“Quality” products from “Quality” retailers

Submitted by reptomcraddick t3_1236sma in BuyItForLife

I was watching a YouTube video about a former department store and it struck me that the person who made it talked about how people cared about the quality of their products (in the 50s), and it occurred to me that when I think about the sentence “Go to ______, they’re quality” the only place I can think of is H‑E‑B (a grocery store in Texas). I do firmly believe they have quality products but it’s a grocery store so you consume everything they make. And it really makes me sad that I can’t think of a single store that I would describe a majority of their products as “quality”. Of course there’s individual retailers like REI or Darn Tough, but nothing like a Sears or Kmart that carries every day products.

So long story short, what retailers do you generally trust to give you a good product (mostly) no matter what?

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ijustmetuandiloveu t1_jdtwg8a wrote

I’ve purchased a lot of quality items at Costco. Kitchen Aid mixer, VitaMix blender, etc. They tend to carry quality brands and their house brand, Kirkland Signature is also pretty good.

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reptomcraddick OP t1_jdtwzj2 wrote

I didn’t think of CostCo, I’ve never been a member as my parents aren’t and as a single person I don’t really have a need, but me and my roommate go every few months, she has a membership, I love their pesto

That’s a really solid answer, definitely more food and consumable related than say a Kmart or Sears but definitely more “stuff” than a grocery store

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graywoman7 t1_jdv2j4v wrote

If you’d like to shop more often or on your own ask your roommate to get you a bunch of low value gift cards. You don’t need a membership to shop with a gift card and you can pay any overage yourself so it’s fine to get $5 cards to use for this purpose. You just won’t be able to use the gas station.

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nousername1890 t1_jdvfjnn wrote

Pretty sure they don't let you do this anymore, if you don't have a membership you can only use your gift card amount as currency

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pfffffttuhmm t1_jdvkx7p wrote

Split the membership with your roommate!

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reptomcraddick OP t1_jdvpdje wrote

I mean I can always just borrow her card if I really want to, but normally we got together or she texts me to ask what I want and then I just venmo her

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i_am_regina_phalange t1_jdvqq7d wrote

Costco also mandated that it’s partner brands only take from 11%-15% margin, so you know you aren’t being gouged.

If a brand refuses (many can’t even operate with that small of a margin) Costco has been known to private label that product.

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ReferHvacGuy t1_jdu9wox wrote

+1 for Costco. Big portion of stuff they sell is the best quality you can buy at a big box store.

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SimpleVegetable5715 t1_jdv1qva wrote

Costco is definitely better than Sams, since their parent company is Wamart, which is extremely toxic. I like Kirkland brand also, plus, retail workers are always hoping to get hired there because the benefits and pay are much better.

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LeeisureTime t1_jdv5kem wrote

Costco stands by their products. They keep digital receipts of your purchases so if you do have an issue with a product purchased at Costco, you can go and get it replaced. I'm sure some people have abused the system, but their policy (as far as I know) is to always replace the product, no questions asked (or refund if you don't want a replacement). Never had to use it myself, but it's one of the reasons I shop there.

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05BlazerExt t1_jdtiosk wrote

Maybe not the answer you’re looking for, but I don’t blanket trust any retailer. They’re out to make profit. The more you buy, the better off they are. I trust myself to thoroughly research a product and ask plenty of questions. When I’m in need of a fast solution rather than a lasting one, there is a compromise to be made. If I don’t want to do my research, I would probably go to a mom and pop shop and listen to their recommendations and learn what you can before making a purchase.

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reptomcraddick OP t1_jdtj53a wrote

Oh 100%, that’s why I phrased it “generally trust”. It just really occurred to me that I don’t have a place I go for basics that I generally trust to not break in a year, and I was wondering if anyone had a store like that for them.

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certifiedintelligent t1_jdtm6dh wrote

Trust the brand, not the store (unless it's a brand store). Reevaluate regularly.

Crock pot, instant pot, zojirushi, robot coupe, vitamix, kitchenaid professional (can you tell I'm big into kitchen gadgets?), arcteryx, kirkland signature, milwaukee tools, anything with a honda engine in it, precor exercise equipment, rogue fitness gear, samsung computer chips and displays, iqair purifiers, speedqueen washing machines, herman miller chairs, etc.

BIFL quality stuff tends to cost more. If businesses only stocked expensive BIFL stuff, they'd lose out on a lot of money from the cheaper/poorer demographic, so they sell cheaper stuff too.

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mets2016 t1_jdvl05v wrote

Isn’t arcteryx going down the shitter?

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certifiedintelligent t1_jdxvrfm wrote

First I've heard of it, then again, I haven't bought anything from them for a while. Hence the BIFL.

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SuddenMacaroon8355 t1_je6olzp wrote

I’m actually pretty pleased with the last few jackets and packs I got from them.

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Thanmandrathor t1_jdveudc wrote

What is important to note here though is that some appliance makers, like Kitchenaid, make cheaper versions of some of their stuff that gets sold at some of the bigger box stores at large discounts. Like the stand mixers. Some of the models that seem the same but are kind of inexplicably way cheaper, that can be because some had plastic instead of metal gearing, or less strong motors.

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bilindastang t1_jduvja9 wrote

Big +1 for Rogue fitness, their equipment is built like a tank

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SigSeikoSpyderco t1_jdubtmc wrote

In the 50s you had a big focus on quality at high cost because people remembered how important it was to have things that did not wear out in the depression era. Today we are far more focused on buying based on economics than for quality. No, not a lot of things we buy at Target or Lowe's will last 40 years, but it's so cheap that it doesn't really matter.

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Quail-a-lot t1_jdx73f1 wrote

The 50s had loads of junk too! But we mostly only see the good shit due to survivorship bias. And the 20s had kind of a crazy amount of what we would today easily call fast fashion.

