I purchased our first washing machine shortly after I got married almost 20 years ago. It was 10 years old when I brought it home and installed it in the basement of my duplex, and it took quite a bit of effort to wrestle that beast down the stairs. Shortly after I moved into our first home, the now 22 year-old washer kicked the bucket. Having moved up somewhat in the world, we decided to go out and purchase our first brand new washer and dryer set. I resolved myself to look for the same brand and more importantly (so I thought), the best price and value that I could get. As our family had now grown to four people, my wife wanted the super capacity size and all I wanted was for a pair that would last me another 22 years. Hey! Stop laughing! Surely the latest and greatest washer and dryer made in the year 2000 would outperform the ones that same company made in 1978. Right?
After moving to California and setting these machines up in my house we wound up having them for less than 7 years before I was forced to call out the repair man. Instead of fixing them, he recommended that we would be better off buying a new set. I was blown away and asked, “Why would these only last 7 years when the ones I had before last over 20 years?” He simply answered, “Appliances are not made like they use to be.” I have always wondered if I would have been better to have spent the money to repair the pair built in 1978. With this story in mind, how does one measure value?
Many times we (me included) get fixated on getting something for the least amount of money possible. Sales and discounts many times can bait us into believing we are getting a good value, when in fact we are usually only indulging a desire for the instant gratification of getting a “good deal”. Just because something is 30% off does not make it a better quality product. If I have to buy that same item twice, I just spent over 40% more than if I had bought the better quality product in the first place and not needed to replace it. Sometimes it is not how much you get something for but what you are getting that really makes for great value. Check out Gary explaining how our product is made, ( http://customcomfortmattress.com/howmattressmade.html ) and you will see exactly what I am talking about.
I always have a hard time discerning real value - a tshirt from Walmart is $9 and a similar one at Nordstrom's is $39... but the Nordstrom one won't fall apart at the seams after 2 washes. I think when it comes to products that we expect to last, we need to search hard for the top quality and not focus so much on the low prices.
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