I was just thinking about the state of consumerism today. Anyone who knows me will know that I hate the fact that nothing is built to last any more, it's built to lead the buyer back to buying. Case in point: a scene in the Brit film 'Kinky Boots' where protagonist Charlie goes to a shoe retailer to try an offload an excess of high quality men's shoes. The conversation goes something like this:
Retail manager: "See these? Imports from Slovakia. Cheap."
Charlie Price: "But a Price shoe will last a man a lifetime. A pair of those will have customers coming back in 10 months."
Retail manager: "Exactly."
And then news today that some genetically modified crops were being engineered to not produce seeds so that the farmer has to buy seeds every year from the 'manufacturer'. Ridiculous. RIDICULOUS.
So what I was thinking was this: we need a brilliant designer to come up with a base product that can be modified to incorporate new technological developments. For example, a washing machine. There's not really much you can do with a washing machine other than wash clothes. The technology comes from efficiency in use of water and energy and other things like noise reduction or being able to schedule your wash with a timer or (gratefully) the "hand wash" function where the machine treats your delicate laundry as if you'd hand washed it yourself. So this washing machine should be built to last at least 20 years. Ideally it will be made of recyclable or biodegradable material and have the capacity to have new technology installed as it becomes available.
The product may be more expensive than others but will pay back dividends from its efficent use of resources and the fact that it is upgradable. Plus, it'll save the owners time if they don't have to look for a new one every 5 years. AND, most importantly, whichever company is brave enough to sell this product should also have an accredited repair system in place so that owners will look to the repairman rather than a whitegoods store if it breaks down.
My parents' microwave is about 20 years old and still works fine. It cooks things a bit slower than most modern microwaves but it's still safe and effective. I'm afraid that I'm never going to find that kind of product in my lifetime. I hope my idea isn't considered idealistic because 'built to last' was once the only way and we really should be aiming for that kind of brand commitment again.
1 comment:
Damn, you beat me to this! I have been planning to make a blog-entry about this thing for a while now!
I absolutely hate modern consumerism, where things are not built to last. Maybe I would be a crappy businessman, but I like things that are high-quality and last for a lifetime. I have been bitten by cheap but crappy products in the past. Few years ago I had to buy a washing-machine. I bought the cheapest model I could find (Iberna, never heard of them). And the machine lasted for few years before breaking down for good. The machine that replaced it cost more, but it's also of higher quality.
I bought the Mrs. a mangler for christmas. I made sure that I bought a model that was really "Made in Finland", instead of "Made in Greece" (or something). I made sure that it was made from steel, and not plastic. My in-laws have a similar model, and they have been using it for over twenty years, and it's still going strong.
I'm currently thinking of buying new set of speakers. I could get some supermarket-brand for cheap. But no. I'm looking at pair of Genelecs. Reasons being that
a) They are absolutely the best quality you could get
b) They are made in Finland (support local companies)
c) they will last for eternity. I held one of those speakers in my hand in a store. It felt like a solid piece of rock.
Yes, they cost a bit more. But since they will last me for 20+ years, they are in fact very cheap. And I can spend that 20+ years listeining to music that sounds a lot better than it would sound through some cheap speakers.
Do companies REALLY make more money from selling sub-standard products that require people to buy more of them? If I get a crappy product, I will make sure NOT to buy from them again, and I will tell others that it's crap. But if I get a quality piece of product, I will recommend them to my friends, and I will buy from them in the future. Which scenario brings more money to the company?
Maybe the dumb consumers are to blame. They see two products, one costing a bit more than the other, and they get the cheaper product, even though the other one is of higher quality. Modern consumers are not educated, only thing they can do is to stare at the price-tag.
There's a saying in Finland that relates to this. Loosely translated: "Poor people can't afford cheap things". Meaning that items that are cheap, are usually cheap for a reason. They are low-quality, and the will end up costing more in the long run, when people are required to fix them and buy more of them. By spending a bit more up-front, they could get a hi-quality item that would last for a long time.
Post a Comment