Cheap clothing addiction

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Leisher
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Cheap clothing addiction

Post by Leisher »

Article says Americans have one.

I was at a swim meet this weekend and a child's t-shirt was bought by a friend for $43. I was at the mall the day prior and my oldest daughter, barely a teen, tried on a jean skirt and loved it. I was surprised when she was putting it back. She said, "It's $60."

Perhaps Americans don't have a cheap clothing addiction, but are sick and tired of overpaying for clothing?
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TheCatt
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Cheap clothing addiction

Post by TheCatt »

Srsly. It's clothing. The people make it for like $5, why am I paying $50?
It's not me, it's someone else.
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Cakedaddy
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Cheap clothing addiction

Post by Cakedaddy »

You guys sound old.
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Post by GORDON »

If I'm paying more than $20 for a t-shirt, it's going to be a concert T.
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Cakedaddy
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Cheap clothing addiction

Post by Cakedaddy »

And cheap.
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Post by TheCatt »

Cakedaddy wrote: And cheap.
My $$$ goes to more important things than clothes, Queer Eye.
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Post by Leisher »

Right? There're clothes made by people working overseas in sweatshops, not the cure for cancer made by highly paid scientists in expensive labs.
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Cheap clothing addiction

Post by GORDON »

OH

MY

GOD

BECKY

Do you see her cheap-ass t-shirt?
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
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Cakedaddy
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Cheap clothing addiction

Post by Cakedaddy »

Ever hear the term 'You get what you paid for'?
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Cheap clothing addiction

Post by TheCatt »

Cakedaddy wrote: Ever hear the term 'You get what you paid for'?
Eyeroll
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Leisher
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Cheap clothing addiction

Post by Leisher »

TheCatt wrote:
Cakedaddy wrote: Ever hear the term 'You get what you paid for'?
Eyeroll
Seconded.

While I fully support that statement in other areas, clothes is not one of them.

Show me where a pair of jeans from Old Navy don't last as long or look as good as jeans from Ambercrombie and Fitch.
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Post by Cakedaddy »

Eye of the beholder. I DO think jeans from AF look better than jeans from Old Navy. To me, Old Navy shirts (I never bought their pants) wear out faster, are super thin, stretch and loose the fit very quickly, etc. Two kids walk into a room, I bet I can pick which one is wearing AF and which is wearing Old Navy.

And you don't have to pay retail at AF. They do have sales and put things on clearance. With a little patience and luck, I bet she can get that shirt for $20-30 instead of $60.

I paid $20 for a work coat once. It lasted for two months. After the first wash, it shrank so much it was useless to me. It was not put in the dryer, either. I bought another coat from a different retailer and paid $90 for it. From a distance, they coats were identical. The $90 coat has lasted me 7+ years and survived MANY washings.

You can roll your eyes at 'You get what you paid for', but it's true.

If you can't tell the difference between nice clothes and cheap ones, more power to you. Ignorance is bliss! But I can.

As far as jeans:
I wear Costco brand jeans for work. Pay <$20. They look ridiculous on me. The fit is horrible and very unflattering. I have other jeans I paid >$40 for. They fit correctly and look way better. I have bought Walmart jeans. The pockets ALWAYS wore out and would form massive holes at the bottom rendering them useless.
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Post by Leisher »

Well, I'm straight, so I don't check out men in their jeans, but you be you! :D

Seriously though, I understand where you're coming from, and while I've had similar experiences, I've also had the opposite.

I've purchased jeans from higher end stores/brands that got holes in them rapidly or didn't buy them as they fit like shit. Meanwhile, one pair of jeans I have from Old Navy or Penny's on clearance (I honestly have no idea) has lasted me for years and still looks new.

I do believe shortcuts get taken with cheap clothes. Have you ever ordered clothes directly from China? Holy shit are they garbage. This is common for dance classes. I have three daughters so I've gone through this a lot. They are "cross your fingers and hope you get one time out of them". I've bought my kids Disney princess dresses that were higher quality.

My stance is more about how we shouldn't be paying $60 for a jean skirt at all. My point is quality or not, it's way overpriced. Thing is the market is proving prices are too high. Victoria's Secret, The Gap, etc. are all struggling, while Old Navy, Target, etc. are doing great.
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Post by GORDON »

Cheaper to just buy your own 7yo child from Malaysia, and have the clothing custom-made and fitted in your own home.
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Post by Cakedaddy »

Leisher wrote: Thing is the market is proving prices are too high. Victoria's Secret, The Gap, etc. are all struggling, while Old Navy, Target, etc. are doing great.
This could be more a result of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer than it is about liking the lower end clothes better. Similar to when the economy turned 10+ years ago and SUV sales plummeted. It wasn't because 'cars are better', it was people couldn't afford the SUVs.
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Post by Leisher »

I refuse to reply to you further until you learn to answer work emails.
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Post by Cakedaddy »

Leisher wrote: I refuse to reply to you further until you learn to answer work emails.

And because you know I'm right.
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Post by Leisher »

Cakedaddy wrote:
Leisher wrote: I refuse to reply to you further until you learn to answer work emails.

And because you know I'm right.
That made me laugh, in a good way.

Your last point definitely has merit, but it's also just as likely people want bargains and are sick of overpaying. The original posted article, among others, all prove chains that overprice are suffering. Is it people being poor or people fighting unfair pricing? I'd say both arguments have a firm basis.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
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Post by Cakedaddy »

I got my wife involved (who has taught me everything I know and I'm still learning from every day. [Is that what you are wearing?] . .). She included things like color fastness/fading. Attention to detail, such as, patterns lining up at the seams, the stitching in the seams themselves being straight and lining up. Long term wear and tear of the fabrics. She admits, when she was younger, she bought many things because of the name and paid a premium for it. But she also very quickly realized the above differences as well. So there are ways to over pay for things just for the name, but you can also get good quality stuff at a fair price. Shop sales, check clearances, etc. She said that means you may be buying things out of season, but they are hardly out of style.
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Post by Leisher »

Ha! I spoke to my wife about it as well while walking around the mall. She was shopping for a new winter coat and refuses to pay a high amount for it. She says it's the end of the season and summer stuff is out, so winter coats should be dropping dramatically to make room. Apparently, she's right as a few different store employees agreed with her and mentioned where stuff was cheaper.

That alone is proof stuff is overpriced. You think they're not making a profit on stuff marked down?

But yeah, my wife says while there can be quality issues on cheaper clothing, that's not 100% true. She says even without clearance or sales you can find quality stuff cheap, you just have to be willing to go to more than one store.

I mean, look at TVs. Most people don't realize there are a lot fewer manufacturers than what is advertised. The manufacturers just put different brands on their stuff. For example: Insignia is Sylvania.

There are lots of examples where the name brand sells off excess, which then gets stuck under another label.

Oh, and if you really want to push this debate, try discussing toys. I assure you, that's where "you get what you pay for" completely falls apart. There's an industry where prices have risen and quality has dropped no matter the brand.

BTW, I really don't think anyone is disagreeing here, I just think some of us are more willing to do additional shopping. :D
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
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