There’s a reason, in the US, that few people make their own clothing, despite being the one good that we haven’t figured out a way to completely remove the human labor aspect of it.
TL:DW JoAnn’s Fabrics became a monopoly, and imploded due to Private Equity restructuring them. This means that fabric, and even raw fiber, is now harder to source. It also meant that even while JAF was in business, it was cheaper to buy premade clothing than make your own since sometime in the 1970s.
The same thing has happened with food suppliers, though the big 4 haven’t imploded, yet.
I remember as a little girl asking my mom to sew me a dress “because then we don’t have to pay for it,” and her explaining to me that fabric isn’t free, and it’s not even cheaper than clothes anymore. I was so disappointed and bewildered. Today, I’m still disappointed.
She also taught me how to make bread and I asked her if it was cheaper than store bread, so we sat down with grocery store receipts with the price of flour etc. and worked out that our recipe came to about $0.50/loaf (in ~2007). We didn’t factor in the cost of labor, heating gas, electricity for the bread machine, etc. but it was one thing we enjoyed knowing costed less than even the cheapest bread at the store.
I still make bread, but am afraid to do the math again.
To be clear, the big 4 food suppliers I’m referring to supply restaurants and other commercial food companies, not grocery stores. Those four are why every damn restaurant in the US tastes the same. We legally aren’t allowed to buy from the farmer’s market or grocery stores as our normal supplier. If it is a one off thing then we can go to the grocer for some onions or whatever.
There’s a reason, in the US, that few people make their own clothing, despite being the one good that we haven’t figured out a way to completely remove the human labor aspect of it.
https://youtu.be/4VJxJesgF8Y
TL:DW JoAnn’s Fabrics became a monopoly, and imploded due to Private Equity restructuring them. This means that fabric, and even raw fiber, is now harder to source. It also meant that even while JAF was in business, it was cheaper to buy premade clothing than make your own since sometime in the 1970s.
The same thing has happened with food suppliers, though the big 4 haven’t imploded, yet.
I remember as a little girl asking my mom to sew me a dress “because then we don’t have to pay for it,” and her explaining to me that fabric isn’t free, and it’s not even cheaper than clothes anymore. I was so disappointed and bewildered. Today, I’m still disappointed.
She also taught me how to make bread and I asked her if it was cheaper than store bread, so we sat down with grocery store receipts with the price of flour etc. and worked out that our recipe came to about $0.50/loaf (in ~2007). We didn’t factor in the cost of labor, heating gas, electricity for the bread machine, etc. but it was one thing we enjoyed knowing costed less than even the cheapest bread at the store.
I still make bread, but am afraid to do the math again.
To be clear, the big 4 food suppliers I’m referring to supply restaurants and other commercial food companies, not grocery stores. Those four are why every damn restaurant in the US tastes the same. We legally aren’t allowed to buy from the farmer’s market or grocery stores as our normal supplier. If it is a one off thing then we can go to the grocer for some onions or whatever.
ah yes the free market enabled by small government 🤦♀️