$80 for a hoodie?! I bought the one I wear semi-daily at Old Navy for two fucking dollars. Two dollars. It's awesome, tight-fitting; think skinny grunge. And it cost less than the milkshake I stupidly got last night. I mean come on. Shit like this makes me wonder if all the people who complain about never having any money are actually worth listening to. Hoodies are $50 at Gap? But Gap is the store marketed at parents with a lot of kids who need cheap, durable clothes... I'm so confused, but I'm like that more and more these days so whatever.
Completely an aside, there is a chocolate/coffee shop near me. This summer I noticed while getting an espresso that they had shakes and malts, so I told the girl to just make me a shake and dump a couple shots of espresso right in. HOLY SHIT. This summer I probably had, no exaggeration, close to 100 vanilla espresso shakes. Sort of glad Fall is here so I can calm down.And it cost less than the milkshake I stupidly got last night.
You are now aware of what Espresso Affogato means.
I had that in NY this past summer from a little roadside cart, -the ice cream version. I should have known everything has a name. It basically kicks the ass of every flavor combination that companies like Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Daz could ever come up with. A pinnacle.
Okay so what happened to me was that I live near a place that had half-off milkshakes all summer, and I got conditioned in August and September, and now it's not summer and they're not half-off -- but I'm fucking addicted so I still order them if I have an especially shitty day. They don't do espresso otherwise I would definitely try that.
Shit like this? Man, these are clearly not marketed at people who really don't have money. Many people complain about not having money for many reasons. I suspect that you're not actually talking about impoverished people who are complaining about not having money (or I hope not). Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic are all owned by the same parent company and do business on a scale several orders of magnitude larger than the business this dude's company does. Not only that, but a lot of Old Navy's stuff is made in other countries for next to nothing and their orders are gigantic, so in order to get Old Navy's very valuable repeat business the cost per unit goes down. Not to mention that the article clearly states that the quality of the materials are much higher and harder to work with than the one you bought at Old Navy, which uses blends. All signs point to this being the kind of product that people with money who don't want to dress like they have money, want to buy. Not only that, but it's designed to be a high-quality product, whereas Old Navy's clothes are not created with that in mind. The fact that it's the lowest rung of that company's product ladder should also be noted. Basically, you can't compare the price of Old Navy vs. this company, since they're operating at vastly different levels of output and for different purposes. Also, this company makes sweatshirts. That's it. If their sweatshirts don't sell, they're fucked. If Old Navy's don't sell, well, something else in their catalog will likely cover that loss. Thus, their strategy is much different than Old Navy's strategy and their target demographics are different too. Old Navy is marketed toward teenagers and young adults, who will likely move up to Gap and eventually Banana Republic. So, basically you've compared a hamburger to a steak, because they're both beef. That may be, but people who have a taste for steak and the money to buy it are going to buy steak when it suits them, though overall they might still eat more hamburgers. Yeah, there are people who might choose to exclusively eat steak, but most of the people who will do that will be able to afford it.Shit like this makes me wonder if all the people who complain about never having any money are actually worth listening to.
People who think they don't have money but actually have tons of money compared to a lot of the truly poor. People who bother to get clothes Gap or BR instead of just Goodwill, Walmart, etc. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but it seems to be the same demographic that claims it's being screwed by the economy. It's not one of my better generalizations, but I stand by it. Actually, my entire post was a reaction to the apparent price of a piece of clothing at Gap. While this site you linked to certainly isn't marketed at anyone below upper-middle class, Gap is. So is Old Navy. Maybe, when comparing American Giant to Gap or Old Navy, which I didn't intend to do. But when I'm comparing a $50 hoodie at one of those stores to an extremely cheap hoodie at another ... that's apples to apples. PS: I should say that I completely understand how my post could be misconstrued because the entire article is about this online store and I was essentially ranting about one sentence.Shit like this? Man, these are clearly not marketed at people who really don't have money. Many people complain about not having money for many reasons. I suspect that you're not actually talking about impoverished people who are complaining about not having money (or I hope not).
So, basically you've compared a hamburger to a steak, because they're both beef. That may be, but people who have a taste for steak and the money to buy it are going to buy steak when it suits them, though overall they might still eat more hamburgers. Yeah, there are people who might choose to exclusively eat steak, but most of the people who will do that will be able to afford it.
That's fair. I do understand where you're coming from, but I really hope that American Giant will encourage similar companies to emerge. Personally, I'd prefer to save money to purchase a quality garment than to continue to buy several cheaper, lower quality garments. However, given my finances, I have bought from Old Navy fairly recently as the prices are what I can afford. I hear what you're saying about shopping at Goodwill and Walmart, but time is a cost as well, especially at Goodwill. Personally, I think that might just be the people you're interacting with. I'm not exactly sure what demographic you're talking about specifically, but I will say that I do feel a bit screwed by the economy at the moment, given my skills and experience. I think that a lot of people are right in thinking that. I also think that perhaps you're talking about two sets of people that happens to have some overlap, but whatever, there's bound to be some.I should say that I completely understand how my post could be misconstrued because the entire article is about this online store and I was essentially ranting about one sentence.
People who think they don't have money but actually have tons of money compared to a lot of the truly poor. People who bother to get clothes Gap or BR instead of just Goodwill, Walmart, etc. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but it seems to be the same demographic that claims it's being screwed by the economy.
Yeah, I get you. It's more of an, if you're screwed by the economy, shop within your means thing. Don't complain if you get screwed because you fail to adjust. The vast majority of us are also getting screwed. But you're right it's two different groups and only when there's overlap does it bother me.
Not that this is an argument for or against the sweatshirt, but (just to add a little fuel to your fire) it's actually $90. This article was published a year ago. It makes one wonder if they have raised the price because they're selling so well, or if they can't produce them at $80.
My original post is sort of misleading, I wasn't really talking about the made in America product that humanodon posted -- that's marketed upscale, and I understand that, and have no problem with it. Wouldn't and couldn't buy it, but whatever. I was incensed, however, about the Gap hoodie that's apparently fifty bucks, because Gap markets to lower middle class in my opinion, and probably fools a good number of them into thinking that they're the most economical option. That's terrible.
I wonder how much that sweatshirt from Ol' Mavy cost Ol' Mavy to produce? I wonder how much they paid the persons involved in making it? Do you think they get health care? Do you think they get education? Do you think America's foreign policy has affected the lives of these people? America is a consumerist/materialist society. So our progress of getting cheap clothes is not just because robots. It costs child labor. It costs dangerous working. It cost creating economic instability and large "loans" for political and corruptible leverage. It costs inequity on such a grand scale that it truly puts all of us into the one percentile in comparison. But please ... keep wolfing dog the bread and laughing at the circus.
I generally expect better comments than this in my inbox on hubski. You can attack me personally for free-market capitalism all you want, but I'm not ever going to respond on any meaningful level, because it dignifies your post. One question -- would you be less quasi-disgusted with me if I had bought the shiny, marketed $50 dollar hoodie that wasn't on clearance?