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.