I have a friend who has a great reply when asked about why she bought something that mere mortals like me would find somewhat expensive.
She says, “I can’t afford to buy something cheap. I haven’t enough money to keep replacing it. It has to last. It has to be great quality.”
When she first said that to me, I thought of the normal poor man’s response: “It’s okay for you because you can afford it.”
But as I computed what she said, it does make quite a bit of sense.
At the time, I was buying socks from a store recommended by my friend’s partner.
Like the proverbial bull in the china shop, I grabbed three bundles of socks, making eight pairs in total – six plain and two patterned – and gave them to the proprietor.
The proprietor said that with the 15 per cent discount, that came to $108.
Too embarrassed to pull out of the transaction, I reluctantly paid.
But then it hit me: it was so long ago when I bought the original lot that I had forgotten how expensive they were, yet I still had most of them.
My friend was right: quality lasts.
It’s like batteries.
I usually baulk at buying the quality ones and find the cheapest ones I can.
But then I probably replace them that many times that they cost more than the tried-and-true brand.
Wine is possibly one exception to the rule.
Over the years in hospitality, I have learned enough about wine to survive.
Beer is another matter (expert) but I know enough about the grape to get me by and for what I like.
It’s quite strange as I am not at all influenced by brand but a little by price and a lot by taste.
I could never buy a bottle of Penfold’s Grange and drink it.
I would feel guilty spending that type of money on a 750ml bottle of plonk.
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It would be like someone giving me a Bentley or a Mercedes to drive: onlookers and the police would immediately assume that I had stolen it.
In my mind, a good wine has to have an interesting label and taste like you want it to taste, with no chemicals that wake you up in the middle of the night sweating and prepared to drink the water out of the toilet bowl to quench the dryness of your tongue.
Yes, I know I am all class.
I just have to figure out how to tuck my trousers into my socks so everyone can see what a quality human I am.
Ashley Robinson is a columnist with Sunshine Coast News and My Weekly Preview. His views are his own.
