God, I hate these places. Yes, they have good products (Williams Sonoma, I’m looking at you,) but they charge so ridiculously much more than the shit is actually worth. A plain metal barware martini shaker for $50? Dresser hardware at Restoration Hardware for $30? A retro copper lawn sprinkler, also at Restoration Hardware, for $42? Last time I strolled through Pottery Barn, they had the cojones to put a $1000+ price tag on a “rustic” cabinet made of stained PINE, of all things.
I love to cook, so when we were registering for wedding gifts, I naturally thought of Williams Sonoma. You must be fucking kidding me. I’d be embarrassed to ask my friends and family to pay the kind of prices they ask for even small shit. We ended up leaving with a sneer on our faces (OK, we did add a few placemats to the registry, but that’s all, and I don’t really expect anybody to get them.)
What kind of gullible, supercilious sheep pay these kind of prices? I could find almost anything at any of these stores for at least 50% less. In fact, remember that $50 martini shaker? We went over to Pier One and saw almost exactly the same thing for $8.
Congratulations for snaking some poor fools into paying for your shit, you greedy assholes, but you still ought to be ashamed.
I don’t think they need to be “ashamed”. If people are going to buy things that are overpriced without looking for a better deal, then they can either afford to do so or are too dumb. They are only charging what people will pay. These stores are selling luxury items, not necessities. (yes, they are cooking items, but nothing the everyday home needs and can’t get elsewhere).
I don’t see this as an either/or situation. I pretty much think that anyone who pays these kinds of prices, regardless of their ability to afford them, is a rube.
Some people think the more something costs, the better it is. OR they like to be able to brag that they spent $XXX on an item that most people would only pay $XX for. One of my “How to sell your handmade crafts” made this point: Your handmade patchwork vest may fetch only $25 at a flea market, but get Neiman Marcus to sell the same vest and suddenly the price is $400.
Stupid, yeah, but props to the people who can part these fools from their money. I agree that it’s Econ 101: what will the market bear?
The same folk who buy McCormick’s 1 ounce jar of cream of tartar for $3.00 when the generic $0.99 jar of the same stuff is located just two feet over on the shelf. There is profit to be had from these morons. I’ll hardly begrudge the merchants their wisdom in recognizing that simple fact.
My living room has a table, two chairs, a lamp and a candelabra all purchased at Crate and Barrel (which I assume is on your list too). Its one thing if you’re furnishing your dorm room or your one bedroom apartment, but if you are looking for something well built and stylish, Crate and Barrel is actually rather inexpensive. Ethan Allen, on the other hand…
P.S. “Candelabra” is the stupidest word in the english language and I am actually embarassed to say it or even type it. But the one I have is
Let me clarify. I think the stores are greedy assholes for charging ludicrous prices for mundane goods, and they’re basically full of idiots clamoring for a chance to pay through the nose for those mundane goods.
In short, I have just about equal contempt for both parties here.
And I’m not very familiar with Crate and Barrel, but basically, yeah, after having browsed their website and seen the $160 table lamps, you might very well have gotten ripped off. Although their candle stuff doesn’t appear to be as outrageous as some of their other things, I’m seeing prices that range up to $50 and beyond for votive candle holders. That’s still pretty silly.
I only buy stuff at the pricey kitchen store (Sur La Table) that I cannot find elsewhere. Thus, all my pots ‘n’ pans and everyday kitchen gadgets come from the modest chain stores, but if I need a French-style rolling pin or a heavy, chip-proof porcelain olive oil jug, I must go to Sur La Table. Oh, yeah, and that heavy French porcelain, Revol, that stands up to clumsy handling and dishwashing and never chips - no one else carries that.
Let me also clarify this point. If you’re really devoted to cooking, I don’t blame you for getting the good stuff. I’m working on my complete set of Calphalon Pro cookware myself…but I actually use them. Soooooooo many people I know who just drool over the opportunity to pay God knows how many hundreds of dollars for beaten copper pots from W-S have no real interest in cooking. They just want to look like they do. Stupid and wasteful.
And Revol? Look online. You can get it cheaper that way.
I agree with you wholly on Restoration Hardware. When one first opened in Old Town Alexandria, some of my relatives were oohing and aahing over it. I went in there, and couldn’t find a thing I’d have been interested in buying at a fraction of the price.
Williams-Sonoma, OTOH: at least the stuff is pretty, and useful, even if it’s usually a bit pricey. I rarely buy anything there, but I always enjoy being in there.
Let me add Whole Foods to the list. Sure, the food is quality stuff, but you can get most of it cheaper at Safeway or Giant, and if you’ve got a Trader Joe’s around, you can get anything in the rather significant overlap between the two chains a lot cheaper at TJ’s.
If you are going to insult me, link me a link. Le Creuset is not interchangable with disposable aluminum pans. I want comparable goods for cheap prices. Not “It’s a Dutch oven,” but it’s an equivalent Ducth Oven in weight, heat distribution, and durability.