Do You Shop for Quality or Quantity?

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Abstract

. I used to stay in Singapore and Saigon for 7 years. Both are hot places with one season, summer. When I moved back to Europe in 2018, I had to buy some winter clothes to stay warm. Now I’m a faithful son who respects my parents. I went to a skiing shop and bought myself high-quality gloves from Scandinavia. They were waterproof and could keep my hands warm all the way to -30C or -22F. These gloves would last for years, I thought.</p><p id="7ec9">The pricey gloves lasted for 2 winter seasons. The waterproof feature worked both ways. The sweat on my hands was trapped inside the gloves. I had to turn the gloves inside out for drying every night. I had to turn them back in the morning after. They became smelly by the end of the first winter. Washing didn’t help a lot. My wife is very sensitive to smells. She begged me to get rid of these gloves during the second season. I lost one glove during cycling so the case was closed.</p><p id="1196">Two years ago I went to a Chinese shop and bought a pair of cotton winter gloves for 2.5 Euro. They were comfortable and warm. They lasted exactly for one season. I tripped and fell on my hands once so they had a couple of holes since February. No hard feelings though. I bought exactly the same gloves for the 21/22 winter. They lasted for one season, too. I think I’ll keep buying them every year. Expensive gloves can’t beat this.</p><p id="a673"><b>I’m a minimalist and simplistic person.</b> I tend to keep my unnecessary possessions, such as clothes, at a low level. I avoid buying a lot of items in the first place, so you could call me ascetic. I replace something when it can’t be used anymore. When I buy something, the main question is: ‘Does it do the job?’. Once the item does what it’s designed for, I look for a minimal possible price.</p><p id="08cd">I still remember an episode when me a

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nd my wife still dated. We were going someplace and she suggested I wore jeans. She was surprised I didn’t have any jeans. It’s not something I would need in ever-hot Singapore.</p><p id="5c7d">Yes, my wife is a different story. Found some clothes she likes? She can buy 3 or 5 pieces. My wife keeps trying to persuade me into the same behaviour. I stay adamant and buy 1 piece. I change it when it’s time.</p><h2 id="dcf7">How do you shop? Do you have a shopping philosophy?</h2><h1 id="65b4">Connect</h1><p id="2696">I lead a BootCamp <a href="https://medium.com/@and.pilipets/list/nww-bootcamp-collection-a61c13a50230"><b>column</b></a><b> </b>at the New Writers Welcome publication. Perfect if you want to get healthier at your own pace.</p><p id="d7f2">Like my stories? You can <b>subscribe <a href="https://medium.com/subscribe/@and.pilipets">here</a></b>.</p><p id="06e9">New to Medium? You can get full access if you <b>join <a href="https://medium.com/@and.pilipets/membership">here</a></b>. I will receive a small portion of your membership fee. The price for you is the same, $5 a month or$ 50 a year.</p><p id="3f9b">Thank you for reading! Thank you <a href="undefined">David Perlmutter</a> for everything you do.</p><div id="c63d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/@and.pilipets"> <div> <div> <h2>Andrey Pilipets — Medium</h2> <div><h3>Read writing from Andrey Pilipets on Medium. I’m a passionate online personal trainer for 10+ years. I love to create…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*gnppfQbrYxZhPHLH)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Should I buy a quality item that lasts or keep changing them?

Manufaktura Shopping Gallery, Poland. Wikipedia Commons.

I hate shopping since I was a kid. My first memorable shopping experience? I travelled to the capital with my mom once, back in the 1990s. A giant football stadium with 80k+ seats was turned into a clothing market. We made three circles around the huge stadium marketplace. The first circle was to look. In the second circle, she asked for prices. The third and final one was to buy something. Did I mention the summer heat of 33C (91F)? I put the stadium’s photo so you could imagine the scale.

This Stadium used to be a market. Wikipedia Commons

Many men consider shopping a useless activity that sucks time and money. I met a few women from the same camp. Sorry, I have zero shopping experience with other genders. Yet sometimes you have to shop, right?

My parents use to have a saying ‘We are not rich enough to buy cheap things’. They would prefer to buy items of great quality that last for decades and centuries. Their reason was that repairing or replacing cheap items takes a lot of time and effort. You better buy once and for a lifetime. Doesn’t sound exactly fashion-friendly, right?

I have changed my attitude since then. I used to stay in Singapore and Saigon for 7 years. Both are hot places with one season, summer. When I moved back to Europe in 2018, I had to buy some winter clothes to stay warm. Now I’m a faithful son who respects my parents. I went to a skiing shop and bought myself high-quality gloves from Scandinavia. They were waterproof and could keep my hands warm all the way to -30C or -22F. These gloves would last for years, I thought.

The pricey gloves lasted for 2 winter seasons. The waterproof feature worked both ways. The sweat on my hands was trapped inside the gloves. I had to turn the gloves inside out for drying every night. I had to turn them back in the morning after. They became smelly by the end of the first winter. Washing didn’t help a lot. My wife is very sensitive to smells. She begged me to get rid of these gloves during the second season. I lost one glove during cycling so the case was closed.

Two years ago I went to a Chinese shop and bought a pair of cotton winter gloves for 2.5 Euro. They were comfortable and warm. They lasted exactly for one season. I tripped and fell on my hands once so they had a couple of holes since February. No hard feelings though. I bought exactly the same gloves for the 21/22 winter. They lasted for one season, too. I think I’ll keep buying them every year. Expensive gloves can’t beat this.

I’m a minimalist and simplistic person. I tend to keep my unnecessary possessions, such as clothes, at a low level. I avoid buying a lot of items in the first place, so you could call me ascetic. I replace something when it can’t be used anymore. When I buy something, the main question is: ‘Does it do the job?’. Once the item does what it’s designed for, I look for a minimal possible price.

I still remember an episode when me and my wife still dated. We were going someplace and she suggested I wore jeans. She was surprised I didn’t have any jeans. It’s not something I would need in ever-hot Singapore.

Yes, my wife is a different story. Found some clothes she likes? She can buy 3 or 5 pieces. My wife keeps trying to persuade me into the same behaviour. I stay adamant and buy 1 piece. I change it when it’s time.