collisionbend.com

My neighbor (a contractor) and I were talking tonight. I was busy fixing my burned fence; when I was done, I cracked open a beer and we got to talking. Since we’re both into home renovation, the topic was obvious.

“Where’d you buy the wood?”

“Lowe’s.”

“Uh-huh. It’ll probably rot out in a year, you know.”

“Lumber?”

“Well, maybe not lumber, but just about everything else there and at Home Depot will…”

Well, you get the drift. Actually, I’m skeptical by nature, and I do avoid purchasing certain items from the big-box retailers like faucets and other plumbing, electrical parts — anything that counts in the long run.

Why? Simple, Weedhopper: why pay $50 for an item that will last 3 or 4 years, saving $30 in initial cost only to purchase the same item — and throw away the original — again for the same (or slightly higher) cost, when the more expensive unit will never have to be replaced (or require a 30-cent part to replace) — in a lifetime?

Think about this: buy a faucet from a big-box retailer for $50 which you can buy from a smaller retailer that sells the (seemingly) identical item for $80. Compare the items, including weight. Look at the parts, the construction.

Now think: you’ll never have to replace the more expensive item, while the cheaper item will have to be thrown out when it breaks; the more expensive item will require a minor price (less than $5 to a do-it-yourselfer) — and significantly less time — to repair.

Over 20 years, that cheaper faucet could cost you over $250 (figuring a 5-year lifespan), rather than the original $80 you spent on the more expensive item, which may have required the replacement of a 10-cent washer during the same lifetime. This is not to mention the extra cost hiring someone to replace the unit for you if you can’t do it yourself!

So I ask: why spend less — in this type of instance? Because you’re getting a lower price? Because you’re getting a “discount”? Are you really getting a lower price? Are you really getting a deal? You’re paying far more in the long run…

So it is with big-box retail. You say it keeps the economy moving?

Sure. In Mexico, or Malaysia, maybe, but not here.

So it is with Wal*Mart, except, (as my bride points out) with clothing. (Even then it doesn’t last as long as it should.) You want it cheap? Shop at Wal*Mart. And buy it again in a couple of years (except for music CD’s — but, their music CD selection isn’t that great, anyway — it’s their own censorship, ya know).

Go ahead: fuel Wal*Mart. And keep paying money that you needn’t over the span of time.

Want wealth? Spend more in the short run, less in the long run, and save your money.

It’s simple, Weedhopper: you get what you pay for.

America is in denial, big-time. We want it cheap, discounted. No discount — no purchase. “I wanna discount!” is all I ever heard when I worked as an optician. “Discount” this and “discount” that. What did I do to prevent me from losing my shirt — and my sanity — from all of the requests for discounts?

You got it — I cheapened my product. I spent less time making sure it met my standards. Less time spent ensuring quality meant more profits. The problem is (and one reason why I no longer work in the optical business) that people never knew they were getting robbed. They had no idea.

Not a clue.

Worst yet: I wasn’t the only one, folks. Everyone else in the industry did it, too, save for the independents (and one that I used to work for). The optical industry in this country is a mess today, a symbol of all that is wrong in America (I think).

And now they want to build yet another big-box right in the middle of a seriously impoverished area. Big-time denial, folks.

You want lower prices? Go ahead — shop at a big-box. Want to save money? Perhaps the person with the higher price has a better product for you — in the long run.

“But — ” you say, “the big boxes have lower prices!”

~Sigh.~

1 Comment

• by FreedomRings 30 May 2005 at 11:10 am

  

  Yes, I want lower prices. Why should I lower my standard of living (I’m retired) so a few union ‘workers’ can get more money for nothing?

  You don’t ‘get what you pay for’ with union goods and services because their wages are much higher than the value of their product or service. The unions force employers to pay them more money than they are worth.

  The “get what you pay for” scam is just union propaganda to trick you into buying union. Don”t fall for this lie.

  I have been buying American and foreign made products from Wal-Mart for years and never had a problem with quality, ever! You can buy the exact same quality products at Wal-Mart as anywhere else — and save money. I recently spent $20 on a pair of well-made, leather dress shoes at a Wal-Mart. Wow are they nice, comfort and good looks for $20! I’m sure they will last 10 years of normal use if I take care of them. Let’s see now, that’s $2 cost per year. Yep, can’t beat it.

  Why should we suffer higher prices so only union workers can benefit.

  Fight forced-unionism — spend your $$ at non-union establishments.

  Tom