You Get What You Pay For
Nov 4th, 2007 by Eryk
Growing up, my family wasn’t exactly rich. Top Ramen was our most popular dinner, food stamps were used more often than cash, and in my naivete I actually thought that I was somehow special because I didn’t have to pay for my lunches at school like the other kids. Back then, it was common for me to question why anyone would actually pay for a brand name item when there was a significantly cheaper generic item available. I couldn’t understand why someone would choose the fifty dollar Levis over the fifteen dollar generic Wal-Mart jeans. After all, it’s just a pair of jeans right? Oh how wrong I was.
As I’ve moved into the realm of middle class, I’ve slowly learned one important truth: you get what you pay for. There’s a reason why those Wal-Mart jeans are only fifteen dollars. There’s a reason why that package of Top Ramen is only ten cents. And there’s a reason why the Nordstrom’s shirts that I’ve come to love are fifty dollars or more. Not only are they exponentially more comfortable, but they come complete with the expectation that they are quality shirts worth every penny.
Recently I had a chance to test that expectation. One of my Nordstrom shirts was beginning to fray along one of the creases, while others that I had owned just as long were still in great condition. I took the shirt back into Nordstrom’s and showed the “men’s sportswear stylists” the problem. Their reaction was exactly what I had expected. They said that they would be happy to let me exchange it…even after I explained that I didn’t have a receipt and that I had owned the shirt for nearly a year, and had worn it often. Nevertheless, they assured me that it should never happen with one of their shirts.
Imagine buying a ten dollar shirt from Target or Wal-Mart, wearing it several times a month for nearly a year, and then discovering that it’s fraying along one of the creases. Now imagine trying to take the shirt back without a receipt and explaining to the clerk that you’d owned it for nearly a year. Do you think they’d let you return it? Of course not. It’s a cheap ten dollar shirt, and you absolutely get what you pay for.
Nordstroms has a reputation for not questioning.. an elderly man once returned 2 tires to Norstroms stating he no longer owned the car and wanted a refund on the snow tires he never used. Even though the store does not sale tires they gave the man his refund. There was no arguing, bartering. The man left happy. The store donated the tires to a non-profit who helps men and women with job search using them as a tax deduction. The man continued to be a happy customer for years afterwards. Stores need to get a clue. If the customer leaves happy they bring in 10 more customers with their statisfied customer story. If they leave pissed the store loses 100 customers who heard about the unhappy customers story.
Part two: Being from a single parent family, my mom working as a housekeeper in a nursing home at minimum wage and took classes at the community college at night. I too lived off food stamps, top ramen, payless shoes, Goodwill, garage sale and later Kmart clothing. My sister and I had free lunches. We were far from rich. I read your statement of living the less than rich life. I had friends who were living the rich life. They had the brand name $50 a pop shirts, the levies, the shoes that were in style for the next 4 months. They also lived in a two parent family. As I look back at their lives and mine I see they lived in a two parent family where their parents were too busy to attend their games while my mom attended all of mine. Their parents argued and fought all the time. Their parents gave them everything and they never learned to appreciate what they had. Their parents wore fancy expensive jewelry and clothing while my mom wore underwear with holes in them, dresses with patches, blouses and pants literally falling apart, once wearing two completely different shoes because one fell apart. We always came before she did. My mom gave her time to us and our friends by picking them up for games and other activities and never received a dime from their parents to help with gas. We lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment, my sister sharing a room with my mom. Without food stamps and there were not many we would not have been able to eat. Top Ramen and macaroni and cheese were very inexpensive. MY mom was there when we got home from school. She cooked meals thought I do not remember what meals she cooked. She always paid the rent, heating and supplied us with recreation, clothing and took us to the doctor when we needed to go. One day while standing in line to receive my free lunch, 5th grade, the school bully made a comment about a welfare baby. UP until this point I always considered myself special as you did. The bully’s comment made me think. After the comment I turned and said to him. I get free lunches because we are poor. We are poor because my mom cares enough about us to be there for us when we get home from school. Where’s your parents when you get home? We are poor because she goes without to make sure we have our needs are met. Didn’t your parents forget to send picture money for your school picture because they were too busy? My mom used the money for her new shoes to put gas in the car to get us to the Christmas program. Where was your mom and dad? I didn’t see them there. I got punched but it was worth it. Just because you live off food stamps, top ramen and get free lunches doesn’t make you less rich than someone who lives in a mansion and 8 vehicles. I have not read enough of your blogs to know if you lived in a 2 parent or 1 parent family. If your parents worked but were low income and unless you had parents who were drug addicts, alcoholics or worse yet abandoned you don’t complain about having free food and Wal-Mart brand clothing. At least you had food and clothing. I wonder just how much your parents went without so you could at least have these things.