Lamenting things you can't fix or replace

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Idlefellow

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Don't you hate it when retailers/manufacturers f up a good thing?  Somebody once said, "If you find something you like, buy two."  Truer words were never spoken.

I had a pair of Airwalk Outland sandals; man, I loved those things!  They needed a bit of re-sewing; the shoe shop guy said, "These are about shot."  "Don't care," says I.  "Do whatever they need."  Sure enough; shortly thereafter the molded soles split out all along the sides.  Do you think I could find replacement soles?  Nah.  Do you think I could buy another pair?  Nope; discontinued.

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So I looked high and low for suitable replacements; tried every brand I could think of.  Lots of sandals out there, but nothing that even came close to the old Airwalks.  Then, I stumbled upon a pair of Dr. Martens Sayers.  They weren't the Outlands but they weren't bad.  Ordered up a pair but the strap on the rear on one was sewn wrong and wouldn't stay up on my heel.  Rather than just have it fixed I decided to return them.  Who would have thought THEY would be discontinued?  I never could get another pair, nor get back the ones I returned.

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I have an L.L. Bean hunting coat, the old model with removable wool liner, game pouch on the back and shell loops in the pockets.  It's been a great coat and has served me well, and it's still in fine shape, but (ahem) there seems to be more of me and less coat these days.  You'd think I could just order me up a new one in a larger size, but no.  The hunting coat they offer now has goretex and blaze orange and all sorts of new tech features, while the venerable old design, though termed "original field coat" has no game pouch, no shell loops, and seems better suited to a grocery run than a day afield.  I'm sure both are fine coats, but neither is my old L.L. Bean.

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So, I hover over ebay, hoping that new or decent used ones will appear in my size, squeeze myself into my old coat, with sandals that I wear but don't love.  Tales of woe.  Anyone else?
 
In the town I grew up in we had four cobblers. Hard to imagine a Podunk town in the south east Ky coal and tobacco fields having four cobblers isn't it. It wasn't for custom fitted shoes, it was for repairing boots. Granted my grandfather passed when I was sixteen (talk about lamenting, I still do) but I never remember him purchasing a pair of footwear. I do remember going to the shoe store to get stuff fixed quite often. There were seventeen of us under his direct care, we wore stuff out. Lol

Now on your actual topic... The American way of life is over. The first factory that outsourced made a brilliant but deadly business move.
We can no longer afford the quality we once produced because we do not have the high paying jobs associated with skilled labor.
Your footwear was replaced by a model that cost $.08 less to make. Sorry about your luck.
Your field jacket was replaced by a model for the modern effeminate American male. No shell loops, no lighter pockets, they even deleted the breast pocket for fear someone may put a pack of cigs there...can't have that.


 
I have the Bean's field coat bought in a different day and age. It has the game pouch (repaired once when the attachment for one of the hooks pulled out) and the shell loops. It is sad to know they have discontinued a basic and classic design.
 
Favorite brands of food also disappear.
My wife loved Team flakes but they are also gone.
 
Leveraged buyouts of food companies have resulted in products disappearing or having an inferior product slipped into the old labels. They figure after all that if the product had been superior to theirs they would have been the ones selling out. Case in point Wylers drink mixes. They were bought out by JelCert. JC owns Flavor-aid. When they bought out Wylers the formulas went into the safe and Flavor-aid powder went into the Wylers packs. Funny how things go in this country.
 
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