It is evident that our society has moved away from the value of quality in a lot of consumer items. The proliferation and success of retail and internet-based stores designed around low price has been astounding. Most products made in the U.S. have been moved overseas and replaced by cheaper models. It wasn’t just to lower costs. This leads to the question, has price overtaken value in our society.
It is hard to sell a quality item if you would not buy it yourself. Have we accepted low quality in many of our own personal and business purchases? Do we frequent the low-end department stores where cost is the determining purchase factor without any quality considerations? This can be a slippery slope as we may believe that our customers do not value quality any more because we have lost our way.
The price versus quality discussion has changed or even disappeared for many products. It’s no longer just based on a consumer just accepting that if they pay less they get less, or that value is no longer that important. MANY manufacturers are making this decision FOR the consumer. They simply produce a lower quality item to lower their cost or so they can sell at a lower price, or both. Think how many items you’ve purchased (especially since COVID) that simply are not the quality you used to purchase, or were smaller, or came less to a package etc. than before. There was also NO notice or warning. They just did it.
The cleaning industry has also been impacted by this mindset. In the world of accessories and equipment, many items are built overseas. In some situations, key parts are purchased overseas and assembled in the United States. Manufacturers have turned into places where assembling overseas parts is the norm. Fortunately, in the world of chemistry, shipping and handling fees, limit the money saved by these purchases. During COVID-19, our supply was tight, but since our raws are made in North America, they were not sitting offshore. We were able to continue making our entire product line and we NEVER sacrificed the quality of the chemical to lower the price.
Our experience has been defined by the need for performance in all of the cleaning solutions we sell. In the big picture, any price difference is easily overcome by consistent results. However, not everyone has the time to discuss quality, and price is easy to understand. Determining ready to use gallon cost is often ignored. Our point is that if a cleaner or distributor does not have the mindset for valuing quality in their own life, then they will not discuss quality to their customers. Do not let consumer driven commodity purchasing habits leak into business-to-business selling, especially with cleaning solutions, tools and equipment that support your livelihood. In order to truly value quality, you have to experience it personally.
The final thought about quality. In short, you pay more up front and are rewarded for the purchase over time.