[Nifty3929]

People SAY that want well made, simple things. But people will generally not PAY FOR simple, well made things when much cheaper options are available. You and I might, and many others as well. But the vast majority of folks will not pay more for a higher quality, longer lasting item.

Another example is Speed Queen for washers and dryers. They are substantially more expensive and look very plain and even old fashioned. But they are built to last a long time and be repairable. They have a large part of the laundromat market because the laundromat owners do value these qualities. But they have very little of the consumer market, because consumers don't.

Consumers also tend to favor nice-sounding features that are in fact unreliable and frustrating, such as ice makers in the refrigerator compartment.

[rqtwteye]

"People SAY that want well made, simple things. But people will generally not PAY FOR simple, well made things when much cheaper options are available. You and I might, and many others as well. But the vast majority of folks will not pay more for a higher quality, longer lasting item."

One problem I see is that the higher priced items are not necessarily higher quality these days. A lot of brands are coasting on their reputation while selling cheaply made items at premium price.

[jader201]

Most consumers don’t need commercial-level quality for appliances.

Those appliances are built to handle much more usage, and for a much longer time. E.g. a washer in a laundromat will be used probably 10x compared to a consumer washer over the same amount of time.

Also, a laundromat wants the washer to last as long as possible, probably 20-30 years, but at least 10-15.

There’s no reason for consumers to spend 10x on commercial appliances, when they’re not used as often, and won’t need to endure the misuse/abuse that commercial appliances take.

Also, few residents stay in one place long enough to need an appliance to last more than 15 or so years, and most consumer appliances last that long.

[Nifty3929]

I totally agree! In a way, this is my point. For the most part, people are rationally choosing to pay less money for lower-quality, shorter-lived appliances. Because they don't need them to last a long time. There are basically two markets for these things: commercial and consumer. Similar with printers as well, or even power tools. The cheaply made junk that most people (rationally!) buy, and the expensive, well made stuff that only those who care and can afford buy.

[TeMPOraL]

Except when people are made aware of the commercial market and able to score something off it, suddenly it turns out they like the reliability, the ergonomics, the lack of bullshit.

Consumers ain't choosing shit. People are talking here as if most people were drowning in money, and shopping around for low price as a pastime. On the contrary, people are starved for funds, they buy cheap out of necessity, enduring whatever abusive or lazy bullshit the manufaturer pulled off to offer their wares slightly cheaper.

[inferiorhuman]

20 years ago you could buy a simple, reliable, mid-low priced fridge and expect it to last 20 years. The only reason I replaced mine (a Sears branded Whirlpool) is that some idiot contractors destroyed it. It lasted 20 years without a single repair.

I had a similar era whatever of Whirlpool's bargain basement brand was in my apartment in the city. That one did stop cooling reliably, but a $20 relay and 10 minutes fixed that right up. I didn't even bother to call the landlord.

With few exceptions you'll find similar stories from most well known brands up through the mid 00s.

[account42]

People are used to being sold overcomplicated cheaply made things priced the same as well made things. Paying more is hardly ever a guarantee of getting better quality so without any ability to tell if something is actually good it does make more sense to go with the cheaper option.