Discussions about the fashion industry thread

[winston86dit]

It astounds me that people will shell out $1200 for a new iPhone every 18 months, but will bargain basement hunt for the bedframe and mattress they sleep on.

Claims have been made that the vast majority of consumers can't afford quality goods - clothing, furniture etc. I have a hard time buying much of it though when people are spending vast amounts quite often on new car leases, new electronics, etc, added with the increasing trend of eating out (pre-covid) which grew by about 25% proportionally in the decade before 2019.

People seem more than willing to spend on outward status signifiers (fashion clothing, cars, iphones, instagramable dining), while cheaping out on the things that stay more private (appliances, furniture, cooking a decent meal at home).

100% agree here. I would also add that leasing models seem to be more of the norm for things such as car leases and iphone purchases and even though something like Affirm exists for clothing/furniture purchases, it hasn't become as normalized as the others. I would imagine that is changing however.

 

[sushijerk]

It astounds me that people will shell out $1200 for a new iPhone every 18 months, but will bargain basement hunt for the bedframe and mattress they sleep on.

Claims have been made that the vast majority of consumers can't afford quality goods - clothing, furniture etc. I have a hard time buying much of it though when people are spending vast amounts quite often on new car leases, new electronics, etc, added with the increasing trend of eating out (pre-covid) which grew by about 25% proportionally in the decade before 2019.

People seem more than willing to spend on outward status signifiers (fashion clothing, cars, iphones, instagramable dining), while cheaping out on the things that stay more private (appliances, furniture, cooking a decent meal at home).

It's because we are constantly reminded, with concrete numbers, that the next phone will out perform our current phone, and is in fact the "best phone they have ever made,"....and what they say is mostly true. Meanwhile the advertising around everything else is pretty much that functionality and design has peaked, and the price for the best is a race to the bottom by cutting out the middlemen.

 

[ValidusLA]

Relative price for a lot of those electronics has really plummeted though. Not saying new iphones every year aren't expensive from a levels perspective, but TVs, computers, etc are shockingly cheap from a relative perspective.
View attachment 1673347

And yeah in some ways it's discordant to spend a lot in one area but not another, but also: spending little in one area is in some ways precisely how someone paying >40% of income toward rent with college debt can afford to engage in other, costlier aspects of social life.

True that relative pricing on tech has generally fallen. However, rate of acquisition and replacement and number of devices has increased.

And while there is some truth to the argument that people on limited incomes need certain things to engage in society (car to get around, phone to access internet services), that does not mean those goods need to be replaced with feverish regularity to maintain those functions, nor is choosing the most socially prestigious variant necessary.

Every time someone buys an Apple anything, they are paying $ to upgrade purely for social signal (ease of use argument is trite in the extreme for those born in 85' or after).

 

[clee1982]

Even from pure utility perspective most people would get a lot more out of their smart phone than spend $1k on suit though

 

[ValidusLA]

Even from pure utility perspective most people would get a lot more out of their smart phone than spend $1k on suit though

Ah but they would derive more long-term utility if they kept their smartphone for 4 years and plowed those dollars into a quality mattress and bedframe.

When they are 60, the thumb carpal tunnel and bad back will not be kind.

 

[jaaz16]

True that relative pricing on tech has generally fallen. However, rate of acquisition and replacement and number of devices has increased.

And while there is some truth to the argument that people on limited incomes need certain things to engage in society (car to get around, phone to access internet services), that does not mean those goods need to be replaced with feverish regularity to maintain those functions, nor is choosing the most socially prestigious variant necessary.

Every time someone buys an Apple anything, they are paying $ to upgrade purely for social signal (ease of use argument is trite in the extreme for those born in 85' or after).

Yeah, fair. I also don't understand people who do an annual/18 month iPhone upgrade. I don't even understand the "lease" system they introduced that a friend tried to sell me on, where you pay less but then...have to give the phone back after a year. I upgrade every few models and even that seems excessive at times.

 

[clee1982]

Ah but they would derive more long-term utility if they kept their smartphone for 4 years and plowed those dollars into a quality mattress and bedframe.

When they are 60, the thumb carpal tunnel and bad back will not be kind.

how many people annual upgrade iPhone? I would think most update every 3 to 4 years?

 

[Mariokartfever]

how many people annual upgrade iPhone? I would think most update every 3 to 4 years?

When i was younger I upgraded every year

Not sure if it was because I was dumber or because the upgrades felt "bigger" back in the early 2010s

Just can't bothered anymore. Need that $$$ to buy my annual inis mean tunics in slightly different shades or amber/ochre/rust/cayenne.

 

[ValidusLA]

Office Depot (who I'm not sure I trust as a source but who knows), says three years. But peripherals much more often:

Office Depot reveals habits of US tech device users

Apple, Samsung and all the rest do keep consumers busy with new and desirable tech devices, but how often do Americans really get around to upgrading their devices?

www.zdnet.com

Larger survey on GSMarena - so enthusiasts - point to more often. But enthusiasts are (like SF members) crazy.

Light reading seems to indicate that replacement time is going up in general. So 3 years is maybe about accurate now and increasing, but used to be more often.

Anecdotally, I feel like I know a lot of people who replace them yearly or 18 months.

 

[Salad]

I've decided to upgrade to the 13 from a.....5. You read that right, a 5. Not even a 5s. The only button that works is the home button and the screen is shattered but it still works and charges fine. Orig battery, too. Whenever I'm with people they look at my phone in amazement. Some have offered me their old phones. One friend suggested a Kickstarter to buy me a new phone, lol. I'm not a heavy text or phone user in general so it works fine for what I do with it but it's time to get a new phone.

 

[Texasmade]

Personal anecdote

My Asian friends would upgrade smart phones every 1-2 years.
My non-Asian friends would upgrade smart phones every 3-4 years. I tend to go 4 years between upgrades.

 

[winston86dit]

Yeah, fair. I also don't understand people who do an annual/18 month iPhone upgrade. I don't even understand the "lease" system they introduced that a friend tried to sell me on, where you pay less but then...have to give the phone back after a year. I upgrade every few models and even that seems excessive at times.

I'm the same exact way. Anything more frequent seems really wasteful.

how many people annual upgrade iPhone? I would think most update every 3 to 4 years?

Yea, I know there have been a few articles about this and back in 2018, the average US customer was keeping their phone for 24 months.

I really thought this meme summed up the yearly release of iphones...

 

[sushijerk]

Personal anecdote

My Asian friends would upgrade smart phones every 1-2 years.
My non-Asian friends would upgrade smart phones every 3-4 years. I tend to go 4 years between upgrades.

This is weirdly true even in the tech industry where you'd think people care a lot more. I used to be a two year cycle guy but phones got so good even outdated ones will run pretty much every app smoothly and take decent photos. I used to see white software guys walk around with cracked screen iphone 4s until like a couple of years ago, which is insane to me.

 

[ValidusLA]

Personal anecdote

My Asian friends would upgrade smart phones every 1-2 years.
My non-Asian friends would upgrade smart phones every 3-4 years. I tend to go 4 years between upgrades.

Maybe I think its more common cause I mostly work w/ Asians.

Oddly, the company pays for my phone and I can upgrade basically at will (12-18 months if I wanted to), but I still don't run out to get them as soon as I can. I recently got a Note 20 Ultra, replacing the Note 9 that I had for 3 years.

3 years is pretty often, but I think its restrained considering it costs me nothing.

 

[clee1982]

1 year to 18 month just seem to short for gen pop, 3 years sounds right. I get free phone too but I’m just couldn’t be bothered to replace i guess…