3 ms·

I make really good money for my area (I'm not in the US), but I still prefer to buy some things at dollar stores or the cheap store brands at regular stores. So

I make really good money for my area (I'm not in the US), but I still prefer to buy some things at dollar stores or the cheap store brands at regular stores. Some things it's just not worth paying twice as much for name brand things. There's a brand of microfiber cloths I buy to clean my truck and car and it's the same exact brand in the dollar store and the supermarket that are next door to each other but it's literally twice as much in the supermarket. It's pieces of fabric that will end up covered in grime and grease, why should I pay twice as much?

Swizec 8y ago
> It's pieces of fabric that will end up covered in grime and grease, why should I pay twice as much? Because someone might think you're poor and omygodwecanthavethatwhatwillpeoplethink!? But honestly social signaling is a huge part of why people buy brand-name stuff. Sometimes it's actually better, often it's just better marketing. Many times the higher price creates the psychological effect of enjo9ying the item more.
creato 8y ago
> It's pieces of fabric that will end up covered in grime and grease, why should I pay twice as much? I know you said it's the same product so this doesn't apply directly, but I was reminded of something that happened to me. I was buying sponges, and the store-brand knockoffs were about half as much as the name brand sponges. They had the same yellow/green design, and they're just sponges... why not get the cheaper ones? When I got home and used the sponges, I noticed that they were leeching green dye onto everything I used the sponges on, even for at least a few days after using a new sponge. I never noticed significant staining from the sponge runoff, but it's also not worth $3 every few months to not have to wonder if my sponges are going to dye my food/dishes/whatever I'm cleaning green. Anyways, I don't really have a point here, it's just really annoying that I think of these sponges every time I'm buying the cheaper knockoff products.

Swizec 8y ago

> It's pieces of fabric that will end up covered in grime and grease, why should I pay twice as much? Because someone might think you're poor and omygodwecanthavethatwhatwillpeoplethink!? But honestly social signaling is a huge part of why people buy brand-name stuff. Sometimes it's actually better, often it's just better marketing. Many times the higher price creates the psychological effect of enjo9ying the item more.

creato 8y ago

> It's pieces of fabric that will end up covered in grime and grease, why should I pay twice as much? I know you said it's the same product so this doesn't apply directly, but I was reminded of something that happened to me. I was buying sponges, and the store-brand knockoffs were about half as much as the name brand sponges. They had the same yellow/green design, and they're just sponges... why not get the cheaper ones? When I got home and used the sponges, I noticed that they were leeching green dye onto everything I used the sponges on, even for at least a few days after using a new sponge. I never noticed significant staining from the sponge runoff, but it's also not worth $3 every few months to not have to wonder if my sponges are going to dye my food/dishes/whatever I'm cleaning green. Anyways, I don't really have a point here, it's just really annoying that I think of these sponges every time I'm buying the cheaper knockoff products.