So hold on to my 2015 for as long as possible eh?
Opinion article- Landfill economy
- Thread starter GON
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I probably shouldn't complain about my microwave; it dates back to 1984 which was when my parents remodeled their kitchen. It's a GE made in Appliance Park, Louisville KY. Still works good, knock on wood!
When pushed comes to shove, people want their cheap stuff, and they want an abundance of it, as proven by the recent events.
The thought of buying less must be super frightening to some.
The thought of buying less must be super frightening to some.
Mine are
. Although to be fair they did last 2 years of abuse for a $20 pair at Marshalls. I walk fairly fast and so all my shoes end up like this.Our original Beaumont microwave lasted forever too. It was very large and we gave it to our daughter who was in university at the time. It got lost somewhere along the line. It's probably still running somewhere, heating and cooking for university students. The replacement, and the replacement for the replacement, and so on, were not so long lived.
This sounds a lot like the Prius story. The original model may have been the best.
The original ones were probably a radio tower shrunk into the size of a moving box and the new one is a wifi router overpowered and under cooled.
Again, today more people think about style when remodeling kitchen than to improve durability or fix something broken. All mismatched appliances must go regardless of how well they were running.
Buy a pair of Eccos and don't look back.Mine are
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We completely remodelled our kitchen, to a full on custom kitchen, about 8 years ago. We kept the old appliances. I was surprised that the cabinet people weren't surprised.
We had a fairly new Bosch dishwasher, an old Frigidaire kitchen range, an ancient Jenn-Air range hood and an old Maytag side by side refrigerator. The dishwasher and the refrigerator are still going strong. The range hood crapped out and parts were no longer available but (with the help of the "Bob" guys) it's going again. The kitchen range was recalled last year because of a dangerous part but wasn't working very well anyway so we replaced it with a Bosch induction range.
We designed the kitchen so the refrigerator has an attractive surround but by removing 4 screws the space opens up dramatically for a much larger unit. The new space is pre-planned for several much larger refrigerators but of course that won't stop the manufacturers changing the sizes and thwarting my plan when we eventually need a replacement.
Well said.
Many people don't realize that if they Chevy was *allowed* to build a 1957 Bel Air today, it would cost a fraction of what it cost in 1957, and it would be of demonstrably superior quality in every way.
We can get a window into just how much complexity and regulation drive pricing and cost by considering the super cheap Toyota truck.
If, like me, you don't like the way a market is functioning, stop contributing to it. We have disposable crap because we buy disposable crap. Hold out for quality and you'll get quality.
I had a very expensive pair of leather oxfords (Florsheim Imperials, about $350 today) do exactly the same thing. They just tore open. They were eventually repaired by a very talented shoemaker. That was my 3rd or 4th (and final) pair of Florsheims.Mine are
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I can still wear that pair for dressy occasions when it's raining or snowy. I have a similar pair for dry days.
When I buy something I try to buy the best quality, and most durable, considering price (which is often not the most expensive). Around home I try to fix things once. I keep my cars for about 20 years. It doesn't always work out but it does often enough that I keep going.
Cheap stuff isn't cheap.
$350 per pair. Ugh. Glad I have 3 pair that at over 10 yrs old
I've never paid even close to that...usually in the $200 region. Recently one pair I bought was marked down to $170 and another was $250.
Planned obsolescence is the way of the world, been saying it for years now. Only makes repeat buyers. Just like w medicine, a patient cured is money lost.
I didn't pay $350 for them. That's what that particular pair (which they still sell) would cost today. I paid more like $250. I had a half dozen pairs of good shoes which I wore every day, so they could be rotated and thoroughly dried out between wears.
The advantage of good shoes is they can be resoled and re-healed many many times. I have a pair from 1980 or 1985. Bought in Exeter, England. The store owner said a good cobbler should be able to resole them at least 3 times. Not particularly expensive but very good quality.
I had a pair of "obstetrical shoes", another pair of Florsheim Imperials, designated for that purpose. Kept in the car and put on only and always before going into the case-room. You would put on booties but still those shoes had lots of nasty stuff spilled on them over the years. When I retired from General Practice I threw them out, which was a shame really as they could have been cleaned up, but ....
Not so. It was said that a good physician could not put himself out of business. In fact there is one condition (pernicious anemia) where the patient's improvement is so dramatic that it used to be said finding even one patient would make your practice. The patient will suddenly and dramatically recover and tell everyone what a terrific doctor you are.
My new patient, who was literally as pale as a white candle, said "I know I'm not going to live very long but is there anything you can do to make my life a little easier?" My first question? "You aren't Scandinavian are you?" Well yes she was Swedish, which is one of the high risk groups for PA. Anyway she was so anemic I admitted her to hospital so she wouldn't die when I administered the treatment. With treatment the patient starts making blood so fast they can actually go into heart failure. And they're back in perfect health within a couple of weeks.
This only works if the doctor has no competition, and the medicine has no competition, and the patients cannot sue you for malpractice.
Most illness have a standard protocol for doctors to follow or the insurance companies won't pay and patients can sue if they don't follow it. I think most doctors would rather not get sued than try to keep patients just sick enough but not healed.
Losing a license because you want to keep someone sick can be a big disincentive.
Mine is also made in USA, Tappan branded, from 1989. Complete with wood grain finish.
I would not point to globalisation in itself as the cause, but rather the same mindset that caused globalisation is responsible for cheapening products, and/or building in obsolesence. Doesn't matter who makes it or where.
Part of the reason I bought the MG is that it's the easiest car to work on I've seen in the last 20 years...
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