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Myth: Consumers always want something new. Fact: Very often, they are happy to rebuy the same or a similar item. This is something I wish more retailers would
by clarkevans 8y ago
Myth: Consumers always want something new.
Fact: Very often, they are happy to rebuy the same or a similar item.
This is something I wish more retailers would get. Once I find a pair of shoes that fits me that I like... I really, really don't want to go though that same discovery process 1-2 years down the line. I just want to buy the very same make/model of shoes I've grown accustom to.
- TigerHimself 8y agoThis is because you are a man. Women act differently.
- tgb 8y agoPlease! I struggle to find shoes that fit me since I find that trying them on in the store has basically no bearing with how they'll perform on the street. Yet the shoes I end up with don't exist in a year or two when I want to replace them.
- stevekemp 8y agoMy solution to this depends on how confident I am that my choice is correct. If I know these shoes are "perfect" I will simply buy two pairs. If I'm unsure I'll go back a week later for a second pair. It doesn't stop me from needing to buy new shoes, but it does postpone the process a little!
- blanderman 8y agoYou could set up an eBay search for the model/size of the pair you want. Any time a new listing matches the search you get an email alert.
- ghaff 8y agoI won't say I do it on a regular basis but if I find a comfortable pair of shoes of the sort that I wear frequently, I've gone back to the store during the same season and bought an additional pair or two.
- reacweb 8y agoI remember the scene in "9½ Weeks" where Elizabeth McGraw discovers the dressing of John Gray. Why is this seen as pathological? It seems so rational to me.
- megaman22 8y agoOh man, this. It makes me gravitate towards companies that keep selling the same product, year after year. Much as I don't like some things about LL Bean, I can go buy some duck boots or riverdriver shirts or flannel from them, and know what I'm getting, because they haven't changed the design in decades. Otherwise, you've got to find something you like, and buy six of them to stockpile.
- jtbayly 8y agoExcept that even companies like this occasionally redesign something and leave the same name on it.
- greedo 8y agoClothing styles change so much that trying to maintain a consistent wardrobe is almost impossible. Just look at blue jeans. I used to buy some from Eddie Bauer, they were thick, durable and lasted forever. Now you try to find those, and the denim is notably thinner, the stitching less robust, etc. Same with their line of polo shirts; these are now much thinner than a decade ago.
- iamben 8y agoSome stuff is pretty timeless. Especially with sneakers. Vans, Chucks, Air Max, Superstars - all remained in fashion (and sometimes on trend) for the last 20+ years.
- greedo 8y agoHow has the quality fared over that period?
- iamben 8y agoTotally my opinion and anecdotally, but up and down. Certainly with Nike sometimes a win, sometimes you're like "really?" Vans and Chucks seem consistently similar - I wear through a pair in about 8 months, I buy a new pair. Same shoe, same colours, same size.
- hoorayimhelping 8y agoMaybe you're not aware of the brands that do this, or maybe those brands don't suit you? Converse Chuck Taylors and Vans skate shoes haven't really changed much in decades. I go through a pair of Vans low-top slip-ons every six months and just re-up when the tread falls apart
- idomdavis 8y agoSadly Vans have stopped doing the style I liked wearing and had been being for years (often buying several pairs at once). I'm hoping that the Etnies I now wear wont go the same way. The other issue I've had is when finding something I like and that fits, I often can't bulk buy because there's only one or two items actually in stock. Thankfully these days I can often buy the one item in the shop and get the remaining ones online.
- Fricken 8y agoBought a pair of white chucks that I loved. Bought a second pair 6 months later. I would buy a 3rd pair if they still made them, but they don't.
- dbatten 8y agoMy solution to this with shoes was to start buying really high-quality shoes. Bought some Red Wing Heritage chukka boots that look nice with jeans and business casual attire. I've been wearing them every day at work for over two years now, and they look like they're barely broken in. I expect them to last for a _very_ long time, especially since I can get them re-soled when the soles wear out (which they're nowhere close to). Did a similar thing with Allen Edmonds dress shoes. Yes, they were expensive initially, but given how little I wear dress shoes, I wouldn't be surprised if they last me the rest of my life. Now if only I could find a solution for clothing...
