On Wed, 11 May 2005 14:23:48 -0700, Jim Stewart
wrote:
snip
I figured I'd swing by swing by Sears on Saturday
and get another handfull of #2 philips screwdrivers
so there would be no excuses. I've bought the
screwdrivers with blue/clear handles for years and
found that they last a long time. Well, I get to
Sears and look at them and what used to be a nice
crisp tip now looks like a poor sand casting.
snip
This seems to be a worldwide problem for all products. Value
analysis is running amok. Sears lost their once dominant
retailing position because of the continual slow slide in their
product quality in tools, paint and clothing. The same thing is
true of autos made by General Motors and Ford.

In the short term, a little additional profit may be made by
imperceptible cuts in quality, service and innovation, but in the
long term, it is a sure-fire receipt for disaster for the company
and the long-term employees. For the short-term company
executives and their hedge-fund cohorts it is a quick buck, and
the devil take the hindmost.