So what are you?

[Carl East]

Hi gang, how's tricks? Yesterday I was privey to a conversation between two work mates, both women, and it made me think of starting this thread.

They were talking about buying shoes and other items. One of them was saying she'd never buy anything other than designer shoes (in other words, she goes for the name) where as the other one felt she was being robbed if she had to pay any more than £20 for a pair.

It then progressed to other everyday things, such as mp3 players for the kids Christmas presents. The designer guru was going on and on about the virtues of Apples Ipod whilst the other one said she'd heard the sound quality wasn't as good on the Ipod as some of the other cheaper models.

Incidently, the one who refuses to pay over the odds has a husband who's a general manager of another super store, so she's not hurting, at least not in the pocket.

So what is it that makes one person fall for all the hype surrounding the latest gadgets, and another refuse to be dictated too?

Do you have your own rules about buying certain things?(not including food items) I think it's safe to say we all have preferences where food is concerned.

Carl

 

[NoJo]

Not having money is a great incentive against adverstising in general. I feel positively subsversive of the whole capitalist machine since I went broke.

 

[cloudy]

For some things, a known name is just better quality. For others, it makes no difference.

I think that people that are stuck on buying a brand seem to be doing so to impress others, JMHO.

 

[Belegon]

years spent in retail have made a cynic.

(but I still have more shoes than any three guys I know)

 

[cloudy]

years spent in retail have made a cynic.

(but I still have more shoes than any three guys I know)

Join the club, sweetheart. I have enough pairs of jeans to fill three closets. Working for Bugle Boy, then Gap, then Tommy Hilfiger will do that to you.

 

[patricia51]

Actually I have rules about food items too. They can be summed up in "What's on Sale?" and "Do I have a coupon?". My only brand loyalty is to my pocketbook

 

[Belegon]

Join the club, sweetheart. I have enough pairs of jeans to fill three closets. Working for Bugle Boy, then Gap, then Tommy Hilfiger will do that to you.

Foot Locker manager...six years...

 

[Guest]

Not having money is a great incentive against adverstising in general. I feel positively subsversive of the whole capitalist machine since I went broke.

LOL
ditto


aside:
not having a job and the potential of not having a roof overhead has definitely colored my view on all things commercial. howevah, i wouldnt balk if someone gave me a high end sumphin. *insert subtle hint here*

 

[NoJo]

LOL
ditto


aside:
not having a job and the potential of not having a roof overhead has definitely colored my view on all things commercial. howevah, i wouldnt balk if someone gave me a high end sumphin. *insert subtle hint here*

I'd be tempted to trade it in for about ten low-end sumphins in one night. Are we talking about the same thing here?

 

[English Lady]

Labels smabels. I buy cheap. I buy all my clothes in sales and shoes? I pay less for mine in a year than i spend on one pair for my daughter! (My nanna pays for her to have proper clarks shoes)

I just don't get the labels thing,most are not much better quality and it goes out of fashion in what seems like days.

Also i'm too big for most labels clotheswise.

Food is similar. I shop in the market and then surf the supermarkets for bargains.

I love a bargain

*is wearing a top she bought for £3 and cord trousers bought for £3.50*

 

[Honey123]

I do believe that you should spend your money on certain things regardless the price...i.e., doctors, hospitals, vacations.

I was never one for expensive jewelry. My most favorite pair of earings came from a small grocery store they were 99 cents. They got the most compliments out of all my jewelry!

Honestly, I would forego buying anything expensive just so I can have a great vacation in the summer.

I do have a friend who buys $200 pair of shoes...I just can't see myself doing that. I used to stand on the sides of my feet, so most of my shoes would scuff.

I think $200 for shoes is one night in Disney...

 

[R. Richard]

I buy only what I can afford. However, I always at least try to buy quality, instead of flash or advertising.

If I have no real way to judge something I am buying, I usually stick with a brand name.

 

[Guest]

Shoes: Work boots I will skimp a little on. I have a pair of Wolverines now, fairly comfortable and they've held up for almost a year and should last another 6 mo. At $60 for the pair I figure I got my money's worth. I have a cheap pair of tennis shoes that I wear in the summer with shorts(only reason I will wear them). My western boots are what I wear the rest of the time. I don't skimp on western boots. I usually pay at least $300 for a pair of boots, but that's what you pay for Tony Llama, Nocona, Imperial, Lucchesse and other top makers. But I can also count on a pair of boots lasting me at least 7-8 years and I have a couple pairs that are more than ten yrs old and still looking good.

Clothes: Wrangler or Levi's jeans. T-shirts and golf shirts from the dozen companies that constantly send stuff to me and whatever brand of socks and shorts I happen to grab.

Tools: (including knives) My tools are my life and livelyhood. Nothing pisses me off more than a tool failure. So I spend the extra money to buy good tools. That way I know I can count on them. Yeah, I can get needle nose pliers for $3 and have the tips break off or bend the first time I need them. Or I can pay $12 and get a pair I can trust.

Computers: I build my own computers using the best quality componants I can get. Same reason as the tools. Why save a few bucks if I can't trust the thing to work right when I need it? One of my computers is running on a 1.0Ghz proc in an Asus Motherboard. The board, chip and memory (Crucial) are nearly 4 years old. It is still one of the most stable machines I have. Never gives me a problem. I am always willing to pay a few extra bucks for that kind of dependability.

