More subtle inflation?

Organic products quietly replaced with "conventional" ingredients to reduce costs but keeping price the same?

http://www.naturalnews.com/027450_food_foods_Dean.html

[Chris]

Re: More subtle inflation?

not just that. Look at the quality of shoes. Unless you buy shoes regularly you probably wouldn't notice the dramatic drop in quality of many mid- to high- end shoes. e.g. Campers.

The prices are the same or higher. Welcome to the future.

[metalman]

Re: More subtle inflation?

not just that. Look at the quality of shoes. Unless you buy shoes regularly you probably wouldn't notice the dramatic drop in quality of many mid- to high- end shoes. e.g. Campers.

The prices are the same or higher. Welcome to the future.

everyone stock up on high quality stuff while they had the chance?

Advice to readers: take advantage of the early 2009 Great American Fire Sale and go out and buy all the generators, chain saws, washing machines, fine linens, and other durable goods you’re going to need for the next few years because by the end of 2009 most of the inventory may be sold through, many retailers will be shut down, and replenishment of stocks of the survivors will likely be meager...
Fed cuts dollar, Fire sales vs FIRE sales, Duh-flation, and Bezzle shrinks again dec. 2008

went shoe shopping 2 wks ago. you can still find deals but the quality is awful... no arches in the insoles, plastic everywhere... crap.

one pair of $30 sneakers i saw looked like they'd been squeezed out of a tube of molten black rubber. decent sneakers were $100+.

welcome to the new american soviet economy.

give it another 10 yrs...

[c1ue]

Re: More subtle inflation?

Actually what you are seeing is more likely a 'greenwashing' tactic than an inflationary reaction.

I'm in the process of bringing organic beauty products into Russia (due to customer request) and the process of finding true 'green' products is surprisingly difficult.

For example:

http://www.greenopia.com/USA/news/15...auty-Companies

The world of organic beauty is tough. I know this because I am an organic beauty columnist, and my daily inbox is usually filled by organic beauty PR reps trumpeting the latest releases in green beauty. Some of it is right on.
And some of it is greenwashing. Until recently, there has been no real way to understand if your beauty product is truly green, or if it is truly greenwashed. Germany has the BIDH standard of rating products, Australia has Australia Certified Organic, and the U.S. has USDA Organic certification for the beauty industry. You’ll notice that many products do not have these ratings.
Why? Because most products that claim to be organic really only have a percentage of organic products. That is to say, there is nothing to stop a company from slapping “organic” on its label when it really only contains certain amounts of organic oils. It can really lead to a headache for anyone trying to keep it pure.
The beauty industry has been coming under fire in recent years because of certain brands falsely claiming to be organic or natural. Some of these brands have been found to contain hazardous chemical substances such as 1, 4 dioxane and phthalates.
But things just got a little easier. Today Greenopia released a comprehensive environmental rating of 24 major beauty product brands. At the top of the list, receiving 4 out of a possible 4 leaves, were Dr. Bronner’s, Organic Essence, and SkinnySkinny.
The beauty ratings were completed as part of Greenopia’s mission to educate consumers on issues pertaining to environmental impact and health on a purchasing level. As Greenopia founder Gay Browne tells it, “I’m tired of all the greenwashing in the beauty industry. It really takes a savvy green consumer to stay on top of who is organic and who is not. The only way to be sure if a product is organic is to look for the USDA Organic seal.”

The largest revenue organic beauty products companies in fact often have a few products which are certified organic, but the rest being 'natural'.

[Chris]

Re: More subtle inflation?

everyone stock up on high quality stuff while they had the chance?



went shoe shopping 2 wks ago. you can still find deals but the quality is awful... no arches in the insoles, plastic everywhere... crap.

one pair of $30 sneakers i saw looked like they'd been squeezed out of a tube of molten black rubber. decent sneakers were $100+.

welcome to the new american soviet economy.

give it another 10 yrs...

Reminds me of a joke;

A young Russian woman goes to do a bit of food shopping for the family. She hikes across town to the market where she approaches a man standing behind a rather sparsely populated glass-fronted counter.

"excuse me sir, i'd like to by some meat", says the woman.

"I'm sorry", the man reply, looking at the empty shelves in front of him, "this is the fish counter. Meat is what they don't have over there at the meat counter."

[ocelotl]

Re: More subtle inflation?

everyone stock up on high quality stuff while they had the chance?



went shoe shopping 2 wks ago. you can still find deals but the quality is awful... no arches in the insoles, plastic everywhere... crap.

one pair of $30 sneakers i saw looked like they'd been squeezed out of a tube of molten black rubber. decent sneakers were $100+.

welcome to the new american soviet economy.

give it another 10 yrs...

That happens when your market is full of crappy chinese shoes... Haven't checked in the last month, but still I can find decent shoes at US$50-80, mainly local brands (Flexi, Hush Puppies, Quirelli, Jarking, Emyco) Well, I have been known to wear only shoes that have a CICEG mark somewhere.

[Chris]

Re: More subtle inflation?

Agreed, mass produced everything will get poorer in quality. Get some of these and they will last a decade: http://www.lodgerfootwear.com/

Q: How many pairs of handmade leather shoes could you buy for an ounce of gold in the 1920's?