I am a firm believer that price for quality is a sham. Too many times I have paid high dollar for items that fell apart quicker then the dollar store brands. At least with the dollar store brands I can afford to keep buying more if need be, but I don't usually have problems with items from there. I don't think I've ever experienced it to be better quality for paying more, which I suppose is a good thing.
I am not sure that I would go this far, and I think that more often than not there is a correlation. If you remove corruption and greed from the equation (which I know is hard to do) then when you think about it the more it costs a company to do R&D and create better product should result in a higher price for them to profit. That said, I would almost argue that it is a good rule of thumb, but certainly there are cheaper alternatives out there. Interesting stuff, and thanks for sharing.
When I first went into business, my eyes were blown wide open to just how much stores rip us all off. I get it.. overhead, profit yadda yadda. But no. They inflate the prices so much, it's sickening. Price means nothing.
I disagree. You can often get products - two products that are the same and of the same quality - and one will be a lot more just because of the brand and who is endorsing it. This is very common unfortunately, which I am sure you are aware of. I am never fooled by brands.
Price does not always reflect the quality of the goods that you will be getting. Sometimes I pay more for something because the price is higher and I expect it to be a much better quality, but it turns out to be worse than the value product. I like get the best product that I can with my money, but that does not always mean buying the most expensive one.
When I go shopping in the supermarket, I always look out for the house brand. This is always cheaper than the regular brands. I have compared a few of the products, house brand vs regular brand, and I have found that the house brands are just as good. So I get the same thing and pay less.
I agree. I always make sure I shop around. It can take me up to two hours upwards of a day to shop around for any one product, and I spend a lot of time reading the reviews. Brands are just a way to identify any one product, I feel. Some gain more esteem than others over time, but that does not truly represent quality.
You know what, I used to go into stores with the mind set of someone who looked down on Great Value products, I always felt like it meant that only people who couldn't afford the good stuff should buy Great Value. I was super wrong about that, and much of the food that I buy now is GV. I have tried different types of mil, and now I only buy GV, not just because it's really cheap, but also because the quality of what is being offered. Not everything out there is of good quality because of the price. You should just buy what makes you happy.
Of course, it's not true and, probably, has never been. For example, If I go to the bar = prices there are usually twice higher for anything. I can get all these products in a local store for a way much cheaper price. That's why I don't usually drink or eat much at such places. I'm just out to hang out and have some fun & meet cool people.
Price for quality shmality. We live in a world where everything is made in China. And if you've Apple's factory in the center, then you'll also have 10 smaller factories around that one creating replicas. Some will even use the same materials. Same goes for apparels and other goods. The average price of production for a high end shirt is around $5! Say with shipping and all, the "cost" goes up to $10. So, essentially, that designer shirt that you really want and that costs $199 in store, is really just a $10 shirt. I know because I was once in the apparel business and that is the real cost. Same goes for shoes, especially hush puppies, adidas, etc.
I don't think price necessarily dictates the level of quality but I think it plays an important factor. It depends on the item but most times higher quality items have a higher cost to produce and therefore the cost is passed on to the customer. If I am buying something in which I have no prior knowledge of the brands, I will usually go for the mid range price point hoping that it's quality is reflected in its price.
I would like to add that most high-end companies charge according to their brand's value and not according to the cost price. So, even though that Prada bags may have been made at a low cost, Prada will still charge a premium because of the brand value. I mean people don't realize that Italian luxury brands are now staffed by Chinese workers who're paid very little. The leather used certainly doesn't cost much either.
You mean buying fake goods? I think I recently experienced that when I bought 3 memory cards being auctioned in China. They are cheap, like if no one has bid higher than you then you would get it for 99 cents, but I got 2 of them at a regular price. Guess what? The card was faulty. So I guess it really pays to pay attention to the brand and price when buying something.
I think there are no set rules. On occasion something is expensive for good reason. Sometimes it is because the brand can get away with it. I think you have to carefully consider each item and also tune into your intuition.
I have noticed that most pricey items such as bags or wallets fall apart very easily. I once bought a 45 dollar wallet and in just 6 months, total disaster. I now own a 5 dollars wallet and it's been in decent shape for 2 years. My sister once bought a 100 dollars purse for 20 dollars because she worked there and the thin cloth peeled off in a couple of days while cheaper ones were still intact. I find that expensive clothes DO have quality to their price.
It's not in all situations, some items are just being overpriced. Some stores may raise the prices of their goods higher than expected to cover for rent and others in areas were cost of renting stores could be exhorbitant. Again the cost of living in some locations may also have effects on prices of items.
It depends. There are other brands that put high price tags on their products, just because they are popular brands. But sometimes, there are products that are of high quality and at the same time have high prices on them. Like for example, I recently went to a mall and checked out some shoe. I love Vans slip on shoes so I checked them out. the price tag is $64 a pair. I do know they last for years because i do not use them for skating. I usually buy high end copies of the same shoe that only costs me around $15, and they usually last for a year or 2.
