[ridenrain]

Thanos. I think that's unfair because while the rich might value quality, their also the worst for trends amd everyone knows one must always be a dedicated follower of fashion.
There's obviously a difference between the "I'm trendy rich" and the "I'm rich so I wear what I want"

[Strutz]

During the 2002 Olympics I got so caught up in the games that I treated myself to a Roots Team Canada pull-over. I know I probably paid close to $75 for it (which I generally would never pay for a sweater) but I must say it is still in great shape 7 years later so I feel I've gotten my value. A Made in Canada item at least, expensive but worth it for the quality. But who can afford to do that very often anymore?

[ridenrain]

It's good to know that the product you spent so much on was quality. I think that says more about the company you bought it from than the price though.

[Sapio]

Good idea, for that matter the sun is taking a lot of jobs away for people. Think of the lost jobs in the light, heat and the energy sector. The sun is a foreign competitor. I would encourage all my fellow Canadian's to keep your windows blocked from the sun. I would also encourage you to get your elected officials to find a way to stop the suns influences and protect Canadian jobs.

[Thanos]

ridenrain wrote:

Thanos. I think that's unfair because while the rich might value quality, their also the worst for trends amd everyone knows one must always be a dedicated follower of fashion.
There's obviously a difference between the "I'm trendy rich" and the "I'm rich so I wear what I want"

I wouldn't say that the lesser priced item should have all the luxury of a high priced item, but an effort must be made to differentiate between "quality" and "luxury". Is it reasonable to have to spend more for a custom item or an item that comes with all the latest and greatest bells and whistles? Absolutely, and I'd automatically reject any argument from someone who says his no-name DVD player from Canadian Tire should perform the same as one from a high-end manufacturer like Nakamichi, etc.. But I would say that the expectation of a minumum standard of quality should exist for most things that you do buy. You spend $40 on a pair of denims instead of $200. You might not have the money be travelling in Paris Hilton's circle of vacuuous idiocy but you should at least have the right to expect that all the threads aren't popping out on you after two weeks of wear, or that it shrinks so badly after it's first cold-water wash cycle that it doesn't even fit your dog afterwards.

Quality is not hard or expensive to acheive. It's a false canard of the modern economic model that quality automatically has to be accompanied by a big hike in price. Average families used to be able to buy a quality North American made product at places like Woodwards or Eatons only thirty years ago for a price, after inflationary adjustments and taxation, that was really no more than what they have to pay nowadays at a garbage dump like WalMart or Zellers. It isn't that the consumer has changed, it's that we've been sold a lie from bulk-buyers like Wal-Mart that says you can only expect the most for your money if you downgrade your expectation of quality. It's an argument that I really don't accept as being valid.

[ridenrain]

Spoken like someone who has never bought a t-shirt at a concert before!
I think we agree.

[DoyleG]

travior wrote:

Wal-mart has destroyed the economy of all of North America. If Sam Walton knew what his greedy kids did to his company, he would come out of the grave and beat them to death. He always pushed for selling only USA/Canadian made stuff (at least I know he did here in the states) and it was after he died that it transformed into the China Factory Outlet.

Sam Walton was known to buy a lot of foreign goods, even during his 'Buy American ' campaign.

Wal-Mart has been good when it comes to their production and supply aspects.

Of course the Union idea of 'Buying Canadian' means Ford, GM, Chrysler, and Bombardier.

[CanadianJeff]

Most everything I buy Canadian or American made lasts 8 or 9 times longer. We can easily live without the cheap crap is we are willing to stop taking service jobs and start working more 9-5 factory jobs ourselves to make our own stuff.

People are crying about the economy but we only have ourselves to blame when we buy products made with outsourced labor.

then again maybe I'm part of the problem. I bought most of my Christmas gifts out of Ten thousand villages outside of the one gift I bought out of roots. Paid 85 bucks for a bunnyhug (How's that for a Canadian term ) but damn did my brother appreciate the quality,

[Proculation]

Sapio wrote:

Good idea, for that matter the sun is taking a lot of jobs away for people. Think of the lost jobs in the light, heat and the energy sector. The sun is a foreign competitor. I would encourage all my fellow Canadian's to keep your windows blocked from the sun. I would also encourage you to get your elected officials to find a way to stop the suns influences and protect Canadian jobs.

Vive Bastia

[Sapio]

Proculation wrote:

Sapio wrote:

Good idea, for that matter the sun is taking a lot of jobs away for people. Think of the lost jobs in the light, heat and the energy sector. The sun is a foreign competitor. I would encourage all my fellow Canadian's to keep your windows blocked from the sun. I would also encourage you to get your elected officials to find a way to stop the suns influences and protect Canadian jobs.

Vive Bastia

You got that right. They have put a new collection out of his that I want to get.

[Proculation]

Everybody should read Bastia. Unlike Hayek (a great read too), Bastia uses common situations in his explanations. Really easy to understand.

[stokes]

just a bit of fyi, with the invent of the microchip and solid state electronics it is by far cheaper to replace something than to repair it, a new cell phone costs 300 but to have someone repair it costs 400. Now we have exported a lot of jobs that were supposed to save us money, we didnt save a dime but the manufacturers made a lot more

[Sapio]

Proculation wrote:

Everybody should read Bastia. Unlike Hayek (a great read too), Bastia uses common situations in his explanations. Really easy to understand.

Yeah, "Road to Serfdom" is a great book, but hard to understand his main points and he talks a lot Germany's that no one has heard of.

[herbie]

hurley_108 wrote:

stokes wrote:

Canadians can not afford, made in Canada products, 90% of our clothing comes from the third world where child labour gets 50 cents a day in a sweat shop....who are these guys kidding?

I buy Denver Hayes pants, made in Canada, at about $60 a pair because they last well more than three times longer than the $20 pants at Old Navy made in Myanmar or Bangladesh or some other place.

You're probably built like me. An XL "Tall" from Moores fits fine. A 4XL from anywhere else, especially WalMart doesn't reach past the elbows and won't tuck in and balloons like a homey costume.... I've spent 3 futile years explaining XL/TG means extra large in french and english and XLT means extra large tall.
What's worse is the "head office mentality". You walk into the WalMart (or any other name store) in Prince George and it's got all the Men's Small and Size 9 workboots you want in a town full of mill workers, loggers, & truck drivers. Worse, it's Feb. and 25 below and it's full of short sleeve shirts, bikinis and lawn chairs! And all those bedding plants stocked indoors, because no one plants before the May long weekend.
And whatever became of GWG Canadian made jeans?