Exploited?
01-31-2011, 06:20 AM
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 879
You know I agree with your husband! retailers know that women are suckers! WE pay more for hair, clothing ,shoes... oh god... makeup! perfume, I'm just as guilty! my favorite perfume is 99$ a half ounce, but I still have to have it! AND.... I'm going to the Rocky Mtn sewing festival this coming weekend money in hand, even as I bristle over the $11.00 entrance fee!!!!! ARRRRGHHH! darned Looky Loos!
01-31-2011, 06:32 AM
#43
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: blink and you've missed it
Posts: 2,562
college textbooks are the extreme- not gender specific, but captive audience. DS had an excel class last semester- $250 for the book (included the exam at the end for certification). But holy cow- $500 a semester for books and to sell them back- $20 to $25 each. Can we say RIPOFF! (Oh, then they make a change and you can't use them for the next child coming through next year)
01-31-2011, 06:42 AM
#45
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 525
Well, I think your husband is slightly on target. I mean, yes, as quilters we are often paying over-inflated prices for many of the items we buy. But it's not just quilters who find this to be true, and not just women who are targeted. As many here have pointed out, other hobbies and interests also come with high price tags that don't necessarily reflect the quality of the item. I just choose carefully what I buy and no longer build a huge stash. I prefer now to buy my fabric for the next quilt when I'm ready to start it. That alone is saving me tons of money! :D
01-31-2011, 06:48 AM
#48
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 3,712
Originally Posted by shequilts
Stop buying into every fad and whimsy item. Women love to shop and will buy anything.
I am selling the stash that resulted from my buying frenzies and now shop only with an item in mind. For instance, I was at a wholesalers sale today and bought only some fabrics I needed for a quilt. Ordinarily, I would have bought BIG just because it was so cheap! Prices have gone up significantly because quilters are pretty much a captive audience. We love to "brag" about our stashes even if we only accumulate. I've resigned from that and will not get caught up in it again. My money is better spent on enjoying life than being tied up on a shelf in a closet.
I am selling the stash that resulted from my buying frenzies and now shop only with an item in mind. For instance, I was at a wholesalers sale today and bought only some fabrics I needed for a quilt. Ordinarily, I would have bought BIG just because it was so cheap! Prices have gone up significantly because quilters are pretty much a captive audience. We love to "brag" about our stashes even if we only accumulate. I've resigned from that and will not get caught up in it again. My money is better spent on enjoying life than being tied up on a shelf in a closet.
01-31-2011, 07:14 AM
#49
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Mason, Ohio
Posts: 1,465
Originally Posted by Limey
My husband tells me that we women are exploited and no man would pay what we pay. The issue came up over a cone thread holder which I bought at Joann's and was disappointed to find that it was flimsy plastic (at $6.99!! but I did use my 40% off). He was making reference to my new Accuquilt cutter (which I got at Amazon at what I thought was a large discount over the listed price). He considered it over-priced even at that (and also plastic and flimsy),no man would buy it. I was reading about over-priced magazines and wondered if we really are exploited, what can we do about it?
I don't think it is a gender issue. How many men have many gadgety tools or multiples of the same tool with a little variation. I think it's just marketing.
01-31-2011, 07:23 AM
#50
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Bend, Oregon
Posts: 1,853
Are we exploited, Yes we are, but so are men. Businesses make these gadgets to make money, if they can find someone who will buy them. If I find something that looks interesting, I will buy it and if it doesn't work it goes right back.
My husband better not say one word about my fabric purchases. I don't say anything about his hobby, railroad memrobilia, and he doesn't say anything about mine. Both of our girls are out of the house and there is just the two of us. We both work hard and we both deserve our hobbies. The only thing he complains about me spending is time. I spend too much time quilting and not enough on him.
My husband better not say one word about my fabric purchases. I don't say anything about his hobby, railroad memrobilia, and he doesn't say anything about mine. Both of our girls are out of the house and there is just the two of us. We both work hard and we both deserve our hobbies. The only thing he complains about me spending is time. I spend too much time quilting and not enough on him.
