RE: Morning Thoughts: What's Wrong With Things Actually WORKING?
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I have been putting a lot of focus into buying things I think will actually last as opposed to the least short-term price with dubious long-term value. I buy clothing for the long term. I want good tools. I just ordered a new tent and backpack after scouring a lot of reviews from people and trying to winnow the genuine from the dubious, and then trying to find the cost/benefit balance that works for me.
But yeah, I get the complaints about cut corners. It may not be as cynical as "make people waste what they bought so they buy again," but who knows? What I hate about the dairy-free "cheeze shreds" I buy are how sometimes the sipper seal is actually stronger than the bond between the zipper and the bag! Both parts of the zip lock wind up on the same side when open, and I need to get an actual Ziploc-brand bag out to store leftovers.
Speaking from a background in design, I also want to point out that the manufacturing cost between "good enough for most" and "as good as it can be" is sometimes quite a lot more than you might expect. Cheese bag sealing isn't likely part of that, but there are many layers of design engineering and manufacturing considerations between product idea and what can be delivered. Then you need to find a price that balances profit and volume. If all cars were required to be as good as a Rolls-Royce, it wouldn't mean all our cars would be marvels of mechanical and aesthetic majesty, it would mean few would have cars at all.
So I always encourage people to buy quality, repair instead of replace, and become more self-sufficient one step at a time. The library has a lot of books on sewing and mending, electronics repair,and so forth. We even have some simple tool kits people can borrow.
I suppose I would have fewer issues with this whole ball of wax if things could actually be repaired when they break. Doesn't apply to cheese bags, of course!
My stepdad was a car dealer and skilled mechanic, and I remember him always pointing out that most cars were mechanically sound, but (for example) the SAAB they drove for years was frequently in need of some electronic part or motherboard that cost $500 and required some specialized tech to install and fine tune.
I tend to buy for quality on things I need for the long haul, and I buy second hand whenever I can.
My library has a fancy new computerized thermostat system. It was supposed to make life better, and the maintenance team could remotely access our HVAC to improve efficiency and cut costs. But it just doesn't work right.