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Ahab_Ali t1_jdtl9yl wrote

HEB's reputation never ceases to amaze me.

I used to use Macy's as a general bellwether of quality, but I believe in recent years (decades?) they have introduced more inexpensive items to compete for the Target demographic, so I would not blindly trust them any longer.

Similar to REI, though, there are specialty stores like Fleet Feet and Road Runner Sports that stick to well respected brands. You cannot really make a bad purchase there, but just in case, they also have knowledgeable staff who can guide you to specifically what you need. The downside is that piece of mind comes with a price: price.

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SimpleVegetable5715 t1_jdv2892 wrote

Macy's got a new CEO, in, I think 2017-ish, when their pro-blue collar worker CEO stepped down. I'd imagine the company will go downhill. Shit eventually rolls downhill. It really started going downhill when Federated bought them. That's when they started weeding out commissioned sales associates. Imagine being able to make close to $20/hour in retail back in the early 2000's 😅, yeah, no more, thanks Federated. That's when I noticed their products making a downturn also. I worked there on an off a lot over the past 20 years.

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reptomcraddick OP t1_jdtmmqn wrote

H‑E‑B is truly the best of both worlds, some of their products are actually more expensive than name brands but I always choose H‑E‑B because it’s usually a superior product

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Remote_Host1601 t1_jduqger wrote

Pretty much every category of goods has small businesses retailers that specialize in high quality offerings. In terms of chains, I think Apple Store, Crutchfield, Design Within Reach, Nike Store, Patagonia, Sur la Table, William Sonoma all carry consistently good quality things.

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edhitchon1993 t1_jdubwgi wrote

I can't think of any retailer I trust automatically to only stock good stuff in general. In the UK perhaps John Lewis and Marks and Spencer would have a higher proportion of good quality items.

For specific stuff there are still places like Richer Sounds, I put more trust in them to give me both a quality product and good advice as to what I need, we were downsold a TV from them about 12 years ago which I was very impressed by.

Other than that it's all local retailers, I trust my timber merchants judgement on wood, there's a great little DIY store in town, and a couple of bike parts suppliers on eBay who I know will always come up good.

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Helpful-Sample-6803 t1_jdui1qt wrote

I love Richer Sounds. Great customer service and they price match (unlike John Lewis). Smaller/ local companies tend to be much better…

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SimpleVegetable5715 t1_jdv1ieq wrote

I lived in Austin, and I don't think HEB employees are particularly happy. Randall's paid better, and their parent company, Safeway, allows workers to unionize, in union states, not Texas. I worked for a heavily unionized retailer, Macy's, in a non-union/right to work state, and it still made a difference, like we got health insurance, 401k's, an hour lunch break instead of the typical 30, the workplace culture seemed less toxic. HEB was blamed for trying to create a monopoly in central Texas, and push out smaller grocers, so they're kind of doing what Walmart did to small businesses, but also, how much of that can we avoid in this country? How do you define a quality company? That they make quality goods, or treat their employers well? Are they ethical?

I currently work at Target, and the CEO, Brian Cornell, is heavily anti-union. But if you search, there are a few items made with "that union label", mainly some Target brand kitchenwares made by the United Steelworkers. I was actually blown away finding their store brand Pyrex and some glassware and ceramics are made by workers under that union. The quality of the items though, I think it's on par with everything else these days. Older union made items that I can usually find at thrift stores are definitely higher quality. Companies are now into fast fashion, things that wear out, because that's what rolls a profit. Even those Stanley cups everyone are after. You drop them once, and the seal is probably ruined. Not like the Stanley cups that are popular with blue collar workers.

For housewares, which is what I'm most familiar with, I think Lenox is still a quality brand, Kitchenaid and Cuisinart if you are buying from a department store. Their lines at stores like Walmart and Target have cut corners to bring the cost down for their customer demographic. Most brands have their quality line and their more budget friendly line now. I think, unfortunately, once a company gets to be a certain size, they start to lose a lot of their ethics. Finding one that is both quality products and ethical seems like a real challenge.

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random1888wagred t1_jdub4cd wrote

In the UK - John Lewis tend to stock pretty nice stuff

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Helpful-Sample-6803 t1_jduhwl7 wrote

Have you been in a John Lewis recently?? It looks like there’s an impending apocalypse. They are considering selling some of it off ☹️

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the_real_logboy t1_jdvlq6q wrote

People have always cared about quality, but companies care even more about profit.

What was once affordable and commonplace quality largely gets pushed into expensive and specialist interests, over time.

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CornDawgy87 t1_jdvw3qr wrote

Sprouts grocery store, i trust just about anything in there to be a healthier alternative. Another vote for Costco too. Online retailer - bespoke post. Probably throw REI in the mix too.

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reptomcraddick OP t1_jdvxiky wrote

I feel like Sprouts is so expensive for no good reason though, I’m an instacart shopper so I shop there a lot and then I’ll go to H‑E‑B and see the exact same product for half the price. I definitely do go there for some items I can’t get anywhere else though.

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CornDawgy87 t1_jdvxrxe wrote

Some of it definitely. We don't have HEB where I am so I try to go to sprouts when I can and then ralphs (kroger) for the rest. Sprouts supposedly gets their produce more locally so it's usually as fresh as possible

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reptomcraddick OP t1_jdvyc8p wrote

Fair enough, I never buy produce, I’m the worst, I buy an avocado once every three months and the occasional strawberries but that’s it. I usually go to Sprouts for my Yerba Mate energy drinks and things like that.

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JackBinimbul t1_jdx9ddx wrote

Howdy, fellow Texan!

People do not understand the H-E-B loyalty until they've been here for a few months. I've got people in other states who ask me to ship them things now.

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