Your textiles suck. No, really. It used to be when I bought a shirt, or a towel, or whatever the product; it lasted. Usually it lasted until it just plum wore out. Not so anymore. I just bought my first grader a Transformer school backpack at Kohl's, which is a store I've never had an issue with before. It lasted 1 day of school then the zipper broke. It just wouldn't zip close, so on his second day of school he had paperwork falling out. Same with his lunchbox I bought at Wal-mart. The zipper broke the first day. I bought some shoes made by a company called Jumping Beans (also at Kohl's) which I've never heard of. They looked decent, and cost about $30. Those lasted exactly 1.5 weeks, and the stitching where the tongue connects to the shoe is ripped, and the rubber is separating at the toe. I don't even buy towels and shirts from Wal-mart. The towels last 2-3 washings and they start to fray. Shirts last a month and the buttons fall off.
It seems that anymore the stitching on cloths just doesn't last. If it does, the buttons fall off and/or zippers break. Which has only reinforced my belief that you usually get what you pay for. If I buy Nike, Addidas, New Balance, etc they last until my kids out grow them. All 3 of them. I hand the shoes down through 3 boys, and they last. I can pay $10-15 for cheap shoes that last a month (or Jumping Bean which costs $30 and lasts 1.5 weeks), or I can buy a name brand shoe (at the outlet for $20-40) that lasts through 3 boys. It's the same with other cloths. Jeans and Shirts from no-name companies only last a couple months of washing and they are so ratty and faded they get relegated to play cloths. It's a no brainer for me. I think in the end you end up paying the same. You have to buy 4 or 5 of the cheap cloths to make up for 1 good article of clothing.
Sorry to say, but certain countries seem to be making crap stuff. India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, they all seem to be pretty decent, most of the time. But China. They make crap, because they know we'll buy it. I'm trying not to, but it's a struggle. If I have 2 choices, china, and made somewhere else, I will buy the made some where else. Retailers are part to blame. Kohl's: you're a nice department store, but you're sullying up your name. Stope buying crap. Wal-mart: I've been through with you for years. You buy and sell crap textiles. Basically you have disposable cloths.
However I have to say I think most of the blame must fall on us consumers. By consuming cheap crap from China, you're going to get what you pay for: Crap. Stop buying it. It takes looking at a label and shopping around, but start doing so. Start mentioning to store managers and associates that you came in to buy a shirt, but all you found was Chinese-made crap. Hold them accountable, and be accountable yourself.
