The Cookout

[sourgrapes]

I noticed this with appliances, furniture, bedding, etc. and comparing it to some hand-me-downs from my mom and grandma the stuff just doesn't compare. Like I just bought a new sofa not even 2 years ago and it is flat as a pancake, makes all sorts of noise, and the fabric looks like it has wrinkles in it. I paid $1200 for it too. I feel like I got ripped off! The sofa I had prior to this was my mom's old one and she had that thing since the '80s. If it was;t for the stains and the color (it looked tacky as hell) I would have stuck with it.

That is just one example. Like if you look at refrigerators from back in the day, a lot of them still run. My grandma still has her first fridge. It is ugly but it functions better than my 5 year old LG fridge! Like wtf happened?

Is this down to outsourcing labor to places like China? We just get cheaper-made products that don't last? I can't figure it out.

 

[Bruh Man]

I noticed this with appliances, furniture, bedding, etc. and comparing it to some hand-me-downs from my mom and grandma the stuff just doesn't compare. Like I just bought a new sofa not even 2 years ago and it is flat as a pancake, makes all sorts of noise, and the fabric looks like it has wrinkles in it. I paid $1200 for it too. I feel like I got ripped off! The sofa I had prior to this was my mom's old one and she had that thing since the '80s. If it was;t for the stains and the color (it looked tacky as hell) I would have stuck with it.

That is just one example. Like if you look at refrigerators from back in the day, a lot of them still run. My grandma still has her first fridge. It is ugly but it functions better than my 5 year old LG fridge! Like wtf happened?

Is this down to outsourcing labor to places like China? We just get cheaper-made products that don't last? I can't figure it out.

When you in a space where you always gotta make more money no matter what when you hit the ceiling you make the shit cheaper to maximize the profit. That’s why when you buy a shirt online these niggas roll it in a bag and ship it to you. This nigga @Jay has my shirt in a branded shipping bad folded up all nice in cellophane or whatever with a sticker and a card Im like yo this nigga cut in like 3 dollars in margin behind this but the experience was premium. If he hits a ceiling we might see that stuff go away.

 

[Banks]

I noticed this with appliances, furniture, bedding, etc. and comparing it to some hand-me-downs from my mom and grandma the stuff just doesn't compare. Like I just bought a new sofa not even 2 years ago and it is flat as a pancake, makes all sorts of noise, and the fabric looks like it has wrinkles in it. I paid $1200 for it too. I feel like I got ripped off! The sofa I had prior to this was my mom's old one and she had that thing since the '80s. If it was;t for the stains and the color (it looked tacky as hell) I would have stuck with it.

That is just one example. Like if you look at refrigerators from back in the day, a lot of them still run. My grandma still has her first fridge. It is ugly but it functions better than my 5 year old LG fridge! Like wtf happened?

Is this down to outsourcing labor to places like China? We just get cheaper-made products that don't last? I can't figure it out.

Yeah it does seem like that's the case. At least when it comes to furniture, and some appliances. Just so you know, don't buy cheap stoves or appliances, because they don't last. I bought a cheaper stove for like $400 or so, and that thing lasted us just a couple years. Same with a fridge my parents got like 10 years ago, they had it for a few years and it died on us out of the blue.

Old fridges are tanks, but a lot of these older appliances aren't really energy friendly, as in they take a ton of juice to run, so your electricity bills will probably be a bit higher using some old appliance over a new one. But I get wanting to use the old stuff when it seems they're more reliable.

 

[Bruh Man]

I noticed this with appliances, furniture, bedding, etc. and comparing it to some hand-me-downs from my mom and grandma the stuff just doesn't compare. Like I just bought a new sofa not even 2 years ago and it is flat as a pancake, makes all sorts of noise, and the fabric looks like it has wrinkles in it. I paid $1200 for it too. I feel like I got ripped off! The sofa I had prior to this was my mom's old one and she had that thing since the '80s. If it was;t for the stains and the color (it looked tacky as hell) I would have stuck with it.

That is just one example. Like if you look at refrigerators from back in the day, a lot of them still run. My grandma still has her first fridge. It is ugly but it functions better than my 5 year old LG fridge! Like wtf happened?

Is this down to outsourcing labor to places like China? We just get cheaper-made products that don't last? I can't figure it out.

Same shit went down with cars them shit used to be bug metal tanks and now they like fiberglass and soft. I think we saw the downgrade because the other materials are easier and cheaper to source and manufacture.

 

[sourgrapes]

Yeah it does seem like that's the case. At least when it comes to furniture, and some appliances. Just so you know, don't buy cheap stoves or appliances, because they don't last. I bought a cheaper stove for like $400 or so, and that thing lasted us just a couple years. Same with a fridge my parents got like 10 years ago, they had it for a few years and it died on us out of the blue.

Old fridges are tanks, but a lot of these older appliances aren't really energy friendly, as in they take a ton of juice to run, so your electricity bills will probably be a bit higher using some old appliance over a new one. But I get wanting to use the old stuff when it seems they're more reliable.

Oh for sure. You get what you pay for, especially today. A friend of mine from work said she started just saving and getting furniture from an Amish village that is about 2 hours away. I saw some pics of the bedframe she had made and it is insane the amount of quality they put into it. I am thinking of having some bookshelves made for my office. I got some a few years ago online, I think they were $200 each and they are already falling apart. I guess if you want anything to last, you need to see who makes it, where it is sourced from and have to pay the premium.

 

[Jay]

Oh for sure. You get what you pay for, especially today. A friend of mine from work said she started just saving and getting furniture from an Amish village that is about 2 hours away. I saw some pics of the bedframe she had made and it is insane the amount of quality they put into it. I am thinking of having some bookshelves made for my office. I got some a few years ago online, I think they were $200 each and they are already falling apart. I guess if you want anything to last, you need to see who makes it, where it is sourced from and have to pay the premium.

Also think how we make things. A lot of things are built in automated factories so I think you sacrifice quality but you improve efficiency and output. In that time It took them to make that bed frame Ikea made 2,000.

 

[Blackgravity]

I noticed this with appliances, furniture, bedding, etc. and comparing it to some hand-me-downs from my mom and grandma the stuff just doesn't compare. Like I just bought a new sofa not even 2 years ago and it is flat as a pancake, makes all sorts of noise, and the fabric looks like it has wrinkles in it. I paid $1200 for it too. I feel like I got ripped off! The sofa I had prior to this was my mom's old one and she had that thing since the '80s. If it was;t for the stains and the color (it looked tacky as hell) I would have stuck with it.

That is just one example. Like if you look at refrigerators from back in the day, a lot of them still run. My grandma still has her first fridge. It is ugly but it functions better than my 5 year old LG fridge! Like wtf happened?

Is this down to outsourcing labor to places like China? We just get cheaper-made products that don't last? I can't figure it out.

You probably would have been better off getting it re-upholstered to a color and fabric you like. Would have cost a little extra, but worth it.

I've noticed the lack of quality in everything from food to electronics, straight garbage.

 

[sourgrapes]

I am looking into options for upcycling. I will hit up some thrift stores and yard sales and just upgrade/update older furniture. It seems like there is way more value there. I saw someone who got a used dresser from the 1970s on Craigslist for $70 and updated it completely. Now it looks like a $2000 dresser.