[HN Gopher] Discount Stores Are Awash in Merchandise Thanks to S...
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Discount Stores Are Awash in Merchandise Thanks to Shipping Delays
Author : prostoalex
Score : 39 points
Date : 2022-03-24 03:14 UTC (19 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.wsj.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.wsj.com)
| jterrys wrote:
| If you are an American and shop at Costco, the toiletpaper
| section has been practically overfilled for the past six months.
| People simultaneously overestimate and underestimate just how
| much time it takes to ramp up and ramp down production.
| Wowfunhappy wrote:
| Am I greatly underestimating how much it costs to just store
| excess inventory in a damn warehouse?
| ouid wrote:
| Probably, yes. A warehouse is basically just a costco that
| you aren't willing to sell things out of. Why wouldn't you
| just make a new location?
| Wowfunhappy wrote:
| Because you could put the warehouse in the middle of
| nowhere, hire a fraction as many employees, and leave
| everything in shipping containers.
| latchkey wrote:
| It is amazing how much we pay for clothing in the US, even at
| these discount stores. A huge amount of the clothes we wear are
| made in Vietnam. When I lived there, you can basically buy any
| name brand you want for almost nothing. For example, I'd get
| shirts with tags on them that say $90... for $5.
| [deleted]
| 3pt14159 wrote:
| I also hung out in Vietnam, but only for a month.
|
| I found the custom clothing that _was not_ brand name to be an
| absolute steal. Just great custom tailoring and fabrics for
| basically nothing and ready the next day.
|
| That said, the real brand name stuff that westerners would
| recognize and prize was not cheaper. There were very well done
| knockoffs, to be sure, but if you knew what you were looking
| for the watch or shoe wasn't quite right. If you Google "how to
| spot counterfeit [brandname] [product name]" and double check
| you'll see that 95% of the time it's a knock off.
|
| I've learned to just learn what makes a given type of hide or
| fabric high quality and shop based on that. Most brands are
| merely shortcuts for the busy to make sure they get reasonable
| quality and a possible status symbol if it's especially
| luxurious and expensive. But if you know what quality looks
| like you can usually find something way better at half or a
| quarter or even a tenth of the price. Or even if it's more
| expensive to purchase (e.g., a fullgrain leather belt with
| properly protected metal[0]) it will last much, much longer.
|
| [0] https://saddlebackleather.com is one of the few places I
| will shill for whenever I can. They make the very best stuff
| and it lasts forever. I wish more online retailers were like
| them. I've saved so much money over the years because their
| stuff truly lasts.
| rob74 wrote:
| These sturdy leather bags look really good, but aren't they
| _heavy_? I had a regular Samsonite backpack (made out of
| plastic, not leather) that lasted for over 10 years of
| almost-daily use - actually it 's still in Ok shape, but I
| don't use it anymore.
| latchkey wrote:
| > That said, the real brand name stuff that westerners would
| recognize and prize was not cheaper.
|
| I'll just say that unless you speak Vietnamese or have locals
| who show you where to shop, a month isn't long enough to
| develop the inside scoops. =)
|
| > nicely shilled site
|
| Reminds me of Hamilton Shirts in Houston.
| ______-_-______ wrote:
| This could be a crazy thing to say, but they might just be
| textile experts over there. When you're in Italy, even the
| "bad" food is great. In Switzerland, even the "bad" mountains
| are still great places to ski. And in Vietnam, even the cheap
| shirts are great?
| latchkey wrote:
| Well, given that the clothes that most of us buy are made
| there (check your labels!)... yes.
|
| VN imports the textiles.
| post_break wrote:
| I have picked up some amazing stuff at Marshalls lately. Name
| brand expensive stuff for very good prices. I'm slowly
| exclusively shopping there for shirts, kitchen supplies, and
| soaps. I still spend a little more on shoes and pants at other
| stores however.
| RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote:
| What a difference a few months makes.
|
| Back in November, discount stores such as Ross were worried that
| they would have a lot of supply chain issues.
|
| https://www.thestreet.com/investing/ross-stores-drops-supply...
| whatever1 wrote:
| Bullwhip effect in action!
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