Changing Perceptions

It's funny how perceptions have changed over time. Back in the day, quality seemed to be the most important benchmark. As a society, we emphasized sturdiness and good construction. Over time though, our desire for quality was replaced with a longing for value.

Some people don't understand the real difference between the two attributes. Value is a measure of the quality *for the price*. I once had someone go on and on about how good something she bought at Fields was. The item she bought was fine, but it was nothing special. For the price she paid, it was great. Compared to a similar item I bought elsewhere though, it was mediocre at best.

So we became a society largely concern with value. But this, too, was replaced with something else: cheapness -- an obsession with price disguised as value. All of the major fast food restaurants have value menus, where products are designed to meet a specific low price point. It's not that they're bad products. It's not that they don't have value. But when their existence as products, particularly as part of a wider range of products, is solely defined as price, the term value should no longer apply.

So, to sum up:

Quality - the measure of a product's sturdiness and suitability to its tasks
Value - quality per unit of price
Cheap - items that are sold for the lower end of the price range for their kind of product

So, what does this have to do with Amanda, me,or our lives? Nothing. But I felt like writing about it!