Baloney! Clothes being washed and worn, exposed to light, mechanical stress, and extremes of temperature and humidity last years. Quality thread protected from light, dust, and temperature extremes and exposed to no stress or wear, is not going to go bad on the spool in a year, even 5 years, even longer. This is the type of thing that discredits a teacher or shop. IMO, this violates the trust of students. I've been experiencing this too, classes that are as much a commercial as a class. But to give such blatantly wrong advice just to generate sales? Blech! Bob Purcell, president of Superior Threads, teaches a thread seminar. He doesn't criticise other brands, and he says we should put quality thread collections in our wills.