Evan Urquhart

An area that I wish more people on either the left or more mainstream economics were talking about is how goddamn shoddy and poorly made everything we have now is.

If I wanted to go out tomorrow and buy a lamp that would last 30 years, for any price, I don't know where I would even go. This lamp will outlast every recent piece of furniture we've bought. I've had fancy lamps bought for me by well-off family that haven't lasted 5 years.

Clothes are the same- I notice it in particular with shoes. I had a pair of sneakers in the 90s that I wore for 5 years and threw out because I was bored of them. I regret doing it, now, because I can't find shoes that last me a full year.

When I splurge a bit, there seems to be no improvement in quality. A $100 pair of sneakers will look and feel a lot nicer, but they'll barely last longer than a $15 pair, so I buy the cheapest shoes I can find. (I can't afford a $500+ pair, maybe that buys quality, who knows?)

I hate buying clothes, but I buy new clothes every season because my old clothes get stretched out, or the seams have holes. It doesn't seem worth it to mend most things, either. If they've started falling apart they'll keep getting worse, even if you sew up a seam.

Last example- TOWELS! My parents had most of the same towels when I moved out that they'd had when I was a kid. Now, I find we're buying new towels maybe every other year.

I assume the culprit is capitalism, though I'd love a business reporter to go deeper than that. Why can't I spend more dollars to get better quality goods, even though I desperately want to? Why do I feel cheated and ripped off when I buy the $15 towel instead of the $2 one?