- rhino369 8y ago>Did a similar thing with Allen Edmonds dress shoes. Yes, they were expensive initially, but given how little I wear dress shoes, I wouldn't be surprised if they last me the rest of my life. The average person is probably better off just buying a 30 dollar pair at Target and putting 470 bucks into the stock-market.
- true_religion 8y agoMy 30 dollar dress shoes have lasted 15 years, since I rarely wear casual dress shoes.
- bitwize 8y agoHow many 30-dollar pairs would such a person have to buy compared to the person who invests in quality upfront? In addition to a quality shoe, it probably also helps to find a competent cobbler who can keep the shoes in good repair to extend their lifetime.
- rhino369 8y agoBy my back of the envelop calculation, as long as its less than 25 shoes over 10 years, stock market is the winner. Where Allen Edmond shoes are the real winner is compared to the shoes a level or two below them. Like Cole Haan. They last a lot longer but only cost twice as much.
- arethuza 8y agoStrongly agree - I think all items of clothing should come with something that allows automated repurchasing of all items (QR code) or similar..... So if something starts looking a wee bit tatty I should just be able to use an app to get a replacement next day.
- noxToken 8y agoExcept not or similar. If you're not giving me the exact same thing that I ordered last night, I want to be informed in a timely manner before I'm charged/the item is shipped.
- arethuza 8y agoOops - should have been "(QR code or similar)" - too late for me to edit. Completely agree - I'd want the same thing, not a crappy version of the same product you sold 2 years ago for the same price - which I suspect rules out a lot of clothes retailers.
- zaarn 8y agoMostly agreed, I tend to find clothing I know comforting. I know they fit so I buy them again. Why experiment? I do that a lot in other sections in life too, I buy crappy solder because I know it works well for me even though people are telling me this solder is crap and my house will burn down and I'll get lead cancer...
- larkeith 8y agoI've been using the same type of all-purpose shoes for a good twelve years now, and while they're neither the cheapest nor the most durable, this is the reason I'll likely continue for the next ten; Having to buy a new pair every other year is 100% worth knowing that I'll always have comfortable footwear that's suitable for everything from meetings to mountain scrambling.
- lsd5you 8y agoDo tell ...?!
- larkeith 8y agoSee other comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338445 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338445
- fratlas 8y agowhich shoes?
- larkeith 8y agoSee other comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338445 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338445
- creep 8y agoPlease, what shoes are these?
- poozer2 8y agoOp says Adidas sambas. They're what I used in street football. Though I agree that the white version goes well with casual.
- larkeith 8y agoPersonally, it's Lands' End's all weather mocs [1]. It should be noted I'm absolutely hopeless when it comes to fashion, I can only vouch for their functionality and comfort. Another commentor also mentioned Adidas Sambas as being a good standard [2]. [1] https://www.landsend.com/products/mens-all-weather-moc-shoes/id_278219_253 https://www.landsend.com/products/mens-all-weather-moc-shoes... [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337829 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337829
- mabbo 8y agoI have something like 6 pairs of the same jeans, most of my underwear, a lot of my socks, always the same Amazon ASIN. When I run low on something, I check my purchase history and rebuy. Same for my shoes- I have a pair I like, and when they got old I went back to the same store and got the same shoes again, identical. It sure makes getting dressed far easier in the morning.
- lev99 8y agoOver half of the clothes I own are the same 8 items on subscribe. Black T Shirt (5 every 4 months), Raw Denim Jeans (1 every 9 months), gray tank top (4 every 4 months), athletic shorts (1 every 6 months), everyday underwear (3 every 4 months), athletic underwear (2 every 4 months), athletic socks (3 pairs every 6 months), dress socks (3 pairs every 6 months). It's great for a lot of reasons. Less time picking clothes, less time shopping for clothes, and something is worn out or stained I can discard it without stress.
