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I understand this is the same for lots of companies nowadays but I am so sick and tired of companies not giving a crap about making quality products anymore. For example, I am a gamer and bought the NES and SNES classic systems which along with just having lots of good games, through hacking I have put lots of other games on it and it's awesome, yet Sony recently released the PlayStation classic and it's a load of garbage. For one, they just added the OG PS controls as opposed to the dual shock controls, which are WAY better, they didn't even include a proper power adaptor making you either hoping to have one or buying one, but most egregiously, 9 of the games on the system are the crappy European versions as opposed to the American NTSC versions that run and play well, as opposed to the European versions that play like complete garbage,.
When it released I actually managed to convince a mother who was with her teen son not to buy that trash and told her it doesn't come with a proper power adaptor, the controllers are bad and many of the games are European and play like garbage and told her to buy a used PlayStation 3 that can natively play any PlayStation 1 games as well as buy many on the store. What's funny is it released selling for $100 yet given how crappy it was just after two weeks it was on sale for half off LOL.
Again, I am sure this can apply to many various industries, I just don't get why in today's time, everyone in charge of companies are stupid and dumb as hell and apparently doesn't understand that quality of any product is what should matter most.
Again, I am sure this can apply to many various industries, I just don't get why in today's time, everyone in charge of companies are stupid and dumb as hell and apparently doesn't understand that quality of any product is what should matter most.
So long as american consumers focus on Price as their main buying preference, companies have no reason to spend money on quality. Even a small 1% price increase from one competitor to another can result in millions in lost sales to the cheaper product. For every single consumer who care about quality, there are tens of thousands more who buy only on price.
Even Apple is discovering it can't build everything from pure unobtainium to NASA specs. There's a point where even the faithful won't pay $1k for a smartphone just because it doesn't have a plastic back.
When I was in manufacturing, our team had a rule of thumb. Our customers always wanted three things: high quality, low price and immediate delivery. Our rule was we could only consistently deliver on 2 out of 3 of these criteria. We had to work with the customers to determine their real priorities.
If you find that quality is deteriorating, have you reflected on whether your demands for the lowest price and immediate availability might have something to do with it?
For a slightly different take (and I admit that I have nothing other than anecdotal evidence), I can offer the following story. I know of a company who was a leading national manufacturer in the clothing industry. Their president closed all their plants and moved all manufacturing to Asia. They were lauded for the actions and became a leading light for other "manufacturer". I know of another small privately owned company producing the same types of clothing who continues to manufacture locally. The owner is very much hands on and is far more worthy of being manufacturer of the year. When asked why he continues to manufacture locally rather than outsourcing, he replied that he and his team really enjoyed what they were doing and that they were proud of their products. His company remains profitable. He is happy. His team is happy and I can say from my experience, the quality of his product is superior.
Once a company comes under the control of the managerial class with their MBAs, virtually the only concern is the bottom line. Seldom (actually just once) have I encountered a president or members of the senior executive of a public company who bubbled over with genuine enthusiasm for their company products.
So long as American consumers focus on Price as their main buying preference, companies have no reason to spend money on quality. Even a small 1% price increase from one competitor to another can result in millions in lost sales to the cheaper product. For every single consumer who cares about quality, there are tens of thousands more who buy only on price.
This. There are SO many examples. Airlines. Clothing. Shoes.
I realize that not everyone is in a position to do it but I vote with my dollars. I do a search on "_____ Made in USA" and have found what I want- my computer bag, and the last 2 tops and 2 dresses I bought are examples. A local store sells bird feeders made in the USA- I rarely buy things on-line unless I know the country of origin. I buy Birkenstock sandals. They're made in Germany and not cheap but more likely to last a for years and be good to my feet and also more likely to be made under fair working conditions. It doesn't work with electronics, of course, but it does with other items and I believe I save money in the long run and keep the cheap crap out of landfills because my items last longer. Even with electronics, I don't buy the cheapest, figuring it's likely to break down earlier. I also don't use the lowest-cost airlines and I fly Business Class on long hauls.
Sadly, it's the people who work at Wal-Mart who can afford only the cheap stuff sold there.
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