chris_quilts

Lisanne; Planned obsolesence was actually coined and employed during 1920s when manufacturing of crap or stuff really took off as did buying things, especially appliances, on credit. You need for things to become obsolete to keep the demand for your struff to remain high along with your profit margin. Sorry but I have a minor in American history.

Lisanne

I had written:
Thanks, Chris, for setting me straight! No apology needed. As you can see, I wrote "I believe..." - I wasn't actually sure when it had started.

That said, that whole idea of keeping us all spending has only gotten worse in recent years. Things we used to buy are now offered on a lease or subscription basis. Cars are leased, TV can't even be watched without cable if you want reception, etc. Customer service and support on the products you buy used to be considered part of the purchase, but now you must pay extra and even when you do, the service is often from someone in a third-world country... (sorry, that was leading to a rant.)

chris_quilts

AMEN!!! Sister, stay on that soapbox. If I have to call customer service, I ask to speak to someone in America. They must transfer you and it keeps Americans employed. Henry Ford and his assembly line idea was the big start of palnned obsolescence. If he could make many cars quickly and relatively cheaply, he had to find a way to keep us buying them thus the upgrades and newer models and more bells and whistles etc. The same principle applied to many appliances from radios to vacuum to ice boxes/refridgerators and many other appliances that could be named.