High Speed Low Drag Enshittification: From The “Serves Ya Right” Files

I’m old enough to remember the days where businesses and senior execs wouldn’t consider - even for a second - the profit margins involved with cutting your own throat. But I guess now that it’s part of the business cycle. With some companies it took decades - Rolex (of all the people) has been cutting its own throat with their legendary Submariner and GMT watches for ages. In the watch world, anyone who can afford them… no longer wants them. 

Enshittification applies to everything now… and the speed of the process seems to be accelerating. I’m looking at vehicles and everything out there just turns me right off. I’m flat out not going to buy anything that runs off my cell phone, needs subscription services for anything to work… and costs more than my house. 

The reason this comes to mind is my good buddies at Temu. Two years ago I bought some cheapo runners for dawg walking. I figgered if I got a couple months out of them they were still a good bargoon. The wife bought me a pair that held together for two years for about $7.00. (I can’t remember how much they cost - but it was a pittance). If you’re like me, you can scrap a pair of Adidas or Nikes in 6 months or a year. The wife saw them go on sale and bought me two more new pairs. Well…. I finally had to let the original pair die after an honourable and hard service life… and broke out a new pair.

HFS! They were complete GARBAGE. They’d have been a rip off at half the price! I need a bit of support and fit from a shoe but these things simply would NOT fit! A few blocks - and me feet would slide over the sole and they hit the garbage can on day one. Maybe the chinks put the retarded kids in the sewing machine sweatshop the day those were made…? I broke out the second pair … and the same thing again…! I’m hobbled right up after less than ten miles now!

😡

Even at three bucks a pair, these things are a rip.

I’m tossing the second pair too.

I can’t really bitch I suppose. I shoulda just spent the damn money and paid for quality footwear. But the wife can’t say no to a bargoon! And who can blame her when the first pair were such champs? The hell of enshittification is that we are paying corporate shithawks to shaft us…and themselves, and anyone that works and does business with them. I don’t get it?

I’m going back to my trusty shit kickers. Those are Redwing moc toes I bought in 2019. I wore them hard for four or five years… and the treads are bald and worn down. They are going in for a re-sole next week. That’s going to cost around…$200.00, maybe? If I could get another four or five years out of them I’d be happier than a pig in the mud! They wear like bedroom slippers. But… how long is it until Redwing Shoes enshittifies itself…?