The $3 garment bag

Here’s another one of my favorite quips from the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous:

Saffron:  “Mum, it’s the thought that counts.”

Edina Monsoon:  “It’s just the thought I’m worried about, darling.”

Edina’s character was afraid of getting some Yardley of London toiletries.  I’m scared of a gift we recently received:  a $3 garment bag.

I recently had to let go of a 10-year old Samsonite garment bag.  That bag went everywhere:  you name a country, it was there; name a city I went for business, it was there.  It had been abused for so long I finally had to give it up after the zippers gave out and the corners frayed.  For a clearance item from Macy’s it did very well.

So imagine my horror when Ara walked in and said someone bought us this garment bag after he had mentioned we needed a new one.  Yikes!  First of all, part of the fabric was blistered.  And there was no way this could survive a flight, say, down a flight of stairs.

But what was really disturbing was the fact that this was manufactured in some sweatshop.  How long did it take to sew together?  30 minutes?  An hour?  And how many people worked on this, and what kind of fumes did they inhale?

I know we all groan and roll our eyes when people lecture us about our consumption . . . but as a society, we have to get a grip about our . . . consumption.  Think about it:  imagine if we all went to Ikea every few years and bought a new sofa.  What if we all owned several outfits from H&M in several colors, just cause they were cheap.  Add all of the plate and glassware sets we own for the seasons and holidays.  Throw in the pots we keep buying at Home Depot in which our plants shrivel.

Do any of us really think about where all this stuff goes when we’re done with it all?  Do we really think it will be reused and recycled?  And do not even get me started on all the fuel necessary for shipping these items across the globe.

I think we all need to take a step back and do the math:  perhaps it’s better to spend more of our cash on something that will last longer—and look better.

As for that garment bag, well, we don’t want to hurt any feelings . . . so it’s going to house a couple of our suits in the closet.  I hope it lasts a long time . . . though I doubt it.