Works pretty much the same with anything else I buy. I buy quality and I know I'll get the value.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I'm cheap. I refuse to pay for a name. I mean, yes, I go for good quality - the best I can afford - but that's because cheap stuff wear out quickly. But to pay a lot of money to help a company advertise? No friggin' way! They should pay ME for promoting their stuff!

I rather buy 5 cheap funny T-shirts than 1 expensve blouse. That way, I have more occasions to wear them.

 

[Honey123]

You know what I realized...I have no problem purchasing a $25 g-string at victoria secrets...that's really sad now that I think about it.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

No, what's sad is that I need 3 of those G-strings to fit around my ass!

 

[Boota]

I agree with Henry Rollins. He says that other than boots you should never buy an item of clothing that costs more than nine dollars. Nine dollars is a little cheaper than I can find anything around here, but I agree with the sentiment.

 

[Guest]

x-rated shopping hint
#1
cheap vibrators often do more for you than more expensive models.

you may all leave dollar bills in my pm box. thank you

 

[Amy Sweet]

I have friends who will only buy stuff if it's on sale.

And then there's my friend who shops at the dollar store and will only buy stuff on clearance She once went to a close out sale and bought a whole bunch of stuff for under $2!

Me, as to shoes, I rarely spend more than 20 bucks.

Once I bought an expensive pair of boots (I don't know, 40- 60 bucks or something) because they were the only ones left in the stoor by the time we got snow and I needed boots and a friend offered to pay half. But you know what- they are some good warm boots.

 

[LadyJeanne]

Depends on what I'm buying. For work clothes, I tend to pay more because they need to stand up to lots of dry cleaning and being packed in a suitcase all the time. Ditto with work shoes - they're worn often so I need them to last. I don't spend nearly as much on play clothes, although I'll spring for a great dress for a special occasion.

And I'll spend all kinds of money on great bedding. My bed is a haven of down and cottony goodness.

 

[gauchecritic]

I'm Yorkshire (the Brits will get that).

The motto of Yorkshire is "How much??"

(except Wrangler shirts. Nobody makes shirts like Wrangler do, on the other hand they're not enormously expensive)

 

[BlackShanglan]

Depends on the item. I'll spend more for things if I feel that they will repay the investment. I did, for instance, buy a $350 suitcase. I winced to do it, but I travelled a lot and the cheap ones broke after only one or two uses. Six years and dozen flights or more later, it's still in excellent condition. In the end, I spent less on it in plain dollars than I would in replacing five or six cheaper ones, and it was a lot less hassle than getting stuck in the middle of London with a suitcase with only one working wheel.

Books cost what they cost. I pay.

Food is a major area of luxury spending for me when I do have money. I love good food. When I am short of cash, I scale back my dishes rather than the quality of the ingrediants - that is, I would rather eat bean soup and good bread with real butter than chopped ham food product with macaroni and cheeze that must be comically mispelled for legal reasons.

I do vacations flat out. I set aside the money and spend it without a thought in the world as to value, so long as I have fun. To me, not thinking about value for dollar is part of the vacation. Some of my favorite possessions come from these moments. I like to buy art and curios and similar. It'd good to just do that now and then.

Shanglan

 

[Guest]

 

[Liar]

I pay mucho money for two things: shoes and sound.

I've spent eqiv. to $250 on good walking shoes. But I've had them for five years, they are still in mint condition, and according to my doctor they saved me from messing up my left knee.

Carl mentioned mp3 players. I bought one that was one of the most costly ones on the market. It was not of a top-of-mind brand, but the one that I know had by far the best sound quality. So I saved money on branding and design, and gained it where it matters.

With everything else, especially clothes, I've found that the stuff I want and look good in doesn't come from the fancy brands and exclusive stores anyway. Food is kind of the same way. Good food is not processed, canned and branded. Good food stares back at you from an ice packed counter. I have a whole wonderland of bakerys, deli stores, butchers, greengroceries and such just a short walk from where I live. Sure, sometimes it costs a lot, but on the other hand, sometimes it's cheaper than the vacuum packed supermaket stuff.


#L

 

[TheEarl]

I'm a bloody miser when it comes to clothes. I won't pay anything more than £15 for jeans or £10 for a T-shirt. The most expensive items in my wardrobe (excluding suits) are coats and jackets, because you get more style for more money with them (even so, my most expensive is my long black coat for £80). When it comes to normal clothes, why buy a white T-shirt with a label for £30? I can get one without for £3. Exactly the same shirt.

This is a long-running debate in my house as one of my housemates is a label-freak. His bed cost him £600, mine cost me £200. His sunglasses cost him £113, mine cost me £9 (same quality lenses). His jeans cost him £50, mine cost me £6 cause I bought them in the sale. I don't understand why he'll pay more for something that's identical to all intents and purposes to my stuff. He won't understand why I won't pay more for something with a bit of label-chic.

If I was rich, I'd still be a miser when it came to clothes shopping. However suits would be a different matter. To get a really well-cut suit is worth every penny.

The Earl