- pizza234 8y agoIt really depends on the brand. - I buy basic clothing from a famous sports store, and they change a large part of the articles essentially every year, even the underwear; - I tried to buy a trousers with the same model of 3/4 years before, from a rather famous (in the country I live in) brand, and it was not available anymore; - I tried to buy t-shirts with the same model of 3/4 years before, again from another rather famous brand, and it's not available anymore. - My runners are a certain model from a very famous brand, which produces a new version every 1-2 years; I thought at least the size would be the same: nope.
- christophilus 8y agoRainbow sandals gets this. I wear them daily, and buy a new pair every 2-3 years (they last a long time). Every time I shop for a new pair, I find the same design I know and love. I agree with you. More brands should be so stable.
- cafard 8y agoI still think about the Asics Excalibur GTs of the early 1980s...
- naravara 8y ago>I really, really don't want to go though that same discovery process 1-2 years down the line. The worst is when it has the same name and cosmetically looks the same, but you realize they've changed over to a lower quality manufacturer and it's nowhere near as well made.
- iamben 8y agoYes, and more retailers would size consistently based on this fact. There was a pair of jeans that fit me perfectly in GAP, for instance. I wore through two pairs of them (and at £39 quid they weren't worth getting repaired). The third pair I bought online. Same colour, same size, same name. Didn't fit at all. Went to store, all the sizing had changed across the board. About 18 months later, it changed back. Very annoying. Edit: I bought APC jeans last time and the cost (and how good they look once worn in) was worth getting them repaired. Next time I can afford to spend a bit more, I'll probably go for Nudie - mostly because of their free repairs for life policy, which I think is amazing: https://www.nudiejeans.com/page/free-repairs-for-life https://www.nudiejeans.com/page/free-repairs-for-life
- hiram112 8y agoSame thing happens to me, and I've noticed that the countries of manufacture will vary. I didn't realize that clothing companies could switch their whole operation from say, Bangladesh to Vietnam, in one year, but I guess if it is profitable based on varying wages and currencies, they get it done. But like you said, it is very annoying because I like to just buy what I already know works, and it's not possible at many retailers any more.
- bitwize 8y agoYou'd think they'd get the hint from the perennial popularity of Chuck Taylors and Doc Martens...
- peterwwillis 8y agoAnd jeans! Why is it so hard to find fitting jeans? If I can just tell a seller "The last perfect pair of jeans I had were Lee Regular Fit Straight Leg in 2012", they should be able to look up the measurements and fabric and give me the closest matching pair they have available. Why do I have to go to a store (or buy online) and try on 20 pairs only to find out none of them fit?
- bootsz 8y agoYes yes yes. For years I've been hoping for someone to launch a business to solve this. It exists for dress clothes but I'm not sure if anyone is doing for jeans. I want to be able to just send in a pair of my favorite jeans and have someone churn out any number of new pairs of the exact same dimensions in any fabric/color I want. No more wasting time in miserable shopping malls trying on tons of pairs while being subjected to terrible background music. Just did some quick googling for "custom tailored jeans" and there seems to be a few things out there, but not sure how good the service is. Might be worth a try
- SomeHacker44 8y agoNailed it about shoes. Now when I find a pair I like, after a few months to ensure I like them, I buy 3 more pairs. Been doing this for about 5 years now. Interestingly I have found it doesn't always work. Perhaps the materials age or there are differences in production batches, but I have the same exact shoe (from model number) from Lowe and some are comfortable and pliant, and others are not, and some are waterproof and others feel like they are made of a screen door. Shame, that.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- gowld 8y agoMyth: Consumers all think the same way. Fact: Some consumers like reliable consistency, while others prefer following fashion trends. Many consumers do both at different stages of their lives, years, and days.
- duxup 8y agoSame there was a model of shoe I loved. I went through four pairs, I saw many people wearing them.....then they disappeared, and I switched brands. They had me for life, then didn't.
- BrandoElFollito 8y agoIdeally I would just buy 5 or 10 pieces of what fits me. The problem is that I am not Steve Jobs and everybody will think that I never change clothes. So I buy a few of varying colors but this is the extra effort I would like to avoid. I tried this with my first son when he was a few days old. One pajama (or whatever it is called) was great so I went back to the shop and bought 10 of them. Then went back to the shop to return them after my wife explained to me a few facts of life.