I think it "official" - can't buy clothing (socks, price)

[Flamingo13]

How I regret getting rid of my older clothing, EVERYTHING is now made so poorly, is overpriced, etc. - What to do? I tried buying better labels but they are just as bad (made overseas, have to go over it after washing to clip threads, tighten buttons, etc.).

[swisswife]

Find yourself a tailor or make them yourself......

[Larksong]

I've noticed the same problem with poorly made clothing. Even some of the better stores don't have the same quality items they once carried. It's a throw away world...........won't be long until we see single use clothing items.

[sskkc]

I bought my dh and I a bunch of new knit shirts and him 5 new polos last summer. Granted, we wear them very often, but they are now worn out, stretched out, faded, etc. He still has one T-shirt that I bought him when we first met 13 years ago - it's about in the same shape now as the ones we bought last year - same retailer (EB). I bought him polos too at that time - he still has two of those. They are in better shape than the 5 we bought last year!

[swisswife]

its all about cost.... there was another thread asking if people would spend $50 for a t-shirt. - I think in fashion or in here - anyway things that are sold cheaply are made cheaply. end of story.

I worked for a big Italian clothes label when I was living in the UK and they stopped making 'basics' for their collection because they couldn't remain competitive. They had all their range made in Italy at the time. Most other companies were using cheap labour in Turkey, China, Thailand, Vietnam etc etc.

Everything I sold had a 2.5% markup to retail. So I would sell an item for 15 pounds and it would retail for 43. To sell a t-shirt for 15 the clothing company made very little profit once you take into account the cost of fabric, it takes maybe 2 hours to be physically assembled (at minimum wage). pressed, packaged, delivered and I got commission for everything I sold....before even thinking about paying designers, marketing etc etc

[TakeAhike]

i frequent recycled/vintage/consignment shops. look at item, try it on if i am so inclined, usually discounts are given and i decide if it is something i truly need--most of the time I probably don't need or want it.

easy--if i buy it and decide i don't care for it i donate it --recycle. that is where it is at.

[Ishara]

I think this has happened to me like one time. I had a box of clothes sitting in the garage waiting to go to the 2nd hand store. I really can't think of anything that I've ever gotten rid of those later generated feelings of regret.

[Sudcaro]

Not only is clothing poorly made most of the time... but washers, detergents, and dryers kill clothes, even good quality items!

[Artistic Spirit]

Yes, I also miss my quality made clothes of yesteryear. I still have some of those clothes in fine condition!

When I go into clothing stores now I think of the women's department as "Rag-on-a-Hanger." Seriously. Even at discount stores I'll see a thin piece of poor quality material sewn haphazardly with a price tag of $40.00 or more for what's called a "designer label." Yikes!

I love bargain shopping for quality clothes but I'm finding very little to get excited about. I used to love shopping at Ross and Marshalls and would find beautifully tailored and lined wool clothing. Winter sports coats. Cotton/Polyester dresses. Now I'm hard pressed to find anything close to that quality.

Even in my favorite L.L. Bean catalogs (sporty clothes) the clothes on the models actually look puckered and badly sewn and with cheap material. And I'm not talking about the fad to wear scruffy looking clothes. Yes, they have a money back guarantee on their clothes but this is the first time ever I've had to send a shirt back for poor construction and awkward fit. (Yes, I had the correct size!)

[bolillo_loco]

I’ll try and remain brief. I’m 46, an I come from a working class family. My father worked at the Bethlehem Steel, and when I got older, my mother returned to work as a Union Garment Worker.

We only bought American, but apparently, we were in the minority. Let’s fast forward to the past ten years. A friend of mine complained to me, “My boots wear out every six months! They’re junk! I pay 40 good dollars for a pair of boots, and they don’t last!” I show him the label, “Made in China.” I point out that his boots aren’t even made of real leather, and how their cheap construction means that they can never be resoled. I then take off my ten year old pair of boots. I show him that my boots have a Goodyear Welt, so they can easily be resoled. They have triple and quadruple stitching on American cowhide. Then I show him the label inside, “Made in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania,” which is our home state. Then he says, I can’t afford a 150 dollar pair of American boots… He didn’t take pride in buying American products. As a result, many lost their jobs, and now even his job’s being threatened because many of us factory workers don’t have the money or tax dollars to support a service economy of government workers…

Tee shirts. I buy MilSpec tee shirts made by a defense contractor here in America. My tee shirts are twice as heavy as the ones made in foreign countries. The stitching is also significantly better.

Socks and the same cheap boot buying friend. He bought a bag of Chinese socks. As he took them out of the bag, one fell apart in his hand. Within the first month, he lost three or four socks because they fell apart in the washer/dryer. He flipped out. I then went and got a pair of my Gold Toe stockings. At the time, all Gold Toes were made in America, N.C. I believe. I told him that they last for years. He said he couldn’t afford to buy a bag of Gold Toes for 30 dollars when the Chinese bag was only 8…

One day he commented about my pair of New Balance sneakers. He picked them up because they were in the way. He looked at them, felt them, and then flexed them and said, "Wow! These are some nice sneakers. I never knew New Balance were so nice." I told him to look at the back of the sneaker, he smirked and said, "Yea, Made in USA." I said, you can buy your cheap imports for 30 dollars and wear them out every six months or you can spring 150 for an American made pair of New Balance.

Not too ago, I was cleaning out my parents basement of my old things. I came across a pair of Levi’s that were from the early 1980s. I didn’t think too much about them until I picked them up and tossed them. Something seemed strange to me, so when I picked up the next pair, I realized what it was. The old pair of Levi’s were significantly heavier than the new ones that I wore. Yea, the old ones were even a smaller size, yet they were significantly heavier that one easily noticed it. The stitching and riveting was of higher quality as well. This should come as no shock, the old pair were made in the USA, and the new pair were made in Lesotho, that’s in South Africa.

Moral of the story, most Americans would rather save a 75% initially, but spend 300% more in the long run, and then sit about and wonder where their jobs have gone. I'm poor by the way. 150 for a pair of boots/sneakers is a major investment to me. I don't have my factory income anymore...

I still try to shop for American products, and you’d be amazed at what you can still find, albeit it’s not much. However, if I can’t find a product made here, I look to the UK and Europe. I am not going to buy a product that’s made off the sweat of some 12 year old kid working in slave labor like conditions that lives in some shanty town. I won’t support a country that exploits its cheap labor and lack of regulations.

It chaps my arse to no end when I have to buy something made in China becasue it's the only game in town. I frequently go without because the bottom line is that I am poor, and I can really do without x product. I never shop at Wal-Mart due to their business practices and how they treat their employees. Yea, I may have to go there once every five years because they're the only ones that have it and I'm pressed for time, so I can't order it online, but other than that, I will never go there. I won't even give somebody a ride there. It's called having pride in your fellow workers and ensuring that every one of your American brothers and sisters regardless of race has a job if they want one. This topic makes me very angry! I'm also sorry, because I wasn't very brief.