Tuesday, December 29, 2009

This vexes me - #4.

I reached for my brand new, well, 2.5 month old robe to toss it on in the morning chill today and noticed a hole in the arm sleeve. The stitching has come undone from the junction they call a seam. This is the 4th hole I've found in sleeves over this weekend as I spent time getting laundry caught up because I wasn't going out in "that".

What is it with manufacturers? I have 2 sweaters, a shirt and now my robe that have holes in the sleeve seams? Yes I can fix them and I can do a danged better job than what it appears they did in the first place, but that's not the point. The point is, I shouldn't have to fix these in the first place. I took a look at the robe's sleeve seam and it was less than one quarter what it should have been. I am going to have to stitch the entire seam to make sure it doesn't unravel anywhere else. This is NOT what I was taught in home ec so many, many years ago.

If I were to take the robe to JC Penney where I got it, I would be told that because the robe has been worn and washed, they could not take it back. And, realistically, even if they did take it back, what would they do with it? Would they send it back to the clothing company and demand better stitching? Hardly. It's just going to get landfilled. They aren't going to bother asking for care because care is going to mean more man-hours to make the piece which means it will cost more and no one makes a profit if it does sell.

This is also not an indictment of overseas goods, although the label says the robe was assembled in China. Regardless of where the robe was made, it was made badly and that can happen whether the robe was assembled in China or in Kansas. It's about maximizing the product for the most buck. It's about a lack of care in what goes out the door.

I am resigned to pulling out my needles and thread and my sewing machine and fixing these holes. This is an age-old argument. I'm sure that when the cave man figured out a wheel and then added more production to his wheel-making, his customers complained that the craftsmanship was missing. It would take a huge, monumental shift in consumer attitude for anything to change.

At least I know what I'll be doing while I watch the football game on January 5th.

Beverage: Assam Tea

Deb

1 comment:

  1. Actually, assuming you still had the receipt and it was within the 90 day return period, they would probably take it back as defective.

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