All these OPINIONS, aint the web great?

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Posted by Indiana Pete from 166.94.49.96 on August 08, 2001 at 16:11:29:

In Reply to: A word about the Alden Boot & Indy Gear in general posted by Rundquist on August 08, 2001 at 13:51:54:

: To those that are dismayed at the breakdown of where your
: dollar goes when you purchase Indy gear, I would suggest
: putting your anger and disgust into something more worthwhile,
: like writing your congressman or president about the problems
: of the world like the environment or overpopulation. The
: greenhouse effect has already started melting the polar icecaps.
: There is flooding in the Aleutian islands. This is no longer
: conjecture, it's fact. I feel like a bit of a crackpot for stating this on
: the fan forum. The point I'm trying to make is that Indy gear is
: supposed to be fun, and I think that anger should be saved for
: more worthwhile endeavors. Back to the Aldens. If you could
: actually pick up and examine an Alden, you would see that it is a
: shoe of extremely high quality, one for all intensive purposes that
: will last a lifetime if properly cared for. These aren't a pair of $100
: Nikes that are going to be done in a year. This being said, I
: would say that they are worth what you pay for them. If someone
: can't swing the price of them, than that's understandable. They're
: not cheap. I would however warn you that you should choose
: your footwear wisely. Searching for a pair of alternatives might
: take you on a road of costly disappointment. In general, Indy gear
: is expensive. Most of it is rare. You can't buy it all over the place.
: The other thing about Indy gear is that it is of high quality. High
: quality items cost more than average items, but are much more
: rugged and durable. Sometimes it pays to get the higher cost
: items because they will last longer, which make them a better
: value for the money. In some cases I started out buying cheaper
: gear and eventually had to re buy many items. It would have
: been cheaper to just buy the good stuff to begin with. I hope this
: wasn't too preachy and that I made a few points somewhere in
: this mess of a post. Cheers

Since there are so many opinions on the side of favoring the continued patronizing of Aldens... I figured I'de give one last opinion to the contrary:

I would really love to take the time to address the inaccurate, and even laughable, topics of so called over population, global warming, etc... But since this is the IndyFan forum I will refrain :-)

As far as patronizing Aldens; May I refer you to the elementary lesson in economics of "Supply and Demand". If I have a product (Alden #504) that I can produce for a given amount "X" and I know that there is a WILLING consumer who will gladly pay "Y" (which is CONSIDERABLY more than "X"), I can do one of two things. One: I can continue to raise the price of "Y" until there is no longer demand for the product (people get smart and realize they are being taken for a ride), or Two: I can maintain a satisfactory level of profit return by recognizing my expense of manufacturing my product "X" and adding or subtracting to that cost a REASONABLE sum for profit.

Now I am not going to pretend that I know the motivations behind Aldens mark-up of their Indy Boots. Maybe they believe their company is doing very poorly (economically speaking) and want to try and just get "ends to meet". Or maybe the opposite is true. Maybe they are just trying to make more and more money irregardless of what it might cost them (as far as their image is concerned). Maybe there is something in between. I don't honestly know.

What I DO know is this: If people continue to pay that high of a price for these boots, they (Aldens) will never have any reason to lower the price (why would they?). Of course they are "high quality", "the most comfortable", etc... And to some people, they are worth EVERY PENNY! If you are one of them, fine. I can respect that. But please don't try to give the illusion to everyone else that there is no finer footwear out there! As the old saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". And I would take that one step further to say, "so is quality". I have many items that I have either made myself or found DIRT cheap, and sometimes made modifications to, that have outlasted any commercial products! Just try to be a little more respectful of us "cheapskates". After all, if it weren't for us, the prices of ANY commodity would just continue to soar! Sorry for the long "Soap Box Session".

Regards,
Indiana Pete


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