Hi first time posting here, and i know that there are a lot of threads about products that are no longer BIFL. Disclaimer: I used the search function to make sure that my question wasn't or hasn't been answered in the past. I noticed that brands like Pyrex, Stanley, Sorel, Craftsman and many others are mentioned here all the time. Sometimes they're mentioned in a positive context and sometimes not. And in some cases brands are fetishised and almost idolized. I entered the workforce a decade ago and started buying appliances, tools, and other goods needed for everyday life. I work in investment banking, and sometimes i wonder if subs like this or the BIFL and other anti consumerism movements in general don't contribute to brands declining in quality. The reasons I'm talking about brands, is because they're owned by big corporations. And corporations want to make profit, a product that last forever is bad for business (in most cases). And this has been particularly true for the last 40 years. Big corporations don't care about you, they care about their margins and making money and the way you perceive their products. If a brand can cheapen out on a product and reduce it's lifespan they will do it. A perfect example of this is Fjällràven, pyrex(US), Black and Decker, Sorel, even Snap on or Louis Vuitton. I just have the impression that people on this Sub are longing for an absent past that never really existed. Guy's like me working in Investment Banking exploit. We buy up brands cheapen them out and people keep buying because they trust the brand an get that cosy feeling of reliableness. You should never forget that for every vintage Pyrex bowl or any other vintage product you buy there are millions that ended up in a landfill because they broke, had manufacturing defects etc.... Longevity of a products also depends on how it's cared for and treated. If you want to stop the cheapening out of prodcuts support small family owned businesses or buy used things, but don't follow the hype around a certain brand. If you find a products in a thrift store, and its not broken chances are that it is reasonably Bifl. And I know that products manufactured by familly owned businesses and tradesman are harder to find and often less affordable. But ignoring small familly owned businesses only accentuates the problem.
Submitted February 13, 2019 at 10:58AM by Fonsilla http://bit.ly/2SvqxJG
