It’s been said that you get what you pay for. While there may be exceptions to that rule, it does often prove to be the case. Where quality matters, paying more for an item of higher quality can offer a better value than paying less for lesser quality.
For example, I’ve learned through comments that many of us enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea. I enjoy both and I try to be brand loyal. The flavor and consistency of the coffee and tea that I purchase have earned my loyalty even though the suggested retail price of the brands that I purchase (via mail order from the company) is much higher than the price that I would pay if I purchased coffee and tea at my local store.
Despite the higher list price, however, I find that by purchasing a better quality coffee and tea, I am now saving money on my favorite beverages. Of course, that is due in large part to my patience with my purchasing patterns and my willingness to purchase in bulk. When my coffee company recently offered its fair trade Ethiopian coffee beans for six dollars per twelve ounces (seventy percent savings), I jumped at the chance to purchase it because the price was actually less expensive than the regular price of most coffees sold in my store.
By comparison to most brands available in my local grocery store, my more expensive coffee beans (which are roasted the day they are shipped) are also a lot stronger. I use about half of my more expensive beans as compared to an off the shelf brand when I brew a pot of coffee. That ratio means that my premium beans make twice as many pots of coffee as beans that I might buy in a store.
There are a lot of reasons that it can be better to pay more for good quality products. Here are a few that I have considered.
Durability
If you are trying to purchase an item that should have a long shelf life, it may be better to pay for quality so that you know that the product really will last. For example, I like to purchase generic products whenever possible but I always purchase brand-name batteries because my experience with generic batteries has not been good. What premium brands do you think are more durable than generic or discount products?
Strength
As with my coffee and tea, some better-quality products allow the user to use less because the better-quality products are stronger. Have you found that to be the case with any products that you purchase?
Quality
I keeping with the notion that you “get what you pay for,” have you found that sometimes more expensive products are just so good that they are worth the price? After all, paying less for something that is not a good product really makes little sense.
Safety
There are some products, such as children’s toys, that can be dangerous when they are cheaply made. The lead content in certain inexpensive toys, especially toys imported from the developing world, can be dangerous. By spending more for brand name toys, the risk can be minimized.
Pleasure
Sometimes a more expensive product just offers more pleasure!
What other reasons can you identify that justify spending more for better quality products? What types of products do you think merit the purchase of more expensive brands?
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