ones.
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